[ HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL ]
Kaimuki turns to luck
against RooseveltOIA EAST
Kekoa Onaga got the second chance he needed last night in Kaimuki, where he scored five points in the fourth overtime period to lift the Bulldogs to a pulsating 66-62 victory over Roosevelt in Oahu Interscholastic Association East play.
"I was lucky," Onaga said.
Indeed, Kaimuki (3-2) had held a 57-56 lead with 13.2 seconds left in the third overtime when Onaga was stripped of the ball by Roosevelt's James Castro underneath his own basket. With no choice but to foul, he sweated it out while Castro went to the free-throw line. Castro missed the first, but made the second, giving Onaga and Kaimuki new life.
"I was kind of embarrassed (by the steal), but James (Castro) is pretty quick and he's one of the best players I know, so I guess I'm not that ashamed," Onaga said.
In the fourth overtime, Onaga quickly made amends. His 3-pointer from the top of the key with 2:51 remaining gave Kaimuki the lead for good, and he also added a pair of clutch free throws to make it 64-59 with 31 seconds left.
"I feel good about the free-throw shooting," Kaimuki coach Steven Lee said. "We work hard on it in practice, and we have to rely on it down the stretch, so I'm very proud of the kids."
Said Onaga: "I've been in that situation before, so I was right at home. Every day in practice we work on pressure free throws."
Kaimuki was 6-for-6 from the charity stripe in the fourth overtime, four of which came from Dexter Tautofi. Conversely, Roosevelt went 2-for-4 in the fourth overtime and missed eight of its last 13 free-throw attempts. For the night, the Rough Riders were 13 of 30 from the line, while Kaimuki finished 17 of 24.
Kaimuki was led by Jimmy Miyasaka's 23 points. He also had three 3-pointers.
"Jimmy is the key to our team. If he plays well, then we're going to play well. If he doesn't play well, then the rest of the guys have to pick up their game, but they understand their roles and Jimmy understands he needs to lead the team."
Nick Milan added 13 points for the Bulldogs, while Onaga and Jordan Wong scored seven apiece.
Roosevelt (2-3) was led by Danton Balbas, who scored 19 points, including 13 after intermission, while Daniel Ki and Westin Lee added 11 points apiece. Keo Keola added 11 points for the Rough Riders, including the basket that forced the first overtime, when he corralled a rebound off of a missed free throw and converted a put-back with 1.8 seconds remaining in regulation.
"Both teams made a lot of mistakes down the stretch and fortunately for us, it went our way," Lee said. "You have to give Roosevelt credit. It could have gone either way, and it's kind of sad because both teams are fighting for a playoff spot. I was telling (Roosevelt coach John Chung) before the game that it was a shame that someone had to lose tonight. It was a battle."
In regulation, Kaimuki never trailed until the 5:41 mark of the third quarter, but a 10-0 run by Roosevelt marked the first of what were to be many momentum swings that lasted through the overtime sessions.
"We weren't working as a team as much," Onaga said of Roosevelt's run. "We were clicking more in the beginning, but it feels good to beat a good team. That's the first really good team that we've challenged, except for Moanalua."
At Kaimuki High School
KAIMUKI -- Davey Nguyen 3, Kekoa Onaga 11, Jordan Wong 7, Dexter Tautofi 7, Isaiah Aho 2, Jimmy Miyasaka 23, Nick Milan 13.
Kaimuki (3-2) 17 8 7 13 2 7 3 9 -- 66 Roosevelt (2-3) 11 11 12 11 2 7 3 5 -- 62
ROOSEVELT -- Keo Keola 9, Daniel Ki 11, Westin Lee 11, Laakea Moikeha 1, Danton Balbas 19, Ricky Eusebio 4, James Castro 4, Kevin Fujii 3.
3-point goals -- Kaimuki 7 (Miyasaka 3, Onaga 2, Nguyen, Jordan Wong), Roosevelt 5 (Ki 2, Lee 2, Balbas).
No. 8 Kahuku 76, Farrington 59
The Red Raiders got 14 points from Shosei Yamauchi and 13 from Hapaki Kaululaau to move into a tie with No. 3 Kalaheo for first place at 5-0.The Governors got off to a slow start, scoring just six points in the first quarter, but came back with 24 in the second to keep the game respectable. Three Govs scored in double figures, led by Matt Bell's 14.
At Kahuku H.S. gym
FARRINGTON--Jay-ar Mariano 11, Jermaine Rabago 0, Ruel Castro 4, NC Dela Cruz 1, Truong Nguyen 2, Dave Viloria 2, Devan Selman 4, Matt Bell 14, Roi Alzate 3, Eti Atonio 12, Ferdinand Morales 0, Micah Kalingo 6.
Farrington (1-4) 6 24 14 15 -- 59 Kahuku (5-0) 19 24 16 17 -- 76
KAHUKU--Hapaki Kaululaau 13, Spencer Hafoka 7, Toriano Taulogo 2, Waika Carvalho 4, Jarom Casey 5, Al Avalava 6, Koty Juliano 0, Clinton Parks , Bronson Ponciano-Ahue 0, Walker Vave 0, Viliami Tilini 2, Shosei Yamauchi 14, Tevita Finau 9, Iokepa Kahele 2, Jeremy Perry 1, Okesene Ale 11.
3-point goals -- Farrington 4 (Mariano 2, Kalingo, Alzate), Kahuku 3 (Kaululaau 2, Ale).
Junior varsity -- Kahuku 55, Farrington 43
Kalani 65, Kailua 52
Carsen Chun and Jason DeGuzman scored 14 points as four Falcons scored in double figures in leading Kalani to a victory over Kailua.The Surfriders got five 3-pointers from Cory Nemoto, but could not match up with Kalani's depth as Kailua fell to 1-3 in OIA play with the loss.
At Kalani H.S. gym
KAILUA--Kama Crowell 0, Tyler Harrison 0, Zach Akamine 5, Cory Nemoto 16, Bronson Kamaka 9, Justin Pedro 7, Hogan Paleafei 4, Wayne Kaiu-Denning 9, Nathan Botts 0, Kea Crowell 2.
Kailua (1-4) 15 4 16 17 -- 52 Kalani (3-2) 17 15 15 18 -- 65
KALANI--Carsen Chun 14, Dusten Umeda 0, Cody D'Amato 11, Kellen Kashiwa 10, Todd Dooher 0, Cory Konishi 7, Zachary Felipe 0, Daniel Morisato 0, Mark Bonner 7, Jason DeGuzman 14, Jonah Letoto 2, Joshua Omura 0.
3-point goals -- Kailua 7 (Nemoto 5, Kamaka, Kaiu-Denning), Kalani 4 (Kashiwa 2, Konishi, D'Amato).
Junior varsity -- Kailua 58, Kalani 39