Red Raiders avoid strike three
Kaua’i goads Kapa’a into a running game; Lum-Tucker, Ceria score 21 each in
73-55 title game victory
By NICK ABRAMO
TGI Sports Editor
KAPA’A —
This one will be remembered as the one that didn’t get away.
Head coach
Buzzy Cox and the Kaua’i High School Red Raiders didn’t let the ghost of the
past two years get in the way Friday night.
The Red Raiders fended off the
highly charged Kapa’a Warriors 73-55 to capture the Kaua’i Interscholastic
Federation varsity boys basketball championship.
This was the year that the
favored Red Raiders were able to pull through and go all the way. Two years
ago, the Waimea Menehunes came out of nowhere to snatch the title from Kaua’i
High’ clutches. Last year, it was the Warriors who came on strong at the end of
the season to seize the coveted championship.
This year, there was no
strike three.
The Raiders did what they do best — run, and Kapa’a
eventually got lulled into the quick-paced game instead of being patient,
slowing the pace down and letting their height advantage take its toll on the
smaller Red Raiders.
The game was closer than the score indicates. The
Raiders held a slim 32-31 halftime lead, and they led by just three, 48-45,
early in the fourth period.
By hitting 10-out-of 12 free throws, including
four from Jason Kashiwabara and three from Brandon Ramos, the Kaua’i lead
ballooned to 60-46 with two minutes to go.
But it wasn’t quite over. A mad
Warrior surge cut the lead to just six points, 60-53, with a minute left. Kekoa
Chun’s steal and rare slam-dunk got the Kapa’a motor going. Justin Matsukawa
followed with a trey and Chad Sakai dropped in a hoop after a Randall Silva
steal.
But Kapa’a was forced to foul and Kaua’i put the game away at the
line, sinking 8-for-8. Mason Ceria’s three-point play and Tyler Kobayashi’s
lay-up also served to keep Kapa’a at bay.
Kapa’a controlled the first
period with big forwards Chun, Silva, John Patch and Cody Dolor standing in the
paint and denying Kaua’i on defense.
The Warriors got the offensive
first-quarter boost from Chun with eight points and John Patch with six en
route to a 20-11 lead. Kapu Hendrickson, the high-flying Warrior guard, fired
up a trey.
Lionel Tomacder, who turned in a strong night of rebounding to
go along with his 13 points on the night, scored Kaua’i’s first six points in
the game.
Mason Ceria and Brad Lum-Tucker started to heat up for the
Raiders in the second period.
Lum-Tucker, who was a big factor on the
boards, scored 10 in the period and Ceria added five.
R-Jay Pillos’
three-point bomb put Kaua’i on top for the first time, 30-28.
During a
furious up-and-down-the-court spree, Hendrickson was fouled while scoring an
acrobatic lay-up and he made the free throw for a temporary 31-30
lead.
Lum-Tucker’s 12-foot jumper gave Kaua’i its one-point 32-31 halftime
edge.
Ceria pumped home eight third-quarter points and Lum-Tucker nailed a
three-pointer at the buzzer for a 46-39 Raider lead heading into the final
quarter.
Hoops by Silva, Hendrickson and Chun allowed Kapa’a to trim the
lead to 48-45, but Kapa’a got anxious and fouled and the Raiders made them
pay.
Lum-Tucker and Ceria finished shared game-high honors with 21 points
apiece.
Chun scored 19 for Kapa’a, while Matsukawa and Hendrickson added
10 each.
Kaua’i (6-2) will head to the state tourney Feb.
23-26.
Kapa’a finished the season at 4-4.
Kaua’i goads Kapa’a into a
running game; Lum-Tucker, Ceria score 21 each in 73-55 title game
victory
By NICK ABRAMO
TGI Sports Editor
KAPA’A — This one will be
remembered as the one that didn’t get away.
Head coach Buzzy Cox and the
Kaua’i High School Red Raiders didn’t let the ghost of the past two years get
in the way Friday night.
The Red Raiders fended off the highly charged
Kapa’a Warriors 73-55 to capture the Kaua’i Interscholastic Federation varsity
boys basketball championship.
This was the year that the favored Red
Raiders were able to pull through and go all the way. Two years ago, the Waimea
Menehunes came out of nowhere to snatch the title from Kaua’i High’ clutches.
Last year, it was the Warriors who came on strong at the end of the season to
seize the coveted championship.
This year, there was no strike
three.
The Raiders did what they do best — run, and Kapa’a eventually got
lulled into the quick-paced game instead of being patient, slowing the pace
down and letting their height advantage take its toll on the smaller Red
Raiders.
The game was closer than the score indicates. The Raiders held a
slim 32-31 halftime lead, and they led by just three, 48-45, early in the
fourth period.
By hitting 10-out-of 12 free throws, including four from
Jason Kashiwabara and three from Brandon Ramos, the Kaua’i lead ballooned to
60-46 with two minutes to go.
But it wasn’t quite over. A mad Warrior surge
cut the lead to just six points, 60-53, with a minute left. Kekoa Chun’s steal
and rare slam-dunk got the Kapa’a motor going. Justin Matsukawa followed with a
trey and Chad Sakai dropped in a hoop after a Randall Silva steal.
But
Kapa’a was forced to foul and Kaua’i put the game away at the line, sinking
8-for-8. Mason Ceria’s three-point play and Tyler Kobayashi’s lay-up also
served to keep Kapa’a at bay.
Kapa’a controlled the first period with big
forwards Chun, Silva, John Patch and Cody Dolor standing in the paint and
denying Kaua’i on defense.
The Warriors got the offensive first-quarter
boost from Chun with eight points and John Patch with six en route to a 20-11
lead. Kapu Hendrickson, the high-flying Warrior guard, fired up a
trey.
Lionel Tomacder, who turned in a strong night of rebounding to go
along with his 13 points on the night, scored Kaua’i’s first six points in the
game.
Mason Ceria and Brad Lum-Tucker started to heat up for the Raiders in
the second period.
Lum-Tucker, who was a big factor on the boards, scored
10 in the period and Ceria added five.
R-Jay Pillos’ three-point bomb put
Kaua’i on top for the first time, 30-28.
During a furious
up-and-down-the-court spree, Hendrickson was fouled while scoring an acrobatic
lay-up and he made the free throw for a temporary 31-30 lead.
Lum-Tucker’s
12-foot jumper gave Kaua’i its one-point 32-31 halftime edge.
Ceria pumped
home eight third-quarter points and Lum-Tucker nailed a three-pointer at the
buzzer for a 46-39 Raider lead heading into the final quarter.
Hoops by
Silva, Hendrickson and Chun allowed Kapa’a to trim the lead to 48-45, but
Kapa’a got anxious and fouled and the Raiders made them pay.
Lum-Tucker and
Ceria finished shared game-high honors with 21 points apiece.
Chun scored
19 for Kapa’a, while Matsukawa and Hendrickson added 10 each.
Kaua’i (6-2)
will head to the state tourney Feb. 23-26.
Kapa’a finished the season at
4-4.
Kaua’i goads Kapa’a into a running game; Lum-Tucker, Ceria score 21
each in 73-55 title game victory
By NICK ABRAMO
TGI Sports
Editor
KAPA’A — This one will be remembered as the one that didn’t get
away.
Head coach Buzzy Cox and the Kaua’i High School Red Raiders didn’t
let the ghost of the past two years get in the way Friday night.
The Red
Raiders fended off the highly charged Kapa’a Warriors 73-55 to capture the
Kaua’i Interscholastic Federation varsity boys basketball
championship.
This was the year that the favored Red Raiders were able to
pull through and go all the way. Two years ago, the Waimea Menehunes came out
of nowhere to snatch the title from Kaua’i High’ clutches. Last year, it was
the Warriors who came on strong at the end of the season to seize the coveted
championship.
This year, there was no strike three.
The Raiders did
what they do best — run, and Kapa’a eventually got lulled into the quick-paced
game instead of being patient, slowing the pace down and letting their height
advantage take its toll on the smaller Red Raiders.
The game was closer
than the score indicates. The Raiders held a slim 32-31 halftime lead, and they
led by just three, 48-45, early in the fourth period.
By hitting 10-out-of
12 free throws, including four from Jason Kashiwabara and three from Brandon
Ramos, the Kaua’i lead ballooned to 60-46 with two minutes to go.
But it
wasn’t quite over. A mad Warrior surge cut the lead to just six points, 60-53,
with a minute left. Kekoa Chun’s steal and rare slam-dunk got the Kapa’a motor
going. Justin Matsukawa followed with a trey and Chad Sakai dropped in a hoop
after a Randall Silva steal.
But Kapa’a was forced to foul and Kaua’i put
the game away at the line, sinking 8-for-8. Mason Ceria’s three-point play and
Tyler Kobayashi’s lay-up also served to keep Kapa’a at bay.
Kapa’a
controlled the first period with big forwards Chun, Silva, John Patch and Cody
Dolor standing in the paint and denying Kaua’i on defense.
The Warriors got
the offensive first-quarter boost from Chun with eight points and John Patch
with six en route to a 20-11 lead. Kapu Hendrickson, the high-flying Warrior
guard, fired up a trey.
Lionel Tomacder, who turned in a strong night of
rebounding to go along with his 13 points on the night, scored Kaua’i’s first
six points in the game.
Mason Ceria and Brad Lum-Tucker started to heat up
for the Raiders in the second period.
Lum-Tucker, who was a big factor on
the boards, scored 10 in the period and Ceria added five.
R-Jay Pillos’
three-point bomb put Kaua’i on top for the first time, 30-28.
During a
furious up-and-down-the-court spree, Hendrickson was fouled while scoring an
acrobatic lay-up and he made the free throw for a temporary 31-30
lead.
Lum-Tucker’s 12-foot jumper gave Kaua’i its one-point 32-31 halftime
edge.
Ceria pumped home eight third-quarter points and Lum-Tucker nailed a
three-pointer at the buzzer for a 46-39 Raider lead heading into the final
quarter.
Hoops by Silva, Hendrickson and Chun allowed Kapa’a to trim the
lead to 48-45, but Kapa’a got anxious and fouled and the Raiders made them
pay.
Lum-Tucker and Ceria finished shared game-high honors with 21 points
apiece.
Chun scored 19 for Kapa’a, while Matsukawa and Hendrickson added
10 each.
Kaua’i (6-2) will head to the state tourney Feb.
23-26.
Kapa’a finished the season at 4-4.
Kaua’i goads Kapa’a into a
running game; Lum-Tucker, Ceria score 21 each in 73-55 title game
victory
By NICK ABRAMO
TGI Sports Editor
KAPA’A — This one will be
remembered as the one that didn’t get away.
Head coach Buzzy Cox and the
Kaua’i High School Red Raiders didn’t let the ghost of the past two years get
in the way Friday night.
The Red Raiders fended off the highly charged
Kapa’a Warriors 73-55 to capture the Kaua’i Interscholastic Federation varsity
boys basketball championship.
This was the year that the favored Red
Raiders were able to pull through and go all the way. Two years ago, the Waimea
Menehunes came out of nowhere to snatch the title from Kaua’i High’ clutches.
Last year, it was the Warriors who came on strong at the end of the season to
seize the coveted championship.
This year, there was no strike
three.
The Raiders did what they do best — run, and Kapa’a eventually got
lulled into the quick-paced game instead of being patient, slowing the pace
down and letting their height advantage take its toll on the smaller Red
Raiders.
The game was closer than the score indicates. The Raiders held a
slim 32-31 halftime lead, and they led by just three, 48-45, early in the
fourth period.
By hitting 10-out-of 12 free throws, including four from
Jason Kashiwabara and three from Brandon Ramos, the Kaua’i lead ballooned to
60-46 with two minutes to go.
But it wasn’t quite over. A mad Warrior surge
cut the lead to just six points, 60-53, with a minute left. Kekoa Chun’s steal
and rare slam-dunk got the Kapa’a motor going. Justin Matsukawa followed with a
trey and Chad Sakai dropped in a hoop after a Randall Silva steal.
But
Kapa’a was forced to foul and Kaua’i put the game away at the line, sinking
8-for-8. Mason Ceria’s three-point play and Tyler Kobayashi’s lay-up also
served to keep Kapa’a at bay.
Kapa’a controlled the first period with big
forwards Chun, Silva, John Patch and Cody Dolor standing in the paint and
denying Kaua’i on defense.
The Warriors got the offensive first-quarter
boost from Chun with eight points and John Patch with six en route to a 20-11
lead. Kapu Hendrickson, the high-flying Warrior guard, fired up a
trey.
Lionel Tomacder, who turned in a strong night of rebounding to go
along with his 13 points on the night, scored Kaua’i’s first six points in the
game.
Mason Ceria and Brad Lum-Tucker started to heat up for the Raiders in
the second period.
Lum-Tucker, who was a big factor on the boards, scored
10 in the period and Ceria added five.
R-Jay Pillos’ three-point bomb put
Kaua’i on top for the first time, 30-28.
During a furious
up-and-down-the-court spree, Hendrickson was fouled while scoring an acrobatic
lay-up and he made the free throw for a temporary 31-30 lead.
Lum-Tucker’s
12-foot jumper gave Kaua’i its one-point 32-31 halftime edge.
Ceria pumped
home eight third-quarter points and Lum-Tucker nailed a three-pointer at the
buzzer for a 46-39 Raider lead heading into the final quarter.
Hoops by
Silva, Hendrickson and Chun allowed Kapa’a to trim the lead to 48-45, but
Kapa’a got anxious and fouled and the Raiders made them pay.
Lum-Tucker and
Ceria finished shared game-high honors with 21 points apiece.
Chun scored
19 for Kapa’a, while Matsukawa and Hendrickson added 10 each.
Kaua’i (6-2)
will head to the state tourney Feb. 23-26.
Kapa’a finished the season at
4-4.
