WAIMEA — The Warriors won on the Westside to round out the season’s first round, and remain unbeaten. Kapaa High School’s varsity girls basketball team defeated Waimea, 46-39, Friday evening at Waimea. “To have what we started off with, to
WAIMEA — The Warriors won on the Westside to round out the season’s first round, and remain unbeaten.
Kapaa High School’s varsity girls basketball team defeated Waimea, 46-39, Friday evening at Waimea.
“To have what we started off with, to persevere like that and utilizing the bench, I think we’re just starting to peak,” said Warriors head coach William Aki. “Hopefully in the second (round), everybody can contribute to the game and we can finish this season off strong.”
Tied at 36-36 with less than three minutes left in the fourth quarter, Warriors junior guard Paea Tafea scored with a put back layup to put the team ahead. Kapaa (4-0 KIF) would keep the lead through the rest of the game.
A pair of free throws by Menehune senior forward Schae-Marie Tavita cut the deficit to a point, but Waimea could not take the lead back.
“I’m a senior. So, it feels good to have the season going like this — just to be playing with this team that I’ve been playing with forever,” said Kapaa senior forward Tori Daligcon about the season being halfway done. “I’m just trying not to think about it. If we do win KIF, then we’ll have an extra two weeks. But then again, I’m just trying to make the most out of it.”
Waimea (0-4 KIF) had a 10-point lead in the second quarter. The Menehune maintained the lead for most of the game until midway through the final period. This scenario, losing leads late in games, has been ongoing for the team this season.
“It’s a formula that we got to solve. It’s a formula of success that we’re still trying to find,” said Waimea head coach Brandon Moises. “Controlling emotions and mental mistakes — it’s that ongoing saga of not allowing others to dictate the end. We’re controlling the first three quarters of the last three games, and then that fourth quarter comes.”
“I don’t know what it is, but we’re going to keep working at it,” he added. “I know they’re bummed because they played hard. … But we got one more round. We’re not out of this yet.”
Menehune junior forward Shania Kahepuu was ejected in the fourth quarter. She ended the game with five points, four rebounds, two assists and a block.
It’s yet to be determined whether Kahepuu will be suspended for one game.
“I was told we’ll find out this week if she’s eligible to play,” Moises said. “I was told they were still unclear whether it was a flagrant, an ejection or what it was. We’re just not sure. We got to wait and see.”
Kapaa had three players sit out one quarter for violating team rules: Tafea, senior forward Atelaite Tafea and senior guard Kunani Tuttle.
“You don’t come to practice, you don’t play — you don’t start. That’s my rules,” Aki said. “I was hoping that we’d come back. We struggled there for a while.”
Daligcon had a double-double with 15 points, 10 rebounds and a pair of steals for Kapaa. Tafea had 15 points, seven steals and six rebounds.
Sophomore guard Monique Joy Lorenzo had 11 points, four steals and an assist for Waimea. Senior guard Casey Fernandez had nine points, two assists and two rebounds.
“We were that close in the fourth quarter,” Lorenzo said. “We cannot give up. We played good in the first three quarters, but we got to finish it. We got to finish our game like how we started it.”
Kapaa also won the junior varsity game, 51-44. Freshman forward Mele Tafea had 17 points for the JV Warriors. Sophomore guard Kiarra Palacio had 10 points for the Menehune.
“It was super stressful. I feel like since the last time we played them, we focused on the things we need to work on. We do them in practice, and then we come in the game and we don’t execute,” said Kapaa JV coach Jordyn Danner. “I was definitely afraid of (losing at the end). Waimea is definitely capable of that. That’s how they did us last time.”
The season’s second round will begin with Kapaa hosting Kauai High (2-2 KIF) on Tuesday. The JV game will begin 5:30 p.m. and the varsity will follow.
