Kamehameha 15 14 17 15 — 61 By BILL O’REAR ADVERTISING Tribune-Herald sports editor Shaun Kagawa scored 15 points, Jacob Kackley 13 and Kekoa Turner 12 to lead Kamehameha to a 61-55 win over Hilo in the Big Island Interscholastic
By BILL O’REAR
Tribune-Herald sports editor
Shaun Kagawa scored 15 points, Jacob Kackley 13 and Kekoa Turner 12 to lead Kamehameha to a 61-55 win over Hilo in the Big Island Interscholastic Federation boys Division I basketball tournament championship game on Saturday night.
About 2,750 fans watched the high-intensity contest at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.
The hard-fought victory also clinched the Warriors’ second straight overall BIIF crown and the league’s top seed in the upcoming state D-I tournament on Oahu. Kamehameha (13-1) and Hilo (10-5) will represent the BIIF in the 12-team state tourney, slated Feb. 22-25.
Kagawa, a 5-foot-10 junior, scored nine points in the first half as Kamehameha led 15-7 at the end of the first quarter and 29-18 at the intermission. The Warriors then built their biggest lead of the evening at 41-25 with 3:51 remaining in the third period.
But the Vikings dug deep the rest of quarter and trailed 46-37 heading into the final period. Hilo slashed the Warriors’ lead to 56-53 on Drew Kell’s two free throws at the 2:11 mark and threatened to inch closer due to shaky Kamehameha free-throw shooting.
However, when Kagawa missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw situation, the 6-2 Kackley grabbed the rebound and was fouled. He calmly made both charity shots to stretch the Warriors’ lead to 58-53.
Then after Hilo couldn’t convert on its next possession, Turner hit a layup to make it 60-53 with :46 left. The Vikings cut the deficit to 60-55 on senior Rico Loeak’s 12-foot jumper at :07 before senior Lanaki Apele drained one of two free throws to close scoring, at 61-55 at :04.
Apele, a 5-9 point guard, finished with nine points and eight assists besides handling the ball the majority of the time. But once he gave it up when a Vikings’ double-team came, either Kagawa, Kackley or Turner kept the offense moving.
Kell, a 6-0 sophomore, led Hilo with 13 points and had a team-high 10 rebounds in his best all-around game of the season. Sophomore Jalen Carvalho followed with 11 points, including nine in the second half. Junior Jacob Genegabus had nine points and sophomore Jodd Carter added eight points.
Kamehameha also controlled the boards throughout the contest. Kackley had a game-high 11 rebounds, Turner had 10, senior Kaeo Alapai six and Kagawa and Apele five apiece.
“Both teams came out to play tonight,” Warriors coach Dominic Pacheco said. “It’s not easy beating a team three times and it was tough tonight, especially when we didn’t shoot free throws very well in the second half.
“But it’s nice to see our boys’ hard work pay off. They worked hard all summer and throughout this season.”
Pacheco also praised Hilo’s strong effort.
“Hats off to Hilo, they never quit,” he said. “But for us, I’m glad our seniors were able to go out with the championship. It means a lot to them and what they’ve done the past two years.”
An exhausted Apele credited his teammates for stepping up.
“When Hilo doubled me, I gave it up and the other guys did a really good job of handling the ball,” he said. “It’s great to win the BIIF title again. Now, we’ve got to go to Oahu and step up another level to play against the best teams in the state.”
The BIIF boys and girls basketball championships were sponsored by KTA Super Stores. Hilo High hosted the boys tournament; Ka’u, the girls tourney.
Nice steal, Drew
Hilo High’s Drew Kell, a talented sophomore, had a key steal in the final minutes against Konawaena in Friday’s semifinal game. The Vikings held on to defeat the Wildcats 68-64.
“Drew works really hard and his steal helped us get the win,” Hilo assistant coach Mark Lee said.
Kell’s first name was reported incorrect in Saturday’s D-I roundup story.
Champion Warriors
Members of the D-I champion Warriors include seniors Lanaki Apele, Kaeo Alapai, Jacob Kackley, Kekoa Turner, Keoni Wong, Easten Tanimoto and Kamana’opono Aiu; juniors Shaun Kagawa and Arden Costales; and sophomores La’akea Manliguis, Micah Carter and Rylan Kiko.
Head coach Dominic Pacheco is assisted by Brandon Kauhi, Todd Yanagi, Nelson Wong, Vince Ulloa, Keone Vincet and Adam Kakalia.
Runner-up Vikings
Members of the Vikings include seniors Kainoa Kawaha, Rico Loeak, Isaiah Fonseca, Brett Ebanez, Kristian Martinez, Brandon Tanoue and Nathan Leboeuf; juniors Kamu Patnaude, Jacob Genegabus and Kasey Gonsalves; and sophomores Jodd Carter, Jalen Carvalho, Drew Kell, Austin Dante and Isaac Kaleiwahea.
Head coach Jason Mandaquit is assisted by Kyle Keamo, Bruce Lee, Mark Lee, Jose Lizardi, Aukai Wong, Shaun Dante and Josh Baumgarner.
Hilo 7 11 19 18 — 55
Kamehameha 15 14 17 15 — 61
