[ HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL ]
Spencer puts Warriors
into state tournament
This time, the Kamehameha Warriors were more than ready.
That spelled bad news for the Mid-Pacific Owls. Waika Spencer pumped in 15 points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked four shots as the Warriors earned a state tournament berth with a 54-45 win over Mid-Pacific last night.
Kamehameha (11-6) captured the Interscholastic League of Honolulu's third-place tournament with the victory. The win came against a team that beat Kamehameha 52-51 on Feb. 3.
"Last time, we couldn't get up for the game," Spencer admitted. "This time, we played up to our potential. States is one of our goals, and we knew we had to play extra hard."
Spencer's big performance was timely. "He has the capabilities to take the game over, physically and skill-wise," Kamehameha assistant coach Julian Nakanishi said. "Our offense goes through Waika. He's the first option."
Mid-Pacific's bid for a Cinderella postseason ended with an 8-9 league record. Josh Mitchell paced the Owls with 16 points.
A tense crowd at Kekuhaupio Gym saw the visiting Owls hang tough with the bigger Warriors for nearly the entire first half. However, MPI point guard Chris Perry suffered a left-ankle injury in a collision under the basket. He did not return, and Mid-Pacific struggled to put points on the scoreboard.
"That hurt. He's the spark plug, but our kids still fought hard," veteran MPI head coach Bill Wheeler said.
Spencer, a 6-foot-5 junior, was unstoppable, scoring eight points, including four free-throw tries. Kamehameha took a 17-10 lead and never let it go.
The Owls responded with an 11-4 run against Kamehameha's man defense. Perry went coast-to-coast on one play, and Kellen Hastie hustled for three of his nine first-half points. They brought Mid-Pacific within 21-20 with 5:01 remaining in the half.
Kamehameha got a boost off the bench. Reserves powered an 11-1 run to end the half. Perry suffered the injury with 1:17 to go before intermission. The Warriors led 32-21 at the break.
The Warriors opened the lead to 13 before Mitchell scored six points in a row to bring the Owls within 36-29 midway through the third quarter.
Kamehameha regrouped and closed out the third with a 9-0 blitz. Kawika Hepa scored on back-to-back jump shots, and Ikaika Hardie drained a 3-pointer from the right corner at the buzzer.
Hardie, who finished with 10 points, was a force on both ends of the floor. Mid-Pacific, sitting in a 2-3 zone most of the night, was forced to play man-to-man in the second half, and Hardie's efficiency at the point was key.
"Our game plan was to stop Waika. Last time, we clogged it up inside, and they missed from the outside," Wheeler said. "But this time, we were behind. We had to come out in the man (defense)."
Ryan Chun and Mitchell combined for 11 points in a row as the Owls pulled within 50-40 with 3:01 remaining. However, the Owls had just two team fouls, and Kamehameha worked off another 90 seconds before finally going to the foul line for the bonus.
Hardie made three of his four foul shots in the final 1:31. Ryan Freshour sank a 3-pointer to bring the Owls within 52-43, but they got no closer.
At Kekuhaupio Gym
MID-PACIFIC--Burton Woodhull 0, Cody Walker 0, Josh Mitchell 18, Chris Perry 6, Ryan Chun 7, JD Lum 0, Kellen Hastie 9, Chris Freshour 5.
Mid-Pacific (8-9) 14 7 8 16 -- 45 Kamehameha (9-6) 19 13 13 9 -- 54 KAMEHAMEHA--Ikaika Hardie 10, Keo Pacarro 6, Rykin Enos 0, Jacob Ho 0, Quincy Crowell 0, Mike Nii 7, Jacob Bode 0, Waika Spencer 15, Kapono Kuikahi 0, Ernie Vidinha 2, Ikaika Shelton 4, Gabriel Spencer 0, Kawika Hepa 10.
3-point goals -- Mid-Pacific 2 (Freshour, Chun), Kamehameha 4 (Pacarro 2, Hardie, Nii).
