KAPA‘A — The speed of the Red Raiders and the size of the Warriors battled at the Bernice last night, but in the end, the press was the difference and Red Raider head coach Dennis Aquino felt the same way
KAPA‘A — The speed of the Red Raiders and the size of the Warriors battled at the Bernice last night, but in the end, the press was the difference and Red Raider head coach Dennis Aquino felt the same way in Kaua‘i’s second round opener triumph over Kapa‘a, 52-40.
“The keys for us were execution and our press helped us out a lot too,” Aquino said.
Red Raider senior guard Ulu Kelekoma played her best game of the season. Last season’s KIF player of year managed to tally 19 points, which led all scorers, but more importantly, Kelekoma took over the game when her team needed her the most.
“Ulu just needs to stay out of foul trouble and that’s the key for her,” Aquino said.
With three minutes to go in the third quarter, the lightning quick, scrappy guard anchored the Kaua‘i pressure defense with multiple steals, which led to easy buckets.
After a 24-18 first half lead, the Warriors fell apart and couldn’t handle the Red Raider full-court press. In the first half, Kapa‘a controlled the game by slowing things down and utilized its size with Danielle Creamer, Poe Gantt, and Brittney Carvalho leading the way.
But Kaua‘i’s speed was too much for the tall trees of Kapa‘a. Red Raider senior Sherri Gebauer played tough in the middle and came up with two straight baskets, which gave Kaua‘i its first lead of the game.
At the end of three quarters of play, the green scoreboard was in favor of the Red Raiders, 36-33.
In the fourth period, Kelekoma continued to dominate on both sides of the ball. However, the Warriors made one last attempt at the game, as junior guard Kennilyn Nakamura nailed two jumpers, which cut the lead down to six (46-40) with three minutes to go. Kaua‘i played keep away the rest of the contest for the 52-40 win.
After starting off the season with two straight impressive wins, the Warriors have now lost three in a row. Head coach Gary Kodani has to get his troops to regroup and play as tough as they did in their two wins.
Kaua‘i junior guard Rachel Taira was instrumental in the win and followed up Kelekoma’s 19 with 13 markers. For Kapa‘a, Carvalho had the hot hand with 15 points. Nakamura pitched in with eight in the loss.
It was a different story in JV action, as Kapa‘a trounced the Red Raiders, who were looking to make it two in a row. The Warriors led from start to finish and walked away with a 56-37 win.
Leilani Laranio, who has been the key figure for Kapa‘a so far this season, led the way with 10 points. Hanalei Gomes and Rachel Ganir combined for 17 points.
Carie Inouye, Amanda Mayer, and Darci Murata each chipped in with seven points for Kaua‘i.
