HPA 9 16 8 10 — 43
By KEVIN JAKAHI
Tribune-Herald sports writer
Getting over the hump and making school history wasn’t easy for Hawaii Preparatory Academy, which needed a late layup — its weapon of choice all game long — in the Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division II basketball playoffs.
Dakota Berman somehow scored a layup against four defenders with 14 seconds remaining to lift the Ka Makani over St. Joseph 43-42 in the BIIF semifinals on Friday at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium for HPA’s first ever trip to the HHSAA state tournament.
It’s a westside pairing with West No. 1 seed HPA (9-3) against West No. 2 seed Kohala (8-4) at 6 p.m. today for the BIIF Division II championship. The two split a pair of games during the regular season, each winning on the road.
“It feels good to get over the hump. The last two years we lost in the semifinals,” HPA coach Dave Huntington said. “On that layup, we wanted Dakota or Jovan (Crnic) or Tyler (Van Kirk) to penetrate or kick out. When we went to the hole, we got points on the board.”
The Waimea private school was founded in 1949 and came close to reaching states the last two years, losing twice in the semifinals. Last season was particularly heart-breaking. With less than 10 seconds to play, HPA’s shot rolled off the rim, Pahoa rebounded and held on for a 51-49 win.
The Cardinals, the East No. 2 seed, are feeling that same agony of defeat — after letting a 42-41 lead slip away with a turnover with 35.4 seconds on the clock, when the Ka Makani trapped and stole the ball from Cody Andrade.
After Berman’s slicing left-handed layup between two defenders, St. Joseph still had a chance, immediately calling timeout with 10 seconds left.
Christian Kaui dribbled the length of the court, fed Thomas Fairman under the basket, and he was fouled with 1.9 seconds to go. He missed both free throws, ending St. Joseph’s attempt at a third consecutive trip to states.
The loss also expired the eligibility of the five senior starters: Sebi Ohara-Saft, Isaac Pacheco, Andrade, Kaui, and Fairman, who was aggressive offensively, attacking the rim and jump-stopping for 18 points while grabbing 12 rebounds.
HPA bracketed the 6-foot-5 Fairman, fronting him and bringing help on the backside. He went off for 12 points in the first half, but got just six points in the second half against a tighter defense, which blanketed everyone else.
Ohara-Saft, Kaui and Pacheco each scored six points for St. Joe, which shot 43 percent from the field, including 5 of 15 on 3-pointers — better than HPA’s 40 percent shooting and 4-of-19 effort from long distance.
But still not enough.
Meanwhile, the Ka Makani relied on their athleticism and length to dribble-penetrate and stick in layups. They got to the rack and scored six times, all in halfcourt sets, while the Cards had just two layups, both by Kaui.
Berman, a 6-0 senior guard, scored 16 points to lead HPA (8-3), gunning a pair of 3-pointers and ripping to the rim three times for layups. Kalan Camero added nine points while Van Kirk, a 6-3 senior forward and another guy with size, had eight points.
For Berman, it’s been a long journey to make school history. He played his freshman year at Parker, switched to HPA as a sophomore and sat out due to the transfer rule, and battled in the Pahoa game last season and scored 13 points.
“I don’t know how I got that shot to go in against four guys,” he said of his game-winner. “I squeezed past two defenders. I’m really excited. HPA has never been to states before. We wanted to leave behind a legacy. It’s a great feeling for the school, program and our coaches.”
St. Joseph 13 8 10 11 — 42
HPA 9 16 8 10 — 43