Red Raiders race to fifth league win

LIHU’E – With Kaua’i forwards Max Hadwin (illness) and Reese Senda (injury) out of the lineup, the Red Raiders got a season-high 20 points from Joshua Bradbury and an intensified defensive effort on their full court trap to force a 60-46 decision over the Waimea Menehune Tuesday evening in KIF boys junior varsity basketball action.

Bradbury scored 12 points in the opening quarter and helped force numerous turnovers in the backcourt as the home squad jump out to a 19-11 advantage.

Kaua’i limited the visitors to three field goals in the second period and extended their lead at the half-time break to 29-17.

Bradbury and Garrett Sakimae chipped in 4 points each to push the difference to 43-27 going into the final stanza.

The Raiders enjoyed their biggest lead of the contest at 56-37 in the fourth as Garrett Sakimae nailed a long trey from the left wing with 2:40 to play.

The determined Menehune trimmed the difference to eleven on a Ross Acoba bucket off Luke Tsuchiyas assist-in-the-paint, an answering trey from Aaron Hesapene, and a bank shot and free throw from Kyle Pigao with :23 left.

Scoring concluded with a pair of charity tosses from Raider guard Alan Kalili, another from the hard-working Pigao, and a Clesson Lee put-in off an unselfish Irah Nishi feed just before the final buzzer.

Kalau Hammond quietly added 12 points and a team-high 7 boards to compliment Bradbury while teammate Sakimae also finished in double-digits with 10 tallies as the Raiders improved to 5-0.

Acoba led the visitors, who dropped to 1-4, with 12 points and Pigao added 10 points and a game-high 8 rebounds.

SCORING SUMMARY

KAUA’I (60): Nishi 0, Nonaka 0, Kalili 2, Lee 4, Bradbury 20, Ballesteros 7, Okasaki 5, Sakimae 10, Senda DNP, Penn 0, Beralas 0, DeCosta 0, Hammond 12, Hadwin DNP.

WAIMEA (46): Lahip 0, Barba 2, Soto 0, Hesapene 8, Ho’okano 0, Tsuchiya 8, Bunao 0, Rull 2, Henriques 2, Pigao 10, Acoba 12, Girod 2, Vidinha 0.