KALAHEO — Papalina posted a 30-24 win over the Eastside Heat and the Hanapepe Bomb Squaud held on for a 16-15 edge over Team Lihu‘e, Monday night at the county’s Youth Basketball league played at the Kalaheo Neighborhood Center. In
KALAHEO — Papalina posted a 30-24 win over the Eastside Heat and the Hanapepe Bomb Squaud held on for a 16-15 edge over Team Lihu‘e, Monday night at the county’s Youth Basketball league played at the Kalaheo Neighborhood Center.
In the Division 2, or boys in the fifth and sixth grade, matchup, Eastside Heat, coached by Joshua Offley, persisted despite a 21-12 halftime deficit, holding Papalina to no more than a nine-point lead before succumbing by six digits in a physical matchup.
Relying on its pair of low posts, Kaulu Rittmeister and Eli Unotoa, who towered over the field, the Eastside Heat came off the half to outgun the Papalina orangeshirts, 12-9 in the second half, including holding the orangeshirts to no points in the fourth period.
Unotoa, the go-to guy for the Heat, marked eight points, including six coming in the first half, to lead the squad. Rittmeister added five points and Aiden Offley finished with four points, all dropping in the first half. Logan Noice coughed up three second-half marks with Duke Bush and Mickey Cruz adding their pairs in the second half.
Papalina, coached by Matt Taba, came back from a 4-3 first period deficit, and after outgunning Eastside Heat 4-1 in the second period, turned to the three-ball to surge to its 21-12 halftime lead, marking 14 points in the third of six periods.
Isahn Ulanday dropped one of the two three-point bombs in the third period, his only score in the game, with Trey Taba, finishing with nine points, dropped the second of two treys in the game, also in the second period.
Ryan Banasihan, surging off the bench with gusto in the second half, topped the Papalina scoring with 12 points followed by Trey Taba’s nine marks. Kyle Bisarra and Wade Pimsaguan each finished with four and Ulanday’s trey rounded out the math.
The Hanapepe Bomb Squaud, coached by Elton Montemayor, led with the height of Lacin Montemayor, the key low post, and the power of Tai Ofisa.
Ofisa finished the night with a game-high 14 points as a testament to his hustle, including a bomb from outside the three-point arc in the third period to lead the Bomb Squaud to a 10-3 halftime lead.
But Team Lihu‘e, working behind the hustle of David Pascua, roared back to a 12-6 second half, and despite several key opportunities in the final minutes, fell a point short.
Pascua finished with nine points, including a trey in the fourth period, to lead the Team Lihu‘e scoring. Keane Tibon added four points and a pair from Kekoa Wehner figured in the final math.
The Division 2 boys take the court next on Thursday at the Kalaheo Neighborhood Center when the Hanapepe Bomb Squad opens against the Kamikaze at 6 p.m. followed by Team Central taking on Papalina in a 7 p.m. tipoff.
Saturday, six games are on tap as the Division 2 boys, the Division 1 (third and fourth grade) boys will be joined by the opening game for the girls’ teams starting at 9 a.m.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
