KAPA’A — They hung from their gym’s rims, posed for pictures with babies, scissored strings from the nets and let out an unmistakable sigh of relief. These Kapa’a High School basketball players bathed in the refreshment of a Kaua’i Interscholastic
KAPA’A — They hung from their gym’s rims, posed for pictures with babies, scissored strings from the nets and let out an unmistakable sigh of relief.
These Kapa’a High School basketball players bathed in the refreshment of a Kaua’i Interscholastic Federation championship Tuesday night after holding Waimea at bay, 49-46.
The game will fall into the annals of history as one of the greats, as any of the 1,000 in attendance surely would attest.
“I told these boys to believe in me, in us, that we’d gotten them this far and we weren’t going to lose,” said a wide-eyed, giddy Michael Ban, the Warriors’ coach.
Based on the timing of Ban’s message, it must’ve been a tough sell.
Kapa’a, having pushed a 16-12 halftime lead to 27-16 midway through the third, appeared in control. But the Menehunes, yet to play a recognizable brand of basketball, uncorked their ammunition.
Micah Bermoy (11 points) led the charge. He nailed a 3-pointer, turned a pick-and-roll with Keloa Karratti (seven, five rebounds)) into an easy lay-up and then drained a jump shot. By the time the senior was finished, Waimea trailed just 27-23.
Kapa’a (6-4, KIF) regained a bit of composure to take a 30-25 lead into the final quarter, but a message had clearly been sent.
“Coach told us at halftime not to worry about anything,” Waimea guard Nikko Naumu said. “We just needed to come out and execute our offense.”
That meant feeding Naumu, the senior who also quarterbacked the Menehunes’ KIF champion football team.
With the weight of the Waimea season on his shoulders, Naumu delivered 12 fourth-quarter points, including three 3-pointers. His final trey dropped through the net with just over two minutes remaining, giving Waimea a 42-37 advantage.
“I’ve always hoped to be a leader,” Naumu said. “I guess I just felt it.”
Kapa’a appeared to feel nothing.
“I guess we were playing not to lose,” senior Kekoa Chun said. “But we bonded together as a team and turned the game with team defense.”
While the lockdown on Waimea helped indeed, it was from the free throw line that the Warriors secured the KIF title, their second in three years.
With a fury of noise cascading from the Waimea cheering section, Kapa’a connected on 13-of-15 from the charity stripe in the final three minutes. In that timespan, the Warriors sunk just one field goal, but it didn’t matter.
Even more impressive, the 87-percent performance from the line was spread over six players. Junior Garrett Danner (nine points) was the only Warrior to shoot more than two free throws during the stretch.
“We won this game at the free throw line, no doubt about it,” Ban said. I’m just so proud of these kids for sticking through.”
The came actually did a near-perfect job of mirroring Kapa’a’s season. Tuesday night, the Warriors stormed to an 11-point lead. That’s about the same speed they arrived at a 3-1 record this season.
Then game the valley. Kapa’a lost two in a row, and Ban recounted how he thought his team had “hit rock bottom.” In that manner, Waimea (5-4) climbed into the game Tuesday night. But when it counted, in both the season and the game, the Warriors showed strength of character.
“A lot of credit goes to Kapa’a,” Waimea coach Matt Taba said. “They’re a good team.
“We were right there and we’d pulled out to the lead, but, for some reason, we couldn’t hold on.”
Waimea did have its chances as the clock wound down. But four turnovers on its final four possessions, and the absence of a fouled-out Karratti, sent it to second place.
The Warriors, along with the frenzy of the closing moments, deserve a lot of credit for the turnovers. They returned to a defense they’d employed in the first half, helping each other in the post and closing off the lanes of penetration.
They outrebounded the Menehunes 22-17.
“We just couldn’t get anything going offensively in the first half,” Taba said. “They played pretty good defense.”
Chun was a part of that. Playing perhaps his best game when it counted most, the Warriors’ lone captain pulled down five rebounds and matched Naumu’s total of 12 points.
“I knew that we’d be okay once we were able to regain our composure,” Chun said. “We just needed to calm each other down.”
For Chun’s part, he connected on jump shots, lay-ups and even unveiled a left-handed baby hook in breaking down the Waimea defense.
“I just wanted to do whatever I had to for us to win,” Chun said. “And that will be my goal at states, too.”
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