KALAHEO — Olivia Malafu dropped a bucket with 26 seconds on the clock to keep the Dream Team in the lead, 23-22, over the efforts of the Ao‘uka Rebels on Thursday night during the Extreme Termite league games at the Kalaheo Neighborhood Center.
Earlier, the Rebels overcame a 13-7 deficit at the break to comeback behind the firepower from Skylyn Fagarang, who was limited to just a first-half trey to take a 22-21 lead.
Dream Team’s Lilinoe Ka‘aihue-Paopao, demonstrating a physical inside game throughout the night, popped a bucket in heavy traffic to deadlock the match, 21-21 with 1:30 showing on the clock. Malafu, playing under the canopy of heavy cheering from her parent leaning over the bench, dropped the go-ahead bucket in the final minute of play.
The Rebels were not done when a foul in traffic sent Fagarang to the charity stripe for two in the final 10 seconds. Her first shot clanged harmlessly. Following a time out under heavy cheering, she sank the second for the 23-22 loss as Malafu protected the inbound.
Fagarang finished the night with game-high scoring, netting 13 points — 10 coming in the final 16-minute quadrant — followed by four first-half points from Cece Baliaris, and second-half pairs coming from Zylah Blackstad and Cairee Quinones.
Malafu topped the Dream Team scoring on 10 points followed by Ka‘aihue-Paopao with six points. Taeani Largusa added four points, and three points from Kenzie Ka‘aihue-Paopao rounded out the win.
Kaulupono outdistanced the Kauai Lynx in the final 16-minute quadrant, 15-7, to clinch a 26-17 victory in the second of three games played in the Extreme Termite league.
Liana Hasegawa dropped eight of her game-total 14 points in the stanza followed by Hailey Mata dropping all seven of her game points, Kiaura Ortiz-Rita netted four of her game-total marks in the go-ahead frame.
Denise Alfonso provided the Kauai Lynx firepower with 10 points in the first half to give the blueshirts a 10-9 lead at the break. She finished the night tied with Hasegawa at 14 points, getting help from Pua‘ala Akul-Ramos with two points, and a digit from Jazlyn Phillips.
Josiah Delos Reyes peeled off 15 points and Kelani Lewis poured in eight points to lead the Westside Boys to a 33-30 edge over the Lihue Lakers in the final outing of the night.
With the Westside Boys playing with no bench relief, the Lakers worked the court led by Bryan Brown and Austin Green each netting eight points in the effort.
The Extreme Termites return to the court on May Day when the TL Warriors-Blue tip off against Papalina Gray at 6 p.m. followed by the TL Warriors-Volt going up against Papalina Orange at 7 p.m. The girls close out the night when the Rebels take on Westside B team in an 8 p.m. tipoff at the Kalaheo Neighborhood Center.
