LIHU‘E — The Kapa‘a Junior Varsity girls could not find an answer to the late-game trey launched by Taylor Duran of the Kaua‘i High School JV team on Monday night during a Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation girls basketball game at Kaua‘i High School gym.
Despite numerous attempts at the bucket, the JV Warriors came up short, 37-34 against the JV Raiders, whose scoreboard openers came on treys, the first by Chloe Kalauhine. That was followed by a long ball from Kailea Sakau-Masulit, who finished the game with a game-high 15-point contribution.
Duran’s 3-ball counted toward her nine-point contribution to the victory.
Kapa‘a’s answer to the opening pair of bombs came from Alena Abell, who dropped the JV Warriors’ sole distance ball in the contest where tall post Kenzie Ka‘aihue Paopao finished with team-high 10 points. Trinity Guillen finished with nine points in the contest where the JV Warriors were limited to just one bucket in the final frame.
On the varsity court, the Kaua‘i High School ladies fired off seven of the distance balls in a losing effort, 67-35 against the Lady Warriors, who finished with four treys in a contest where spectators on both sides of the ball enthusiastically cheered the distance bombs.
Olivia Malafu returned to the floor to finish with a game-high 16 points to lead the Kapa‘a victory, and Denise Alfonso regained her starter status to finish with 11 points.
Guard Taira Samiano, finishing with a dozen points, triggered the Warriors’ first trey that pulled them back into the fray, and starter Kyla Hopton, marking seven points, added another first-quarter 3-ball as Kapa‘a overtook the Red Raiders and finish with a 16-8 lead following the first quarter.
Kaua‘i’s Jazlyn Corpuz ignited the Raider-friendly audience with a game-opening 3-ball, and Hema Naka‘ahiki-Young added more cheer with her trey that was answered by a bucket from Malafu and a charity pair from Alfonso to keep Kapa‘a in the game chasing a pair.
Naka‘ahiki-Young, following a slow start in the opening quadrant, finished with a game-high 17 points, including four treys to lead the Raider effort. Corpuz netted three distance balls for nine points, Lailah Kalani came off the bench for four points.
Kaua‘i High School makes the trek to Clem Gomes Gym on Wednesday where they face off against Waimea High School in a single game that tips off at 6:30 p.m.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
