Kamehameha takes its spot
in state tournament

After being caught sleepwalking in the game's first 8 minutes, Kamehameha woke up and ran past Saint Louis to clinch a berth in next week's boys state basketball tournament.

The Warriors rebounded from a sluggish first quarter with a suffocating defense that stopped Saint Louis' top scorer and fueled its own offense in a 63-56 overtime victory at Kekuhaupi'o Gym last night, clinching the Interscholastic League of Honolulu third-place tournament.

Jacob Ho finished with 17 points and Ikaika Hardie added 16 to lead the Warriors (11-5). Jacob Barit finished with 17 for the Crusaders and Jack Miller, the team's top scorer, was held to 14 as the Crusaders finished the season at 9-7.

"We always make it up with our defensive effort," Kamehameha coach Jesse Nakanishi said of his team's rally. "We're not very good in half court (offense). Our defense is our offense. If we're playing defense, that means we're getting rebounds and getting out on our breaks, which is our strength."

Warrior Quincy Crowell hit a 3-pointer with 8 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 47. Saint Louis' Cameron Bayne was then called for traveling, thanks to a frenzied Warrior defense. Kamehameha inbounded the ball to Crowell with 2 seconds left, but his 3-point attempt from the left wing fell short.

Crowell's basket that tied the game came after Kamehameha's intended late-game play broke down.

"I thought they were going to come out in a zone (defense), so we had two plays ready. But, we didn't quite read it in time," Nakanishi said.

In overtime, the defense forced the Crusaders to miss its first four attempts while the Warriors built a six-point lead. After Bayne's 3-pointer cut the deficit to 53-50, Kamehameha went on an 8-1 run to seal the win.

"We started hitting some shots and that gave us some momentum going in there (overtime)," Hardie said.

Trailing 15-6 after the first quarter, Kamehameha turned up its defense with a mix of zone and box-and-one that stymied the Crusaders. More importantly, it held off Miller, one of the league's leading scorers.

"He's obviously one of the top players in the state," Nakanishi said of Miller. "Last time out, we held him, but this time, he got off a little bit. We contained enough where he wasn't as huge as he can be."

Ho and Keo Wright-Pacarro drew the assignment of guarding Miller, with Ho on Miller for most of the second half.

"We put him on Jack because Jack loves to shoot over players, so we put a taller defensive player on him," Nakanishi said.

After closing to 25-20 at halftime, Kamehameha took the lead in the third quarter on a basket by Ho. Kamehameha's defense forced five turnovers, which fueled its running game and resulted in easy baskets. Hardie scored nine of his points in the third.

"It is always a key for us every night," Hardie said of his team's defense. "It runs our offense and we get points off of our defense. That's our strength, running the floor."

In the fourth, Cole Shidaki's 3-pointer with 2:59 remaining gave Saint Louis a 44-42 lead, the fifth lead change of the quarter. After the teams traded baskets, Miller hit a running bank shot with Ho on him to give Saint Louis a 47-44 lead with 1:30 left.

Hardie then missed a 3-point attempt with 44 seconds left, but Bayne missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw with 21 seconds remaining.

The Crusaders dominated the first quarter, with Barit controlling the post and scoring eight points.

"We just came out flat," Hardie said. "It's one of those things where you come out and don't want it that much."

But Barit picked up his third foul in the third quarter and managed just three more points before fouling out in overtime.

At Kekuhaupi'o Gym

Saint Louis (9-7)	15	10	7	15	9	--	56
Kamehameha (11-5)	6	14	14	13	16	--	63

SAINT LOUIS--Kulia Aiona 6, John Quindara 0, Kawika Kekuawela 0, Kyle Gonzaga 0, Cameron Bayne 6, Joshua Ah Yuen 0, Cole Shidaki 12, Jack Miller 14, Elliot Purcell 0, Jamison Miller 1, Jacob Barit 17.
KAMEHAMEHA--Keo Wright-Pacarro 3, Ikaika Hardie 18, Brandon Ahlo 0, Rykin Enos 9, Jacob Ho 17, Michael Nii 0, Matt Hoapili 4, Kamalu Miller 4, Quincy Crowell 8.
3-point goals -- Saint Louis 2 (Bayne, Shidaki), Kamehameha 4 (Crowell 2, Pacarro, Hardie).