LIHU‘E — The Red Raiders closed out their regular season with a win over the Menehune, though Waimea made a late charge that put the result in doubt. Kaua‘i, after leading by 17 points in the fourth quarter, notched a
LIHU‘E — The Red Raiders closed out their regular season with a win over the Menehune, though Waimea made a late charge that put the result in doubt.
Kaua‘i, after leading by 17 points in the fourth quarter, notched a 57-51 win over Waimea, Friday night in the regular-season finale at the Raider Dome.
In the evening’s other varsity contest, Island School snapped the Kapa‘a nine-game win streak with a 48-41 win in Puhi.
Despite the two results, the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation championship game had been decided before the evening’s events.
Kaua‘i, the first-round champions, will host Kapa‘a, who had already clinched the second round, for the KIF title on Tuesday night. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. in Lihu‘e.
The Raiders had nine players score Friday night, with Bryan Andres and Joe Duronslet leading the way with 13 points apiece. The duo scored 20 of their combined 26 points in the opening half.
Donavan Harrison finished with nine points, while Kerwin Moreno had six. Alden Ho, Anthony Guerrero and Dane Bautista each scored four points. Ricky Tommy and Mikal Moranz each got themselves into the scorebook with two points apiece.
Vinda Carineo Jr. had a game-high 17 points for Waimea, with Brandon Palacio scoring 15, including three 3-pointers.
Paul Oligo had seven points, all in the fourth quarter. Ariel Lahip and Jake Corona had four points each and Travis Soares and Niko Delos Reyes had two apiece.
Palacio hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the late stages of the fourth quarter that trimmed a 10-point deficit to four at 55-51. A pair of missed Kaua‘i free throws kept the door open, but Oligo misfired on a three before Harrison made a pair from the line to create the final math.
Kaua‘i used an early 10-0 run for an eight-point lead in the first quarter and Andres completed a three-point play just before the end of the period, giving the Raiders a 22-8 lead after one.
Trailing 29-15, Waimea got back into the flow behind Carineo, who scored six straight points — two buckets coming off of offensive rebound put-backs — and a driving layup from Lahip made it a 31-23 game at halftime.
The two teams traded buckets for most of the third, before the Raiders scored the period’s final six points. Ho finished a nifty spin move in the post with a lefty layup and Moranz’s lone bucket gave Kaua‘i a 45-32 lead heading to the fourth.
Down 49-32, Waimea used a 13-2 run to put a scare into the Kaua‘i side, with Oligo scoring seven points during that stretch, getting it to a 51-45 game.
But the Raiders survived the rally and will head into the championship game after a 9-3 regular season.
Kapa‘a also finishes at 9-3, having gone 5-1 in the second round and clinching with two games to play.
Waimea ends its season 4-8, finishing 2-4 in each round.
Island School closed the year at 2-10, picking up one win in each round.
In the night’s junior varsity game, Randin Napeahi’s 13 points led Kaua‘i to a 38-35 win over Waimea. Trey Aguano also scored 12 for the Raiders JV.
Duke Yadao continued his high-scoring ways with a game-high 16 for Waimea, including a pair from behind the arc, while Chava Delos Reyes scored eight for the Menehune.
