[ HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL ]
Rams beat Mules
on a buzzer-beaterOIA WEST & BIIF
James Herron didn't make waves for 35 minutes and 59 seconds last night.
But when the Radford Rams needed him most, the 6-foot-2 forward came through, hustling for an offensive rebound and layup as time expired, lifting his team to a 38-37 overtime win over fourth-ranked Leilehua. They were Herron's only points of the night.
His hustle secured a key victory for Radford, which is now 3-1 in Oahu Interscholastic Association West play.
Leilehua, which lost Tuesday in double-overtime to Mililani, dropped to 2-2 in league play (13-3 overall).
It was a bitter ending for the Mules, who disputed the final play. Herron's basket appeared to come after the buzzer, but officials ruled that the shot was valid.
"I saw the ball on the backboard, and that's when the buzzer went off," one official said.
Leilehua head coach Keith Spencer was beside himself. "I can't believe it. That shot came after the buzzer. I don't want to say anything negative," the veteran mentor said.
Video showed that the buzzer sounded almost simultaneously as Herron released the ball on the right side of the backboard. Only a camera angle with both the clock and Herron's shot -- in slow motion -- could reveal what really happened. In any event, the Mules left Alegre Gym with a defeat, knowing that they missed their last six free-throw attempts.
A tense crowd at James Alegre Gymnasium endured a defensive struggle that seemed to tilt Leilehua's way. The Mules led for most of the fourth quarter, but their Achilles' heel -- poor free-throw shooting -- haunted them. With the game tied at 33 with 1.9 seconds to play in regulation, Kennedy Orteza missed a pair of free throws. He rebounded his miss, but couldn't connect on a 10-foot bank shot from the right size as the buzzer sounded.
Clayton Laurel powered his way for a layup, and Angel Fontanez drove into the paint for a tough 7-foot banker to give Leilehua a 37-33 lead with 41 seconds remaining.
Radford refused to surrender. A 3-pointer by Ricardo Shipley cut the lead to 37-36 with 30 seconds remaining. That's when the heel got to Leilehua. Fontanez, Leilehua's point guard, missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 20 seconds left. He hustled after his own miss and got the board, and after a Mule timeout, Angelo Massey was fouled with 14 seconds left.
The normally accurate sharpshooter missed the front end of his 1-and-1, but teammate Clayton Laurel hauled in the offensive carom and was fouled as he went back up. Laurel, however, missed both of his foul shots with 11.7 seconds left, setting the stage for Radford's heroic finish.
Mike Davis raced to midcourt and called timeout with 5.1 seconds left. The Rams went to Tauran Moore, but his double-pump 3-point attempt from the right wing was well short. Herron was all alone under the bucket to seize the air ball, and his layup sealed the win.
Radford coach Kai Enos wasn't about to waffle about the bizarre finish.
"It could've gone either way. When Tauran went up for the 3-pointer, it looked like he got fouled," Enos said. "He could've been at the line for three shots, and he needed just one to tie it, two to win."
Massey, playing defense on Moore, appeared to pull back as the shot was attempted.
Moore, a 6-2 senior with a streaky jump shot, finished with seven points. Davis and Greg Solomon led Radford with eight apiece.
Massey led the Mules with 12 points, and Laurel finished with 10. Antonio Carter turned in a strong defensive effort, limiting Moore to just two first-half points.
Leilehua was just 3-for-11 from the line, including 0-for-4 in the overtime. Radford shot 5-for-8 from the stripe.
Neither team managed to establish control in the first half, but defense was at the forefront. Leilehua, using a mix of man, 3-2 zone and soft full-court pressure, kept Radford off-balance. Still, the Rams had decent ball movement. Solomon scored eight points, and Davis swished home a 22-foot trey with two seconds remaining. That gave the host team a 21-19 lead at intermission.
Laurel and Massey led the Mules with eight points by the half.
The emergence of Kapolei and Nanakuli as division title contenders has added plenty of drama to the West. Leilehua returns home and hosts Nanakuli on Wednesday, while Mililani visits Radford on Tuesday.
At Radford H.S. gym
LEILEHUA--Angelo Massey 12, Edward Garcia 0, Kennedy Oheda 2, Anthony Palomares 0, Josh Fetters 0, Antonio Carter 0, Yaweh Yago 0, BJ Fruean 0, David Spore 0, Anthony Hall 7, Angel Fontanez 6, Jonathan Scruggs 0, Clayton Laurel 10.
Leilehua (3-1) 9 10 7 7 4 -- 37 Radford (4-1) 9 12 7 5 5 -- 38
RADFORD--Will Kerins 6, Ricardo Shipley 5, Jordan Rellin 0, Greg Solomon 8, Tauran Moore 7, Mike Davis 8, James Herron 2, Justin Quinones 2, Joseph Brundidge 0.
3-point goals -- Leilehua 2 (Massey, Fontanez), Radford 5 (Kerins 2, Davis 2, Shipley).
Junior varsity -- Radford 39, Leilehua 36
No. 6 Mililani 45, Pearl City 36
The Trojans went 8-for-9 from the free-throw line down the stretch to pull away from the Chargers in a critical OIA West showdown.Leading by one entering the fourth quarter, Puna Neumann and Nick Rogers scored six points apiece as the Trojans stayed undefeated in OIA play.
AJ Foltz led the Chargers with nine points.
At Mililani H.S. gym
PEARL CITY--Rollie Salvacion 0, Halzton Berdida 2, Michael Hardy 6, Royce Yuen 0, Ricky Salvacion 7, Jason Lopes 4, Brandon Rambonga 8, AJ Foltz 9.
Pearl City (3-2) 8 9 11 8 -- 36 Mililani (5-0) 10 8 11 16 -- 45
MILILANI--Puna Neumann 11, Scott Neumann 6, Aaron Kanno 2, Clarence Gray 6, Andrew Tokumi 2, Alex Patykula 5, Jonovan Santos 2, Nick Rogers 11.
3-point goals -- Pearl City 1 (Ri. Salvacion), Mililani 3 (P. Neumann, Patykula, Rogers).
Junior varsity -- Mililani 60, Pearl City 45
BIIF
Hawaii Prep 66, Hilo 45
Matt Martin scored nine of his game-high 16 points in the fourth quarter as Hawaii Prep used a 24-11 fourth quarter to pull away from Hilo.Leading scorers--HPA: Martin 16, Xavier Keelan 13, Kenny Nobriga 12. Hilo: Toby Misech 8, Joshua Baumgarner 8.
Junior varsity
Hilo 64, Hawaii Prep 28