For a fleeting moment or two, the Kamehameha Warriors hung tough with the Fairfax Lions.

Then Renardo Sidney came to life. The hulking 6-foot-10 senior, swatting shots and swishing silky treys, snuffed out a Kamehameha rebellion as the visitors secured a 68-40 victory last night in opening-round play at the 'Iolani Classic.

Sidney, originally from Mississippi, finished with 20 points to lead the Lions (6-0).

“;The big dude is legit,”; Kamehameha coach Jesse Nakanishi said of Sidney, who drilled four treys. “;We wanted to make him shoot outside shots to beat us, but they were hot.

The Lions were 7-for-9 from beyond the arc during an early stretch. Donte McFrazier added 11 points, including three of their 10 3-pointers.

Micah Christenson led Kamehameha (3-1) with 11 points. Auwae DeRego added eight and Pii Minns had seven.

Fairfax, ranked No. 9 in the ESPN Fab 10 and 12th in the USA Today Super 25, looked absolutely fabulous and super to just about everyone but coach Harvey Kitani.

“;We had a lot of poor execution offensively and defensively,”; said Kitani, now in his 28th year at the helm. Sidney and his teammates heard their coach loud and clear.

“;Coach is screaming mad because we don't know how to finish a game,”; Sidney said. “;We missed a lot of layups. We just got to play hard every game.”;

The first 6 minutes were a display in airtight man-to-man defense and breakaway dunks by the Lions. Solomon Hill threw down a pair of jams off steals as Fairfax seized a 21-6 lead.

The Warriors battled back. Minns nailed a 3-pointer and DeRego sank a bomb from the top to spark a 15-7 run. A technical foul against the Lions helped; Christenson sank those two foul shots and followed with a trey from the left corner.

After DeRego hit a 17-footer from the left elbow, Kamehameha was within seven and its 2-3 zone seemed ingenious. Sidney then became a zone buster, nailing three 3-pointers from the left wing, and suddenly the Lions were ahead 41-21. Kamehameha got no closer the rest of the way.

“;We didn't execute like we'd like to, but I like my kids' effort,”; Nakanishi said. “;This helps us get ready for the (ILH) season).”;

The Warriors came into the tournament unbeaten after winning the recent James Alegre Invitational. With a blend of height, 3-point shooting and experience, Kamehameha probably has the best shot of local teams of pulling an upset against the big boys.

Sidney is being pursued by a number of universities, but his heart is still home in Mississippi.

“;I miss all my family, my grandmas, both granddads. They took care of me when I was young,”; he said.

Rumors about Sidney going pro after graduation to play ball in Europe don't make Patricia Sidney happy.

“;He's going to college,”; his mother said. “;No exception.”;

Fairfax's history in the tourney is extensive, with a 34-15 record in 12 entries. Three of those trips to the islands ended with titles, in 2001, '02 and '05.

Putnam City (Okla.) 50, Kaimuki 40

Garen Wright scored 17 points and Kyle Hardrick added 15 as the Pirates held on to beat the Bulldogs, who were led by Desmond Tautofi's 10 points.

Oak Hill (W.Va.) 78, Mid-Pacific 44

Doron Lamb was one of four Red Devils in double figures with 17 points and Keith Gallon, an Oklahoma commit, added 15 in the 34-point victory.

Whitney Young (Ill.) 59, Moanalua 35

Marcus Jordan was one of four Dolphins with a team-high seven points in the win. Marcus Monroe led all scorers with 14 for Na Menehune.