Clayton Parks of Kahuku scored two of his 11 points last night on this layup.
Kaimuki holds off
Kapolei 52-47
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The win secured a state-tournament berth for Kaimuki. The Bulldogs advanced to the semifinals of the Oahu Interscholastic Association boys basketball playoffs despite arriving late due to problems with transportation.
Kapolei coach Darren Camello refused to see the 30-minute delay as an excuse.
"We just didn't come out with intensity in the first quarter. Kaimuki had a great game plan and hit clutch shots," he said.
Kaimuki (16-6) will play Kahuku on Wednesday at McKinley Student Council Gym. It was a strong performance one night after a not-so-pleasant finish in a win over Mililani.
"After that experience (Thursday), our A.D. talking to them in the locker room afterward made all the difference," Kaimuki coach Kelly Grant said. "They got a chance to see the video during lunch today, and they saw what they looked like."
Last night, the Bulldogs looked far more composed. With Kaimuki trailing 45-44, Torres sank two free throws to give Kaimuki a one-point lead with 1:26 remaining. After Brad Padayao missed the front end of a one-and-one for Kapolei, Onaga found Isaiah Ano open for a backdoor layup. That gave the Bulldogs a 48-45 lead with 51 seconds left.
Jefferson Gaygay missed a 23-footer from the top, and Onaga hit a free throw to push Kaimuki's lead to 49-45 with 27 seconds remaining.
Onaga added two more free throws with 18 seconds left, capping a 7-0 run by the Bulldogs. Ryan Dela Cruz scored on a fast-break layup to cut the lead to 51-47 with 13 seconds left, but it was too late. Jordan Wong hit a foul shot with 9.9 seconds remaining for the final margin of victory.
Torres finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds to anchor the Bulldogs in the paint. The 6-foot-2 senior had 11 points in the first half.
"Their size down low hurt us," Camello said.
Gaygay led Kapolei (17-6) with 12 points. Dela Cruz scored 11 before fouling out. The Hurricanes shot just 40 percent from the field (20-for-50).
Kaimuki's late arrival didn't hamper the Bulldogs' shooting touch. Kaimuki shot 67 percent in the first half, including 9-for-11 in the second quarter.
Kapolei led 17-13 when Bulldog reserve guard Jarett Shiu caught fire. He nailed three treys in the second quarter against Kapolei's 1-2-2 zone and man defense.
The Bulldogs led 34-25 at intermission, but the lead disappeared quickly. Kapolei shut out the Bulldogs in the third quarter, going on a 12-0 run to take a 37-34 lead. Onaga's ability to drive and draw fouls helped the Bulldogs get into the bonus quickly.
Kaimuki regained the lead, 38-37, on a free throw by Onaga. The Hurricanes stayed close, taking a 45-44 lead on a pull-up jump shot by Gaygay with 1:49 remaining. From that point, however, Kaimuki came through with clutch shots and passes to advance.
In all, Kaimuki made 10 of 15 free-throw tries in the final quarter.
"You gotta give credit to Coach Grant. Good luck to them in the semis," Camello said.
Grant, a first-year head coach, is going to the state tournament for the first time since 1984, when he played at Maryknoll under Tony Sellitto.
"I'm really proud of my kids. This is the first team I've coached that really practices hard every day," he said. "Hopefully, this will help build their confidence for states."
| Kaimuki | 11 | 23 | 0 | 18 | -- | 52 |
| Kapolei | 14 | 11 | 12 | 10 | -- | 47 |
Kaimuki: Kalani Ahmad 5, Jordan Wong 1, Shaun Dela Cazada 0, Isaiah Ano 4, Thomas Pyo 6, Kekoa Onaga 12, Jarett Shiu 9, Jon Torres 15.
Kapolei: Ryan Dela Cruz 11, Keoki Lapina 2, Jefferson Gaygay 12, Zach Vierra 0, Cameron Moody 9, Brad Padayao 8, Augie Fernandez 0, Po'okela Ahmad 5.
3-point goals: Kaimuki 7 (Shiu 3, Pyo 2, Onaga, Ahmad), Kapolei 4 (Gaygay 2, Moody, Padayao).
Kahuku 67, Radford 49
The Red Raiders endured another slow start, but used a 15-0 run midway through the first half to end the Rams' state-tournament hopes.Shayne Hayden scored 17 points, including three treys, and Okesene Ale Jr. added 16 points and nine rebounds to lead Kahuku (18-2). Point guard Clinton Parks had 11 points, five assists and two turnovers.
"We lost to this team in the playoffs last year," Ale recalled. "I told my teammates, 'We don't want to lose to them again.' "
William Kerins led Radford (15-8) with 17 points, including five 3-pointers.
Radford led 10-7 after Kerins hit his second trey of the game late in the first quarter.
Kahuku, ranked No. 4 in the Star-Bulletin Top 10, used a full-court press to alter the tempo and score the next 15 points. After Parks hit a pull-up jumper from the free-throw line, the Red Raiders led 22-10 with 4:42 left in the second quarter.
"We executed our plays and had a lot of patience on offense," Ale said.
Kahuku, which dominated the paint, put the game out of reach with a 14-0 run to start the second half. The Red Raiders led by as many as 26 points en route to victory.
"They're a team that starts slow, but they have good discipline, and they have good role players," Radford guard Mike Davis said. "They play real well together."
| Radford | 10 | 11 | 12 | 19 | -- | 49 |
| Kahuku | 14 | 15 | 23 | 15 | -- | 67 |
Radford: Joe Brundidge 0, Mike Sooto 5, Justin Quinones 6, Zach Brisley 0, Garett Canteen 4, William Kerins 17, Jeremy Hayes 1, Juan Lewis 0, Mike Davis 8, Gary Satterwhite 6, Tedy Tyler 0.
Kahuku: Hapaki Kaulula'au 0, Kaulin Krebs 1, Devin Unga 6, Shane Hayden 17, Josh Wily 2, Okesene Ale 16, Jacob Kahawai'i 0, Clinton Parks 11, Kevin Unga 9, Viliami Tilini 5, Ken Wilcox 0, Kaniela Tuipulotu 0.
3-point goals: Radford 6 (Kerins 5, Davis), Kahuku 4 (Hayden 3, Parks).
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