KALAHEO — Team Central and Team Lihu‘e are four of the 10 teams in the county’s youth basketball league for boys in grades 4 through 6. These four teams opened the season with Team Central White taking a 48-6 win
KALAHEO — Team Central and Team Lihu‘e are four of the 10 teams in the county’s youth basketball league for boys in grades 4 through 6.
These four teams opened the season with Team Central White taking a 48-6 win over Team Lihu‘e Heat before Team Lihu‘e Bulls handed Team Central Black a 25-20 defeat Tuesday night at the Kalaheo Neighborhood Center.
The fourth- through sixth-graders take the floor on the heels of the youth winter league for students in grades 6 through 8, the girls enjoying a week’s break due to the Presidents’ Day holiday Monday.
Jacob Lombardo lost little time getting the Bulls established, firing off eight of the team’s 11 first-period points as the Bulls took an 11-2 lead, Team Central Black’s only score coming from Kurtis Fujiio-Pascua.
But Jacob Young came alive in the second period, driving Team Central Black with four of its six points as the tenacious youngsters held the Bulls to just two points in the period from Grant Urmatam.
Trailing 15-8 at the half, Team Central Black never gave up, chipping away at the deficit before the Bulls wrapped up the win behind a game-high 12 points from Lombardo followed by Sonny Boiser adding four second-half points and Urmatam finishing with four points. Keenan Moses scored all three of his points in the opening frame, the Bulls’ most productive, and a pair from Noah Ho‘opi‘i in the second period rounded out the win.
Young topped the Team Central Black effort with eight points followed by Hunter Yoshioka and Kallen Kobayashi each adding four points. A pair from Fujiio-Pascua and digits from Gavin Toyofuku and David Pascua rounded out the effort.
Earlier, Steven Pascua, coach of both Team Central both squads, had assistant Guy Higa warm up the Blackshirts while he witnessed Kaiea Miguel fire off an evening-high 26 points to lead the Whiteshirts.
Kaimani Tecson added 18 points in the win followed by Aukai Albao with six points.
Tanner Bently finished with four of Team Lihu‘e Heat’s six points followed by Kekoa Wehner netting his pair in the opening frame.
Papalina-Blue opens against Hanakil at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Kalaheo Neighborhood Center.
Kaua‘i Ballers will go up against the Lihu‘e Kamikaze in the 7 p.m. nightcap.
The girls take the floor, Monday when Hanakila opens against Kaulupono starting at 6 p.m., followed by Team Lihu‘e 01 taking on Team Lihu‘e 02 at 7 p.m. at the Kalaheo Neighborhood Center.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
