WAIMEA — The Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation first round girls basketball title will be on the line when Waimea hosts Kapa‘a for a rematch, tonight starting at 7 p.m. at the Clem Gomes Gym. Brandee Victorino had a dozen points and
WAIMEA — The Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation first round girls basketball title will be on the line when Waimea hosts Kapa‘a for a rematch, tonight starting at 7 p.m. at the Clem Gomes Gym.
Brandee Victorino had a dozen points and Erin Connelly added 10 points to lead Waimea to a 50-46 nail-biter before a good-sized crowd, which backed their respective teams with fervor, Friday night in Waimea.
The tandem height advantage of Waimea’s inside posts was key to the Menehune victory, but it got help from Searra Kaohi, who launched two three-balls in the first quarter and added another in the third frame to keep the Warrior wahine at bay.
Connelly pulled Waimea out of a 4-4 deadlock in the first quarter and two straight Kaohi bombs from three-point land saw Waimea take a 12-6 lead at the buzzer.
But Kapa‘a, playing Tori Tuttle sparingly in the first half, came back when Ash-lyn Lee, being guarded intensely by Victorino, nailed a three-ball at the 4:30 mark to pull Kapa‘a to within two points, 17-15.
Jayme Jacinto answered with a trey of her own and the Menehune lead reopened to a 24-18 bulge at the half.
That margin remained through the contest, Kapa‘a closing the gap to within two points in the final 1:37 behind an Ala McCabe bucket.
Vakeesha Lagazo widened the margin with a bucket in the final minute off a turnover. All of her game-total nine points came in the second half.
Victorino topped the Menehune scoring with a dozen points, while adding solid value underneath in blocking and rebounds. Connelly followed with 10 power points and strong rebounding effort. Kaohi and Lagazo each finished with nine, guard Jayme Jacinto added five and guard Cheyanne Duarte finished with three points before fouling out midway through the final period.
Kapa‘a’s Ala McCabe finished with a game-high 14 points, including a second-quarter trey. Jessilyn Aki added nine points, including a third quarter three-ball. Reggie McCabe finished with seven points and Lee ended the night on five points. Point guard Mahea Hanie was kept to four points and Justine Holt came off the bench for a pair along with Layna Christian.
Earlier, Kapa‘a center, identified by her father as BB, finished with a game-high 16 points and Krystal Christian added 14 points to lead the Kapa‘a junior varsity to a 44-30 win over Waimea.
Waimea, trying to capitalize on the momentum of its win over Kaua‘i High School, Tuesday, could not overcome the Kapa‘a height and power advantage. Jullynne Ramos led the charge with 10 points, including back-to-back bombs from outside the three-point arc late in the game.
Kaylyn Furumoto, strong in the paint against Kaua‘i, continued her rebounding and defensive posting inside while finishing the game with four points.
