KAPAA — Waimea beat Kapaa, 46-33, in boys varsity basketball Wednesday night at Bernice Hundley Gym.
David Salo Jr. led the Menhune with 15 points, going 7-8 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter. His production included a pair of three-balls in the first half that kept the score deadlocked, 20-20, at the break.
Taylon Yadao followed with eight points, including a pair of treys. Joel Soriano finished with seven points, while DJ Pabre and Jacob Delos Reyes each added six points.
The final scoring flurry came from free throws when Kapaa, in an attempt at ball possession, forced fouls.
“The shots weren’t falling,” said Waimea coach Dino Pabre. “We went into the stall to preserve the lead. We missed a ton from the free throw line. The stall isn’t something we practice, but the boys executed well. Both sides played well, and that’s all we can ask for.”
Justin Faidly led Kapaa with eight points. He got help from Kurtis Fujito-Pascua with a pair of three-balls. Some Fonua kept the game close, dropping four of his six game-total in the second quarter.
Noah Rall, one of two Kapaa seniors, dropped five points. Michael Encinas tickled the twine with a trey.
“We’re just getting prepared for a short and long season,” said Kamahalo Kauhane, Kapaa coach. “We’re a young team with only two seniors and a lot of sophomores. You won’t recognize a lot of these faces. For us coaches, it’s back to basics. We need to fix the mistakes we made out there, and work on our free throws. It’s going to be a fun season.”
In junior varsity action, Mason Broyles netted 30 of Waimea’s 50 points to lead a Menehune sweep over Kapaa
Broyles, a high-point shooter from his days with the community basketball program, peeled off 22 points in the second half to pull the Waimea JV team from a 14-13 lead to its final 50-30 win over Kapaa. His production included four balls launched from outside the three-point arc.
Cameron Booth led Kapaa with 10 points. Waika Rogers added eight points — all free throws. Sage Martin-Oldenfield marked the sole trey for the Junior Warriors.
Kapaa next travels to the Kauai High School Gym on Saturday when the junior varsity match tips off at 5:30 p.m. followed by the varsity game.
Waimea gets to enjoy the winter break until it meets Kauai on Jan. 6.
