CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM Waianae's Marcus Fonoti, right, celebrated with teammates after the Seariders took Game 1 against Roosevelt last night.

Seariders grasp another crown

Seventh-ranked Waianae rode a wave to the Oahu Interscholastic Association Red Conference crown with a resounding 25-16, 28-26 win over No. 2 Roosevelt last night at McKinley Student Council Gym.

"This is what they worked so hard for. They deserve this," Waianae coach Fulton Dela Cruz said. "They went out and played with heart."

Waianae captured its third OIA title. The first came in 1997 under coach Michellene Nua, and Georgieann Keiki led Waianae to the White crown in 2006.

Anthony Robinson led Waianae (14-1) with 10 kills and two service aces, toppling a Rough Riders squad that had been unbeaten in league play.

"That definitely was our best, like all our games combined," the 6-foot junior said. "They came back, but we needed to fight back twice as hard."

Aaron Fogatu, another junior, added eight kills, two blocks and an ace, while dual setters Desmond Dela Cruz (11 assists) and Aaron Robinson (12 assists) directed the attack efficiently.

Aaron Robinson, who also had three kills and two of Waianae's seven aces, had some concerns during his team's long drive to town.

"We were a little overconfident. Everybody kept saying, 'We got this.' I didn't want that to blow up in our face," the senior said.

Instead, Waianae was on fire in the first game and rallied from behind to win the second. A controversial reversal of a call late in the second set drew the ire of Roosevelt fans.

Kills by Joby Ramos and Kaina Palama gave the Rough Riders a 26-25 lead, and Palama put down a kill on the left side off the fingers of Dela Cruz for the apparent game-winner. However, the call was reversed by the linesman and the score was changed to 26-all. From there, Mickey Molina delivered back-to-back aces to end the match.

"I don't know if it was a touch, but I heard it. It was pretty loud," Palama said. "They called it out and there was nothing we could do about it."

Fulton Dela Cruz also thought it was a Roosevelt point.

"I knew it was a touch, but the ref said it was out," he said.

Roosevelt coach Kaui Mendonca was disappointed.

"I thought it was a touch, but the head ref said nobody saw a touch. The ball clearly changed direction," he said. "But you can't take anything away from Waianae. We didn't match their energy, and Anthony's a great hitter."

The controversial decision on the call was just another obstacle for Roosevelt, which played without 6-foot-6 Kenneth Rewick. The junior was benched as a school-related disciplinary measure.

Palama led Roosevelt (14-1) with seven kills. Aris Wong added five kills, and Ramos tallied 20 assists. The Rough Riders had nine hitting errors, including seven in the second game.

Aces by the Robinson brothers fueled a momentous 12-5 run by Waianae to start the match.

Roosevelt rallied to within 15-12 before Waianae called a time out. The Seariders regrouped and went on a 10-4 run to close out the set.

Anthony Robinson's backrow slam and Aaron Robinson's dump shot capped the first game.