KALAHEO — Chavis Garma had three seconds to launch his three-ball to force the overtime, Monday. “Go for the three, Chavis,” said Peterson Lahip of the Papalina-Grey from the sidelines. “Go for the three!” Garma pulled in the pass and
KALAHEO — Chavis Garma had three seconds to launch his three-ball to force the overtime, Monday.
“Go for the three, Chavis,” said Peterson Lahip of the Papalina-Grey from the sidelines. “Go for the three!”
Garma pulled in the pass and launched, but the Ho‘ouila defensive pressure forced the ball over the rim, giving Ho‘ouila a 30-26 win in the nightcap of the county’s 13 and Under boys basketball league at the Kalaheo Neighborhood Center.
Earlier in the evening, Matthew Cummings and Denmark Aladin led the Wailua Boyz to a 30-16 win over Westside in the first of two games.
Cummings and Aladin paced the Wailua Boyz on both sides of the ball, the Wailua defense holding Westside to just four points through three periods, taking a 12-4 lead at the half.
But Chris Corpuz came alive, scoring all four of his game points in the third period to lead Westside to a six-point frame, the other bucket coming from Bobby Oliver, showing his ability as a floor leader.
The balanced Westside offense continued into the fifth frame with another six points coming from a charity pair from Briggs Agu and buckets from Derron Sagucio and Mark Abalos.
But Wailua stepped up to the Westside activity with Mitchell Alves leading the Wailua greenshirts with a three-ball in the fourth frame and Michael Booth getting a bucket and half of a charity pair before being outscored in the fifth frame by a 6-3 count.
Wailua’s bucket came from Booth.
Another three-ball from Brooks Bethel, his only score in the game, led the 5-0 Wailua showing in the final frame, the other bucket coming from Aladin.
Corpuz led the Westside with four points followed by Agu, Jamin Fernandez, Sagucio, Oliver and Abalos each adding a pair.
Ho‘ouila broke open a 4-4 opening frame deadlock with a bucket from Marrel Kajous to take a 6-5 bulge after two periods before coming up with buckets from Tommy Paulwin and Michael Radcliffe in the third period for the 12-9 halftime lead.
Papalina-Blue’s third period scores all came from the free-throw line.
The halftime adjustment reworked the Papalina offense as Jessem Cumlat, Kalawai‘a Judd and Garma each netted two buckets to take the lead after four periods.
Ho‘ouila answered in the fifth, outscoring Papalina-Blue, 5-2 behind Michael Kaneko’s three-point play at the 1:30 mark and a bucket from Kelvin Ganotisi.
The see-saw continued through the sixth frame before Ganotisi pulled Ho‘ouila out on a layup with less than a minute in the game for the 27-24 bulge.
But a Nate Herbig putback at the 37-second mark pulled Papalina-Blue to within a digit, 27-26, only to have Ho‘ouila’s Kajous answer on a nail-biting bouncer at the 16-second mark for the 29-26 lead.
Papalina-Blue could not recover, despite getting two charity shots on a technical foul and possession.
Cumlat and Garma topped the Papalina-Blue scoring with seven points each followed by Judd, Curren Dillberg and Herbig adding four points apiece.
Kajous and Radcliffe topped the Ho‘ouila scoring followed by Paulwin adding five points and Ganotisi finishing with four points.
Action in the county’s 13 and Under basketball program continues at 6 p.m. Thursday when the girls take the floor. The Westside girls match up with the Kamikaze, followed by Kaulupono hosting the Angels starting at 7 p.m.
The boys next play at 10 a.m. on Saturday at the Kilauea Neighborhood Center when the Wailua Boyz tangle with Hanakila, followed by Papalina-Grey taking on the Kaua‘i Ballers at 11 a.m.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.
