StarBulletin.com

Kahuku wins on Akina's 3


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POSTED: Saturday, March 07, 2009

For once, the Kahuku Red Raiders turned the tables on their old friends from 'Iolani.

               

     

 

BOYS STATE TOURNAMENT SEMIFINAL RESULTS

       

       

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

             

             

               

             

             

               

               

             

             

               

               

             

             

               

             

             

               

               

             

             

               

               

             

         

       

DIVISION I
(1) Kamehameha63
Kaimuki57
DIVISION I
(2) Kahuku56
'Iolani53

 

               

DIVISION II
(1) Castle57
(4) Molokai44
DIVISION II
Kailua66
(2) Kohala57

       

 

       

       

Kahuku guard Nehoa Akina swished a 3-point bomb from the corner with 13 seconds to go, and center Kona Schwenke drew a charging foul from Pablo Warner with 3.8 seconds left as the second-seeded Red Raiders edged 'Iolani 56-53 last night in the semifinals of the Hawaiian Airlines/HHSAA Boys Basketball Division I State Championships at Blaisdell Arena.

Kahuku (24-2), the Oahu Interscholastic Association champion, will take on top-seeded Kamehameha tonight in the final at Blaisdell.

Warner, who led 'Iolani (22-6) with 17 points, disputed the charging call.

“;I didn't hit him that hard, so I don't know why he fell down,”; the 6-foot-3 senior said.

Akina's shot was pivotal for a Kahuku squad that was clearly on the ropes.

“;My dad said this is where we want to be,”; Akina said of Kahuku coach Hiram Akina.

'Iolani shot just 17-for-33 from the foul line and only 2-for-19 from the 3-point arc. Kahuku won despite committing 32 turnovers. 'Iolani made only 11. But it was Kahuku's ability to hit clutch shots and draw charging fouls—something 'Iolani practiced for 30 minutes a day in preseason—that was most notable.

The final minute was a series of momentum-shifting plays on both ends of the floor. 'Iolani rallied from a 13-point deficit with a swarming fullcourt press. The Raiders were down 52-41 after Akina scored on a fast-break layup with 4:25 remaining.

Kahuku spread the floor from that point and struggled against 'Iolani's bread-and-butter halfcourt traps. Kainoa Chu nailed a 3-pointer and Warner scored five points, including a free throw that gave the Raiders a 53-52 edge—'Iolani's first lead of the game—with 35 seconds left.

Kahuku's 12 fourth-quarter turnovers silenced a vocal following of red-clad fans, but Akina had the remedy. Irwin Ah-Hoy sent his inbounds pass to Akina, who was wide open in the left corner for the 3-pointer.

After two 'Iolani timeouts, Reid Saito penetrated from halfcourt to the left elbow, then fed Warner on the baseline. Warner passed up the open 10-footer and drove, but Schwenke was waiting.

“;I was tempted to try to block his shot, but the way he was driving in, I just stepped in,”; the 6-4 junior said.

That gave Kahuku the ball, but after a timeout, the Red Raiders were whistled for a violation when they passed the ball sideways from their inbounds man to a teammate who stepped out for a “;double pass”; play.

With 3.8 seconds left, 'Iolani got the ball in to Saito, who was short on a 10-footer from the left side. Schwenke rebounded and was fouled with three-tenths of a second left. He made the first of his 1-and-1 free throws for a three-point Kahuku lead. 'Iolani's Kela Marciel rebounded the miss and launched a fullcourt bomb that would have counted, but missed off the top of the backboard.

 

At Blaisdell Arena

                                                                                                                                           
'Iolani (22-6)1013141653
Kahuku (24-2)1315161256

'IOLANI—Andrew Skalman 0, Jarrett Arakawa 7, Kainoa Chu 13, Kainoa Scheer 3, Pablo Warner 17, Kela Marciel 0, Reid Saito 8, Brandon Ball 0, Nicholas Christman 3, Josiah Sukumaran 2.
KAHUKU—Jray Galeai 12, Irwin Ah-Hoy 6, Nehoa Akina 19, Kona Schwenke 4, Christian Feagai 4, Mikeli Damuni 0, Mua Malufau 0, Sage Kaka 0, Kohl Nauahi 3, Jackson Kaka 2, Shairone Thompson 6.
3-point goals—Iolani 2 (Arakawa, Chu), Kahuku 7 (Akina 5, Galeai, Nauahi).

Consolation
Kalaheo 62, Baldwin 58
Punahou 48, Waiakea 44
Lahainaluna 47, Radford 33