WAIMEA — Kapa‘a High School basketball player Keaka Kauhane poured in 20 points Tuesday to pull the Warriors into the driver’s seat, 62-46 over Waimea High School during the opening game of the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation boys’ basketball season at the Clem Gomes Gym in Waimea.
“It has been such a long time since we last played,” said Kapa‘a coach Kamahala Kauhane. “Waimea played really tough, and this is the first time we’ve played after a long time.”
Sparked by Kala Rall dropping four of his game-total 10 points in the first quarter, Kapa‘a eked out an 11-8 bulge, only to be outrun by Waimea, 17-13, fueled in part by a pair of three balls from Kelani Lewis in the second frame for a 25-24 edge at the break.
“The boys got sucked out of their game,” Kauhane said. “We need to stick to the game plan.”
Kapa‘a made the short adjustments during the break, and exploded to a 24-9 third quarter when Keaka Kauhane dumped 17 of his game-high 20 points, including a pair of three balls.
Waimea’s answer was limited to a trey from Tresten Shigematsu, three points by Anson Lazaro and a pair from Ty Tsukayama.
Following Keaka Kauhane’s 20 points, Mikey Questin balanced his 19-point offensive showing through both halves. Rall finished with 10 points, and Epoki Tafea balanced his eight points between halves.
The second KIF boys’ basketball contest featuring Kaua‘i High School at Island School was relegated to “rescheduled,” according to Kaua‘i High School Athletic Director Keli‘i Morgado.
Kapa‘a junior-varsity player Reime Camacho netted all of his 12 points in the second half, with the final six points in the fourth quarter nailing a 32-28 victory over the JV Menehune, who got nine points from Jeydon Moises, seven marks from Eli Ewing and six points on a pair of three balls from Lokahi Delos Reyes.
With 2:30 remaining in the contest, Camacho lit the twine to knot the contest 28-28. Another Camacho bucket 30 seconds later pushed the JV Warriors up 30-28 in the final two minutes.
The JV Menehune choked on missed opportunities as a pair of shooters came up empty on one-and-one chances at the charity stripe before Camacho sealed the deal with a bucket in the final 23 ticks.
Joining Camacho, Tristen Scully thrilled the strong home crowd with three bombs from outside the three-point arc en route to picking up a game-high 13 points.
The second KIF boys’ basketball contest featuring Kaua‘i High School at Island School was relegated to “rescheduled,” according to Kaua‘i High School Athletic Director Keli‘i Morgado.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
