HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
Punahou stuns Bishop Gorman
Dalton Hilliard sank seven of nine free-throw attempts in the final 2:06 as Punahou stunned Bishop Gorman 60-53 last night in the semifinals of the St. Francis Merv Lopes Classic.
A pensive crowd of about 1,000 saw Hawaii's No. 1-ranked team topple Nevada's top-ranked squad at King Armory Gym. Kameron Steinhoff had 14 points on 6-for-7 shooting and nine rebounds for Punahou (10-0). Reserve forward Manti Te'o scored 14 big points in traffic against the taller Gaels.
Hilliard finished with nine points to help stabilize Punahou, which committed 23 turnovers in the first three quarters, but only three in the final stanza.
Ahead 51-42, Punahou put the ball in Hilliard's hands and he delivered at the line. "I felt very comfortable. Dalton will step up and give it a good shot," Buffanblu coach Dan Hale said.
The Gaels pulled within 57-51 on a baseline jumper by Robert Bush with 36 seconds left, and then got the ball back on Robbie Toma's turnover.
Moments later, however, Toma intercepted an inbounds pass and free throws by Hilliard and Harry Cassiday put the game out of reach.
Blake Moore led the Gaels with 19 points. Quinton Daily, a 6-foot-4 guard, added 13. Bishop Gorman put all of its chips in with a frenetic fullcourt press, but shot only 39 percent from the field (18-for-46), including 4-for-19 from the arc.
"Their 1-3-1 (zone) gave us trouble. We didn't make our jumpers. We didn't look for the weak side off the high post," Gaels coach Grant Rice said, refusing to comment about several charging calls made against each team.
"Punahou's a well-coached team. Give Punahou the credit," he said.
Steinhoff, who was called for one of the charging fouls, said it was a matter of concentration. "There was a lot of talk about how (Bishop Gorman) was destroying everybody. I think the refs got to them."
The Gaels struggled at the foul line, shooting 8-for-14 in the final quarter.
Bishop Gorman, the defending Nevada state champion, chipped away at a 15-point deficit in the second half. The Gaels, sparked by 11 second-half points from Daly, pulled within 43-38 on a fastbreak layup by Moore with 5:14 remaining. They got no closer, however, due to four key turnovers in the final 2 minutes.
"At halftime, coach wanted us to limit the turnovers, not to let it bother us, just play on," said Steinhoff, a 6-5 senior. "That's what happened with Robbie. He just played on and made the steal."
No. 3 Kamehameha-Hawaii 68, Otay Ranch (Calif.) 61
Hogan Rosehill poured in 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Warriors lassoed the Mustangs. Colton Collins tallied 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting. Anthony Cosentino led Otay Ranch with 27 points and seven boards.
Hilo 57, Waiakea 53
Nick Acosta scored 16 points, and Chan Spikes and Jose Lizardi added 11 each as the Vikings fought off the Warriors in a battle of Big Island arch rivals. T.J. Yasuhara led Waiakea (8-5) with 16 points.
Hanford (Calif.) 46, Leilehua 17
D.J. Jackson's 14 points led the Bullpups. Art Laurel paced the Mules with eight points.
Kamehameha II 60, Damien 46
Kai Rilliet scored 13 points, Kawai Makuakane had 12 and Keppo Noa added 10 to lead the Division II Warriors. Anthony Tuitele and Nikko Romuar scored 14 each for the Monarchs (6-4).
Kahuku 46, Kailua 43
Jray Galeai sank three treys to finish with 11 points for the Red Raiders. Irwin Ah-Hoy added 10 points, including two 3-pointers. Kenny Ellis led Kailua with 25 points and 10 rebounds.
Thousand Oaks (Calif.) 67, No. 10 Mililani 42
Michael Whalen scored 14 points and Cyrus Kiani added 12 as the Lancers overwhelmed the Trojans. Curtis Murakami had eight points for Mililani.
Na Menehune Reebok Classic
No. 9 Moanalua 51, No. 8 Mid-Pacific 47
Stevie Austin pumped in 15 points as Na Menehune edged the Owls.
No. 4 Kamehameha 60, Maryknoll 39
Pii Minns' 14 points led the Warriors over the Spartans.
Kaimuki 63, Campbell 57
David Taulang scored 19 points to lead the Bulldogs past the Sabers.
Laguna Beach (Calif.) 45, University 30
Marcus Hairston's 14 points led the Breakers over the Junior 'Bows.
Kapolei 40, Carlmont (Calif.) 36
Nathaniel Dixon's 15 points led the Hurricanes over the Scots.
Radford 42, Kauai 36
Quentin Kimura hit for 15 points to lead the Rams over the Red Raiders.
Punahou II 45, Waianae 44
Jeremy Kaimikaua scored 15 points for the Buffanblu as they nipped the Seariders.
Castle 46, Iolani II 41
Layne Kihara's 13 points led the Knights over the Raiders.