KALAHEO — Keane Tibon of Team Lihue dropped a bucket with just 19 seconds left on the clock Monday night at the Kalaheo Neighborhood Center. The last-ditch effort came up short as Team Lihue dropped the match by a digit,
KALAHEO — Keane Tibon of Team Lihue dropped a bucket with just 19 seconds left on the clock Monday night at the Kalaheo Neighborhood Center.
The last-ditch effort came up short as Team Lihue dropped the match by a digit, 25-24, to Team Central during the county’s spring basketball league for Division 2, or youth in the fifth and sixth grade.
Throughout the night, the lead exchanged hands after Team Lihue quickly built a 6-0 lead behind buckets from Kekoa Wehner, Tibon and Jim Sjay.
Team Central answered when Justin Failey found the bucket in the third frame, netting three field goals for an 8-6 bulge at the half.
Despite being outscored 18-17 in the second half, Team Central held off Team Lihue when Braden Simao pulled Team Central ahead on a bucket at the 2:30 mark.
More ball exchanges from both sides saw Simao cap the exchanges with another goal at the 1:18 mark for the 25-22 lead before Tibon dropped his goal with 19 ticks remaining in the game.
Tibon finished with a game-high 12 points to lead Team Lihue, Sjay adding six points with Wehner and Aizen Yamashita each dropping a pair.
“Those boys have come a long way,” said Team Lihue coach Max Manera. “If you compare them with how they were when we started the season, they have made great progress.”
Failey and Simao topped the Team Central scoring, Failey ending with 11 points and Simao adding eight points, six coming in the final period. Xaerys Dela Cruz and Isaiah Pescador each added buckets to the victory.
Jazmin Balesteros dropped a bucket in the second period to put the Team Central Division 2 girls up 2-1 over Kaulupono in the opener of three games played Monday night.
Kaulupono built on the deficit, and behind the scoring of Kaye Serapio, had built up a 10-4 lead by the half.
Serapio, entering the game in the third frame, finished with a game-high 20 points to lead the Kaulupono 32-18 win.
Alysha Palacio, younger sister of Waimea High School standout guard Nicole Palacio, added six points. Kierstin Gummerus and Jordan Simao each added a pair.
Team Central girls, facing a 26-7 deficit entering the final period, coughed up 11 points, including a pair of treys to stay respectable.
Balesteros dropped a three-ball in the final frame en route to her game total seven points followed by Amalya Sales launching two treys toward her seven points to lead the Team Central girls.
Like coach Manera, Team Central coach Clarence Sales was pleased with his team’s showing.
“As long as we make progress, it’s good,” Clarence said. “Every game, we take another step forward.”
Wade Pimscauan netted nine points and Nick Herbig finished with eight points to lead Papalina to a 34-9 romp over the Supersonics in the nightcap.
With a clear height advantage, Papalina got six points on a pair of three-balls from Luke Hundadi, four points apiece from Jade Mizumoto-Manuel and Karter Kester, and three points from Isahn Ulanday.
Aden Ringo topped the Supersonics’ scoring on five points with Bryce Fernandez and Hunter Oligo each adding a pair.
Monday night marked the final outing for the Division 2 girls in the league which started on Jan. 11.
Games are played on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights starting at 6 p.m. Games on Saturday start at 9 a.m. at either the Kalaheo or Kilauea neighborhood centers.
