LIHU‘E — For the first time since Jan. 2, the Kapa‘a Warriors were beaten on the hardwood as they fell to Pahoa, 52-36, in the semifinals of the Hawaiian Airlines HHSAA Div. II Boys Basketball Championship tournament, Friday on O‘ahu.
LIHU‘E — For the first time since Jan. 2, the Kapa‘a Warriors were beaten on the hardwood as they fell to Pahoa, 52-36, in the semifinals of the Hawaiian Airlines HHSAA Div. II Boys Basketball Championship tournament, Friday on O‘ahu.
Playing at Farrington High School, Kapa‘a was outdone by a Pahoa team that had eliminated the tournament’s top seed, Roosevelt High School, a day earlier in the opening round.
The Warriors (12-3) were led by senior Kekoa Colipano, who scored 12 points on the night.
Forward Duke Pauli, the team’s go-to presence all season, ended with 10, while Spam Lindsey knocked down two 3-pointers to finish with six.
Center Sean Shigematsu added five and Bradley Coloma nailed a triple for his three points.
Pahoa (8-9) had three players reach double-figures, led by Isaiah Ekau’s 18, along with 12 from John Byrd and 11 for Nick Fisher.
Hamlet Walsh scored six and Sonny Miguel added five.
Pahoa grabbed a 14-8 lead at the end of the first quarter, but Kapa‘a weathered the storm and trailed by five at the half, 26-21.
The third quarter made things much more difficult on the Warriors, with Kapa‘a scoring just five points to head into the fourth quarter facing a 39-26 deficit.
It was not to be and Pahoa became just the second team to top Kapa‘a in 2010, the first in over two months.
Kapa‘a’s season is not over, as it will remain on O‘ahu to take on Academy of the Pacific, today at 11 a.m. at Honolulu’s Stan Sheriff Center in the Div. II third-place matchup.
AOP (16-4) lost a tight battle with Kailua in its semifinal game, Friday at Kalani High School, ultimately falling 54-51.
Kailua (15-4) trailed by five points at halftime, but managed to tie the contest heading into the fourth and a 21-18 final period — the highest-scoring quarter for each squad — sent Kailua into the championship game.
Jordan DeCorte scored 12 for Kailua, while Corey Lau and Isaiah Vasconcellos each notched 11.
AOP had a three-man attack as Simon Koch (21), Micah Dunhour (19) and David Daniels (11) accounted for the team’s total.
Kailua almost gave away its chance at a state crown with poor free-throw shooting, finishing the night just 19 for 37 as a team.
The Pahoa-Kailua championship game will tip off at 5 p.m. at the Stan Sheriff Center.
In the consolation bracket, Roosevelt (14-3) scored a 48-38 win over University (14-3), while St. Joseph (12-4) topped Seabury Hall (10-2), 72-64.
The fifth-place game between Roosevelt and St. Joseph will start at 9 a.m. at the SSC.
The Div. I championship will be between No. 1 seed Iolani (14-2) and unseeded Kamehameha-Kapalama (16-4).
That title will be determined at 7 p.m. at the SSC.
Iolani used a 55-44 win over Kahuku (15-5), getting 22 points from Kainoa Chu, to reach the final.
KS-Kapalama knocked off Punahou (13-5), 47-43, with Micah Christensen totaling team highs with 13 points and six rebounds.
Kahuku and Punahou will figure out third place at 3 p.m., preceded by the fifth-place game between Mililani (14-5) and Moanalua (16-2), both at the SSC.
Tournament information can be found at www.sportshigh.com.
