KALAHEO — Strong forwards for both Kaulupono and the Kamikaze were the difference in the county’s 13 and Under girls basketball games Thursday. Kaulupono’s Mariyah Oliver came up with two key final-period buckets to wrap up a 23-15 game over
KALAHEO — Strong forwards for both Kaulupono and the Kamikaze were the difference in the county’s 13 and Under girls basketball games Thursday.
Kaulupono’s Mariyah Oliver came up with two key final-period buckets to wrap up a 23-15 game over Westside, and Shaylee Huni duplicated the feat over a tenacious Angel defense to give the Kamikaze a 25-22 edge in the final minute of play at the Kalaheo Neighborhood Center.
“We’re undefeated,” said Kaulupono’s Schae-Marie Tavita, watching the second half of the Kamikaze game. “Right now, we’re 4-0 and we have two more games to go.”
Those two games involve matchups with the Kamikaze and the Angels.
Defense was the key to the first half as Kaulupono took a 2-1 bulge at the end of the first six minutes behind a Kaelyn Aquino-Kamakele bucket, while Alyssa Miyamoto dropped the tail end of a charity pair for the Westside.
Westside poured it on in the second period with Caitlynn Owen, the purpleshirts’ second tall gun, netting two buckets and Alyssa Pigao threading heavy inside traffic for the third bucket in Westside’s 6-0 frame. The Westside defense held Kaulupono to just two ventures past the halfcourt stripe.
Following a 4-4 third frame, Kaulupono woke up when guard Taylor Gaspar ignited for two buckets and Oliver knocked one in for the 6-0 period.
Another 2-2 frame, and Oliver and Aquino-Kamakele pulled Kaulupono in the lead on the 9-2 final period, with Aquino-Kamakele nailing a three-ball to seal the deal.
Oliver topped Kaulupono’s scoring with eight points, followed by Nicole Palacio driving the inside for six points, including a 2 for 4 showing at the charity stripe. Aquino-Kamakele finished with five and Gaspar pocketed four.
“They have some players with experience, but a lot of them are new,” Kaulupono coach Bobby Kamakele said. “But Westside improved a lot since the start of the season and next year, these girls are going to be good.”
The Angels’ Kekai Gonsalves gave the audience reason to cheer as she ignited the crowd in the fifth frame, the only one where the Angels outgunned the Kamikaze, 7-2. Gonsalves brought the crowd to life with a three-ball that pulled the Angels into the fray, 20-19 after five periods of play.
Huni sealed the deal for the Kamikaze, getting strong fan support from the Westside girls, with her back-to-back buckets with less than a minute to play, finishing with 10 points to lead the redshirts.
Point guard Pili Chung added eight points, followed by Kawai Calderon with three points. Brandi Racca and Casey Arashiro each paired in the win.
Gonsalves topped the Angels’ scoring with 10 points, followed by Uilani McCabe with five points and Violet Marting adding four on a pair of third-period buckets. A pair from Mele Havea and the tail end of a charity pair by Shayanne Almarza rounded out the effort.
The Kamikaze next face Kaulupono on Thursday starting at 6 p.m. at the Kalaheo Neighborhood Center. The Angels go up against Westside in the nightcap.
