KALAHEO — Summer started for basketball players as the 12 and Under boys and girls inaugurated the Kaua‘i Youth Basketball Association and County of Kaua‘i Summer Basketball league, Thursday night at the Kalaheo Neighborhood Center.
Kamea Palama-Alquiza netted a game-high 14 points to lead the Westside Basketball-White to a 42-31 win over the Kaua‘i Ballers in the first of two 12 Under boys games.
Briggs Agu and Levi Otsuka-Luis added 11 and 10 points, respectively in the win.
Hunter Bethel and Thomas Yam fueled the Kaua‘i Ballers’ effort with 10 points apiece.
But Westside Basketball dropped its second game of the night when Brennan Suniga fired 10 points to lead Team Lihu‘e X to a 30-12 showing over Westside Basketball-Blue in the nightcap.
Lester Acojido added eight points in the win.
Jon Lagoc and Irish Pascua paced the Westside Basketball-Blue effort with six and four points, respectively, as the blueshirts came back with 10 of their game-total 12 points in the second half, Pascua scoring all four of his points in the second half, including a final-quarter three-ball.
The night’s finale featured a veteran Kaulupono squad taking on a freshman Kaulupono squad as Kiarra Palacio, a strong guard for Kaulupono-Blue, blazed for eight points to lead the veterans to a 22-2 victory over Kaulupono-White, the score misrepresenting the strong defensive showing demonstrated by the freshmen.
China Yasay ended the night with two points for the Kaulupono-White.
One 12 Under boys game and two 12 Under girls games are on tap Saturday, when action moves to the Kapa‘a High School gym where Hanakila debuts against the Westside Hornets starting at 9 a.m.
The Kaua‘i Ballers girls team takes the floor against the Kamikaze starting at 10 a.m., followed by the Team Lihu‘e girls going up against a Hanakila girls squad starting at 11 a.m.
Monday night marks the debut of the Under 14 program with two 14 Under boys games at the Kalaheo Neighborhood Center starting at 6 p.m., when Team Lihu‘e opens against the Kaua‘i Ballers, followed by the West Kaua‘i Hornets taking on Hanakila at 7 p.m.
