KAPA‘A — The Kapa‘a Lady Warriors needed a win to give themselves a shot at an outright season championship and they did just that in one of the games of the season. Kapa‘a topped the Kaua‘i Red Raiders, 52-46, to
KAPA‘A — The Kapa‘a Lady Warriors needed a win to give themselves a shot at an outright season championship and they did just that in one of the games of the season.
Kapa‘a topped the Kaua‘i Red Raiders, 52-46, to put both teams at 3-1 in the season’s second round, Friday night at the Bernice Hundley Gym in Kapa‘a.
The night’s biggest play came in the final minute, with Kapa‘a holding a 47-44 lead. Jessilyn Aki, one of the two Kapa‘a seniors playing their final regular season home game, got ahead of the field for a fast-break lay-up and drew the foul in the process. She knocked down the free throw to give the Warriors a 50-44 lead with 32.9 seconds to play.
Aki led all scorers with 21 points on the night, 13 coming in the second half.
Mahea Hanie-Grace scored 15 points for Kapa‘a, while Reggie McCabe had nine — eight of them in the second half. Kekai Gonsalves moved up from the junior varsity squad and saw big minutes in the second half, finishing with three points. Ka‘anoi Marshall and Katalina Fifita had two points apiece to round out the Warrior book.
The Raiders were led by Kristle Henry’s 15 points, including 9-of-13 from the foul line. Jennifer Grady had nine points and Uila Ahosivi scored eight, all in the second half. Kelsey Cadiente and Bristy-Ann Agu scored six points apiece and Kawehi Louis-Diamond added two.
Both teams battled relentlessly from the start, as they were deadlocked at 10-10 at the end of one. Grady scored seven points in the first quarter, including a pair of 3-pointers from the left corner. Hanie-Grace scored on a lay-up just before the horn sounded to even the score.
The second quarter was much of the same, as Kaua‘i used a 7-2 run to go ahead 19-16. But Kapa‘a clamped down defensively and ended the half on an 8-0 run, capped off by another buzzer beater. This time it was Aki who came up with a steal and scored a lay-up just before halftime for a 24-19 Warriors edge.
The Raiders put together a 7-0 run to open the third quarter and held a 26-24 lead, but the two sides traded buckets the rest of the way until McCabe closed the quarter with a driving lay-up to give Kapa‘a a 34-32 lead heading into the fourth.
After Gonsalves scored on a fast-break lay-up to give the Warriors a 41-38 lead, Cadiente went the length of the court to score her own bucket and drew a foul in the process. She nailed the free throw to even things up at 41-41.
Aki scored on another transition hoop for a three-point lead at 45-42 and Hanie-Grace put her side up by five with a pair of free throws.
Grady brought Kaua‘i back within three with two from the line, but Aki’s clinching three-point play followed to ice the victory for Kapa‘a.
In the night’s opening junior varsity contest, Kaua‘i edged the Kapa‘a JV in a low-scoring affair, 22-19.
Uinise Paua led Kaua‘i with nine points, followed by Shaylee Huni’s eight. Ashley Ramelb scored four and Daezsa Tomas had one.
Kapa‘a’s Lele Silva had a game-high 13, while Nahea Quereto and Guia Soriano had three points apiece.
Results from the Waimea-Island School varsity contest were unavailable as of press time.
Tuesday will be the second-to-last regular season games as Kaua‘i will host Island School in a varsity-only contest at 7 p.m. in Lihu‘e.
Kapa‘a heads to the Westside to take on Waimea with JV beginning at 5:30 p.m., followed by varsity.
Kaua‘i needs to finish at least tied with Kapa‘a to stay in the hunt for a second-round title, while Waimea must win its final two games to remain in the mix.
Boys will be back in action tonight as Waimea hosts Kaua‘i and Kapa‘a hosts Island School.
