KALAHEO — A pair of foul shots with 16 seconds remaining in the game pushed Kaulupono to a 36-33 win over the Westside girls. Casey Anacleto, topping the Kaulupono D1 girls with 12 points, dropped both ends of a one-and-one
KALAHEO — A pair of foul shots with 16 seconds remaining in the game pushed Kaulupono to a 36-33 win over the Westside girls.
Casey Anacleto, topping the Kaulupono D1 girls with 12 points, dropped both ends of a one-and-one for the win during the Kaulupono summer league games Thursday at the Kalaheo Neighborhood Center.
The free throw was just one of the weapons used by Kaulupono, which played out-numbered by the Westside D1 girls. Kaulupono fielded seven players to Westside’s 12 girls.
Outnumbered, Kaulupono struck first, capitalizing on a turnover, and a three-ball from Anacleto pushed Kaulupono into the lead.
The lead, averaging four points for most of the night, stood until the final minutes when Westside’s Tiana Apilado, playing the prime guard, launched the team’s only trey to knot the contest 30-30 at the 3:43 mark.
Jockeying for the lead with the clock winding down, Kaulupono came to within a digit when low post Melia Okura got an assist from Anacleto at the 1:02 mark, followed by a breakaway play from guard Kiarra Palacio for the 34-33 go-ahead with 28 ticks remaining.
Westside had an opportunity to regain the lead, but a charity pair came up empty with 16 seconds showing.
Kiarra Palacio topped the Kaulupono scoring with 14 points, including two treys and Anacleto ended with 12 points to lead the victory.
Westside’s low post Paige Connelly had high-point honors with 10 points followed by Apilado adding eight points. Jenaiah Banasihan finished with six and Caitlyn Owens marked five points in the effort.
Earlier in the evening, Casey Fernandez scored nine points with Jasmine Santella and Brandee Burton each netting eight points to lead the Kaulupono D2 girls to a 38-32 edge over the Kamikaze.
Ayzlin Kealoha-Albarado topped the Kamikaze effort with seven points, Lila Hearn netted six points for the team coached by Keven Hanano.
John Lee Villanueva finished with 15 points to lead the D2 Bad Boys to a 42-21 win over Team Lihue, which got six points from Cullen Kitamura and five points each from Waylon Jieta and Emilio Lalita.
No scored were available from the games played at the Kapaa High School gym.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
