KALAHEO — The Kamikaze fired off three buckets in the final 30 seconds to pull off a 42-37 win over Hanakila Tuesday during the county’s Girls Division 2 basketball games at the Kalaheo Neighborhood Center.
Earlier in the evening, Paea Tafea netted a game-high 15 points to lead the Kaua‘i Ballers to a 29-7 win over the Seacats during the inaugural appearance of the teams in the league for girls in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades.
Cambria Ort, Alexis Warlock and Risa Whetsel pulled the Seacats, coached by Bill Suttell, to a 5-3 opening frame, the Ballers, coached by William Aki, getting all of its marks from Lose Masaniai.
Paea entered the game in the second frame, and following netting 11 of the team’s 15 points in the period, kept the Ballers in the lead, netting the team’s only points in the third period and rounding out the night with a bucket in the fourth period.
Masaniai finished with seven points followed by Jazmin Kaleiohi unleashing a bomb from outside the three-point arc in the fourth period for her game-total five points. A pair from Tamare Daligcon-Pomaikai belied her importance in moving the ball.
Following the initial lead, the Seacats battled the bigger team and did not mark until the fifth period when Warlock netted a charity pair leading to her to high point honors at four points followed by Ort, a familiar figure on the soccer fields, and Whetsel.
With just over 30 ticks remaining in the game, Kalia Shimabukuro broke the seesaw for the Kamikaze, nailing a bucket after taking the feed from the outside.
While the tenacious Kamikaze defense pestered the Hanakila girls, the team made up primarily of girls in the Hanalei and Kilauea area, Lila Hearn put back a bucket with 26 ticks showing and Chyna Hanano iced the win with an inside bucket with just three seconds left in the game.
Following a 3-3 opening period, Hanakila took the lead 12-10 behind Angelica Cudiamat pegging seven of the team’s nine points in the frame, including a trey, one of seven launched by the North Shore kids in its effort.
Hanakila built on its lead, adding another three-ball in the third from Jaliyah Casem, finishing with three treys in the game, for the 17-12 lead.
But the Kamikaze roared back in the fourth frame, outgunning Hanakila 7-2 behind four points from Shimabukuro and a bucket from Ayzlin Kealoha-Albarado for the 19-17 deficit.
Hanakila unleashed its most productive period in the fifth, outgunning the Kamikaze 11-9, led by Casem launching two more treys and Joy Milbrand firing off the first of two treys she marked in the game.
But the seesaw swung in the Kamikaze’s favor in the final frame, the
redshirts coached by Keven Hanano pulling off a 14-7 offensive showing behind Shimabukuro’s six points and Lila Hearn getting four points.
Both low posts for Kamikaze topped the team’s scoring with 10 points apiece, each girl netting everything in the second half.
Sherly Ann Tomas finished with nine points to help the win followed by Kealoha-Albarado getting seven points. Chyna scored all her points in the final period with Sandrea Chung adding a digit.
Cudiamat pegged a game-high 12 points, including two treys, before fouling out in the final period. Casem, with her three treys, finished with 11 points. Milbrand ended with six points, both three-balls, with Keani Tolenoa and Asia Boiser-Nakazawa each finishing with four points.
The Boys Division 3, or players in the seventh and eighth grades, take the floor at the Kalaheo Neighborhood Center Thursday with three games on tap starting at 6 p.m.
Hanapepe takes on Lepo Ula in the 6 p.m. opener followed by Hanakila taking on Lihu‘e Black at 7 p.m. Lihu‘e Red goes up against Westside Basketball in the 8 p.m. nightcap.
•Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
