LIHUE — Tito Villanueva of the Kauai Thunder was happy Friday after the team picked up a win over the Team Lihue Warriors in a seventh grade boys match at the Kauai High School gym. “We got our first win,”
LIHUE — Tito Villanueva of the Kauai Thunder was happy Friday after the team picked up a win over the Team Lihue Warriors in a seventh grade boys match at the Kauai High School gym.
“We got our first win,” Villanueva said. “We got slaughtered Thursday night, but our boys are only in the sixth grade and are playing against bigger seventh graders. At least, we got our first win.”
The Kauai Hoops Classic, also known as the Merv Lopes, continues through Sunday at four different sites — the Kauai High School gym, the Bernice Hundley Gym in Kapaa, the Wilcox Gymnasium at Island School and the Kalaheo Neighborhood Center.
“I just got a phone call from Honolulu,” said Eve Domingcil of the Kauai Fire Department. “I guess I have someone playing with the Aiea Blazers (7th grade boys) and they wanted me to go support him at Kapaa. But I’ve got to work today, and tomorrow I have a first-year baby luau for lunch.”
At the Kauai High School gym, Shaka Hoops 1 took a commanding 34-18 win over Team Supreme into the locker room behind five bombs launched from outside the three-point mark. This explosive effort was led by Trey Taba who notched 11 points in the boys 12th grade matchup, including three treys. CJ Cromartie, Christian Manera and Kaimani Tecson each helped the bulge with six points apiece.
Team Supreme’s tall man Ethan Galisa led the black-shirt effort on nine points.
Amalya Sales peeled off a three-ball in the second half Friday at the Wilcox Gymnasium at Island School in a ninth grade girls match against the UpCountry Elite-White squad.
But that effort only helped the Kauai Lynx finish with five points in its 34-5 loss at the hands of the green-shirts.
Sales scored all of the Lynx’s points in the effort while the UpCountry-White got its lead from Ameera Waterford, who finished with 10 points including a pair of treys — all in the first half.
The Barrow Lady Whalers, a team from Barrow, Alaska, notched its first win, 40-32, Thursday night in a girls 12th grade match over the efforts of the Kauai Ballers, a team primarily made up of Kapaa High School players with the addition of Monique Joy Lorenzo from Waimea and Monique Tomacder from Kauai.
The Whalers prevailed despite the strong defensive pressure put on by the Ballers, scoring 20 points from Courtney Williams in the win. Jaliyah Casem and Jazmin Kaleiohi led the Kauai Ballers’ effort on eight points apiece.
Earlier in the evening, the Wahine Ryders, a team from Hilo, fell to the UpCountry Elite, 25-12, in a girls 12th grade matchup. Kaylee Cambra led the UpCountry Elite win on 13 points followed by Anan Tuivai netting eight points.
The Riders were held to just three scorers, Asia Castillo leading the effort on six points and Kierstin Agonias adding four points.
Coordinated by the Kauai Lynx, the Kauai Hoops Classic is sponsored by S&S Business Machines, Arryl Kaneshiro for Council, M. Tanaka Store, Pacific Tile Kauai, Affiliated Construction Hawaii, DMK Welding Kauai and Island Wide HVAC.
