KAPA’A – If Tuesday night was an indication of things to come, then each Kaua’i Interscholastic Federation team had better put a masseuse on staff. Because stressed-out shoulders will be kinking aplenty. The host Warriors defeated Waimea 56-52 in a
KAPA’A – If Tuesday night was an indication of things to come, then each
Kaua’i Interscholastic Federation team had better put a masseuse on
staff.
Because stressed-out shoulders will be kinking aplenty.
The host
Warriors defeated Waimea 56-52 in a game whose last two minutes featured the
gamut of human emotion.
Though the Menehunes (0-1 KIF) had managed to keep
the contest close throughout, Kapa’a pulled ahead 49-41 with just over two
minutes in the fourth quarter. But a couple of turnovers, some sub-par free
throw shooting and a never-say-die Waimea attitude put the visitors within
54-52 with 30 seconds to go.
The Warriors (1-0) got the ball into the hands
of Kapu Hendricksen, whom the Menehunes fouled instantly. The senior point
guard calmly dropped two free throws to give his team a four-point
cushion.
On Waimea’s next possession, senior Micah Bermoy hoisted a three.
It appeared he was fouled, but the whistles were silent. His shot fell short,
but teammate Byron Vea grabbed the rebound and finished a layup, cutting the
Kapa’a lead to 54-52.
The Menehunes then spent the next 15 seconds trying
to foul a Warrior, but again the whistles were quiet.
“It was clear we were
trying to foul them,” Waimea head coach Matt Taba said. “I don’t understand
what happened.”
“It was just so crazy there at the end,” Kapa’a coach
Michael Ban said. “I thought I heard a whistle, but it was a judgement
call.”
Either way, the Warriors pulled out the victory in the KIF opener.
It was the third time this season they have defeated Waimea, having played the
Menehunes in two preseason tournaments.
“It’s frustrating,” Taba said. “But
we can, and will, play better than that.”
If it hopes to challenge Kapa’a
in the future, Waimea will have to do a better job of blocking out the
Warriors’ post players.
Forward Rhyan Greenleaf, in particular, was a
nuisance to the Menehunes all game. The 6-foot-1 forward led all scorers with
20 points, and dragged down nine rebounds as well.
“Rhyan played very well
for us tonight,” Ban said. “He was consistent and did well as our go-to
guy.”
But he wasn’t the only successful Warrior post player.
Senior
Kekoa Chun scored 13 points, including a string of seven consecutive in the
third quarter, and pulled down five rebounds.
“We gave them too many easy
buckets down low,” Taba said. “Our defense could have been a lot
better.”
Despite going to it early, Waimea’s own low-post game disappeared
as the contest wore on. In the first half, Waimea’s size, Jordan Dizon, Keola
Karrati and Kaimana Mehrtens scored 15 of their team’s 23 points.
Karrati’s
four points were all the trio mustered after the intermission.
“That’s
something we need to work on,” Taba said. “We’ve got to get the ball to our
post people.
“They get taken out of the game as it goes on.”
Waimea’s
offensive efficiency also suffered in the second half, when Kapa’a went to a
full-court press. Nine of the Menehunes’ 12 turnovers were committed in the
final two quarters.
“We actually put the press on to get ourselves running
and to disrupt them,” Ban said. “It worked on both counts.”
The teams
played the first half evenly. They were tied after one quarter, and Waimea took
a 23-22 lead into the half.
The Menehunes looked improved in their
half-court game, and the Warriors did a solid job of taking what Waimea was
giving them — the low post.
Kapa’a pulled ahead by three or more points on
three occasions in the second half, but Waimea refused to quit.
“That’s the
thing with them,” Greenleaf said. “They’re never going to go away. They play
with too much heart.”
A Willy Carollo steal and layup put the Warriors
ahead 49-41 in the game’s waning moments. Then Waimea’s seniors took over.
Bermoy hit a running jumper. Guard Nikko Naumu followed with a 3-pointer
and Bermoy sank a layup.
But the Menehunes could not get over the
hump.
Winnie Arios led the Menehunes with 10 points. Karrati scored eight
and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds. Naumu added nine points. Mehrtens dropped
in seven.
Hendricksen scored nine for the Warriors.
Kapa’a travels to
Kaua’i Friday for a 7 p.m. game.
Tuesday’s
Results
Varsity
Kapa’a 56
Waimea
52
JV
Waimea 70
Kapa’a 37
-look for JV
recap in Thursday’s paper
Kapa’a’s Kapu Hendricksen
(20) is fouled in the act of shooting by Waimea’s Keola Karrati during the
Warriors’ 56-52 KIF victory Tuesday night. Hendricksen scored nine points in
the Warriors’ win.
STAFF PHOTOS BY DENNIS FUJIMOTO
