KALAHEO — Kylie Barba netted 11 points to lead the Island Heat to a 31-18 showing over Wailua Thurday night. Cheyanne Duarte pulled Kaulupono ahead in the final minute of play with a drive from the leftside to give the
KALAHEO — Kylie Barba netted 11 points to lead the Island Heat to a 31-18 showing over Wailua Thurday night.
Cheyanne Duarte pulled Kaulupono ahead in the final minute of play with a drive from the leftside to give the Waimea blueshirts a 27-24 squeaker in the second of two games played at the Kalaheo Neighborhood Center.
Playing in the county’s 13 and Under girls league, Barba got 7 of her game-total 11 points in the second half against the Wailua squad who played the entire game with no bench.
Without the services of its normally perky guard Kekai Gonsalves, Wailua could only muster a single basket by Cortney Higa in the first half for a 16-2 deficit.
But that halftime break was what Wailua needed as it charged back for 17 points in the second half led by Katelina Fifita who netted 7 points, and Jenna Iwasaki launching two 3-point bombs to keep Wailua respectable. Cheyenne Abigania came up with 3 points in the final two periods of play to round out the Wailua math.
Janessa Grady, who played for the Kaua‘i High School girls team, took the reins to the Island Heat team along with sister Jennifer who was garbed in the team’s shirt, but not playing.
“I kind of let the girls do their own thing,” Janessa said following its win. “About the only thing I had to worry about was the lineups and who was going in. The girls pretty much did everything themselves.”
Following Barba’s lead, Courtney Contrades played a strong inside game and finished with 8 points as well as controlling numerous boards.
Taylor Garcia added 6 points, Makana Fujimoto finished with 4 points and pairs from Tyra Tandal and Shay Orial rounded out the math.
Kawehi Louis-Diamond, described by her mom as “The Flying Hawaiian,” ignited the Lihu‘e Kamikame attack in the second period when her 3-pointer sparked a rousing cheer as the Kamikaze came back from a 7-0 first period showing.
Lacey Lucas came up with all of the Kamikaze’s 5 points in the third frame to keep the Lihu‘e team in the chase with a 15-10 halftime deficit.
Lucas and Louis-Diamond netted fourth-period buckets as the Kamikaze knotted the contest at 15-15, Louis-Diamond getting the tying bucket at the 3:11 mark.
She added a trey in the fifth frame, and coupled with buckets from Lucas and Bristy Ann Agu, the Kamikaze took a 22-19 lead at the end of the period.
But the Kaulupono Girls weren’t done, and with the return of its point guard Vakeesha Lagazo in the final period, Kaulupono overtook the Kamikaze as Lagazo netted 4 of the team’s 8 points, the other key bucket coming in the final minute of play when Duarte pulled Kaulupono ahead on her layup.
Despite a series of possession exchanges in the final minute of play, neither team could capitalize as Kaulupono, getting strong fan support from the Westside 13 Under boys and the 11 Under Papalina boys, finished with a 4-11 showing on the free throw line while the Kamikaze went 0-4 at the line in the same period.
Lagazo finished with a game-high 13 points to lead the Kaulupono win followed by Duarte’s 5 points. Krista Kali added 3 points and a tough inside game, Shayna Alop and Rea Plotado each netted pairs and digits from Nicole Palacio and Jenaiah Banasihan rounded out the math.
