KALAHEO — Kaulupono’s Kierstin Gummerus fired off a three-ball in the final three minutes of its high school division game against the Kauai Lynx to turn things around Monday night during the youth basketball summer league games at the Kalaheo Neighborhood Center.
Gummerus, coming off the scorer’s table where she recorded stats for the two other matches, iced the come-from-behind 28-23 win with an easy layup in the the final ticks of the match and netted high-point honors with 14 points for Kaulupono.
The Kaulupono win also blemished the Lynx’s trio of games after the Kauai Lynx took an 18-16 edge over the Ballers in the night’s opener and closed the nightcap with a 37-29 win over the Ballers.
Jessica Cezar, who got high-point honors for the Kauai Lynx with 13 points, set the stage early and fired off three of the team’s four treys to stay ahead of Kaulupono at the break, 15-8.
Kaulupono had no answers from outside the three-point arc. Instead, Kaulupono relied on four field goals — one each from Braelyn Cayaban, Kaye Serapio, Gummerus and Dawn Serapio — to stay in the game.
The scenario stayed the same until the final three minutes of the 16-minute half when Gummerus found the net from the right outside and turned the tide against the Lynx, 21-20. From there, it was two quick buckets from Kaye Serapio and Gummerus’ lay up to victory.
Following Gummerus’ lead, Kaulupono got six points from Kaye Serapio and four marks from Hazel Serapio in the win.
Cezar’s lead for the Kauai Lynx was enhanced by six points from Brianna Bernardo and four points from Zoe Santa Maria.
Earlier in the evening, Kauai Lynx’ Pua Akui Ramos and Kate Lynn Colipano did all the firepower for the team when Akui Ramos poured in six points to give the Lynx an 11-6 lead over the Ballers in the seventh grade division contest that opened the night.
But the Ballers went to the three-ball to stay in the chase in the second half but the effort fell short, 18-16, at the buzzer.
Akui Ramos and Colipano finished with nine points apiece — accounting for all of the Kauai Lynx scoring.
Auli‘i Takenaka topped the seventh grade Ballers’ effort on seven points. Tristee Souza netted four, and Jade Nakamura added three points.
The Ballers’ Jaliyah Casem finished with a game-high 15 points, but the Ballers fell short, 37-29, in the nightcap as Marissa Layosa netted a dozen marks and Amalya Sales added 10 points for the Lynx’s victory.
Youth basketball coordinator Bobby Kamakele said the games scheduled for Wednesday at the Southshore Center have been scrubbed because of the proximity to the Kauai Hoops Classic basketball tournament that launches Thursday at three different sites — Kauai High School, Kapaa High School and the Kalaheo Neighborhood Center.
Coordinated by Clarence Sales of the Kauai Lynx and Team Central basketball programs, the tournament will feature six divisions — seventh grade boys, ninth grade boys and twelfth grade boys, seventh grade girls, ninth grade girls and twelfth grade girls.
The seventh grade boys open action at 1 p.m. at the Kauai High School gym when the Lihue Lakers take on Kalaepohaku.
The full tournament schedule can be found at www.kauaihoopsclassic.com.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
