It was anybody’s game, but Hilo couldn’t play with patience and rushed a shot when there was too much time on the clock.
It was anybody’s game, but Hilo couldn’t play with patience and rushed a shot when there was too much time on the clock.
Bayley Manliguis scored a layup with five seconds left to lift Kamehameha over Hilo 44-42 in a BIIF Division I basketball showdown on Wednesday night at the Vikings Gym.
After Solomon Escalante tied it 42-42 with 47.6 seconds remaining, Hilo had a chance to run down the clock and take a last-second shot.
But a Vik fired a long-distance shot that clanked off the rim, and Kamehameha rebounded with 12.6 seconds to go.
Manliguis scored 15 points, Nalu Kahapea 13 and Pukana Vincent had six points for the Warriors (2-0), who shot 37 percent (14 of 38) from the field and made 14 of 22 free throws.
Isaac Liu scored 13 points, Josh Breitbarth and EJ Narido had 10 points each and Lawrence Padasdao added nine for the Vikings (1-1), who converted just 26 percent (12 of 46) from the floor and sank just 7 of 15 free throws.
The Warriors were generous with Christmas gifts, committing 25 turnovers. Hilo had 15 giveaways, and outscored them, 19-12, off turnovers.
Hilo held a 42-36 lead with 2:39 to play, after Breitbarth drilled four straight free throws. But Kahapea quickly scored off a turnover, and the Vikings then missed two front ends of one-and-one free throws.
The Warriors did a nice job limiting Liu, who dropped 40 points against Honokaa in a 78-72 win on Monday. They stuck the 5-11 Vincent, their most athletic big, and 5-7 senior Kaeo Batacan, one of the team’s quickest, on him and played man defense.
In the first half, the Warriors had a whopping 18 turnovers, but somehow led 23-21 at halftime, even though Hilo outscored them 12-5 on points off turnovers.
Despite Liu’s eight points in the first half, the Vikings, who had just six turnovers, missed a ton of jumpers, making just 19 percent (5 of 26) from the field.
When they didn’t cough up the ball, the Warriors shot 53 percent (9 of 17) from the field and made 6 of 7 free throws. Vincent led the way with six points.
A coach’s best friend is often a deep bench because it helps in so many ways. Starters can rest their legs, and if someone is unproductive another scoring option can be plugged in. And there’s no loss for motivation with hungry subs waiting to play.
That’s how Kamehameha prevailed against a disciplined St. Joseph team 62-44 on Monday. Escalante came off the bench, swished four 3-pointers in the third quarter, and led the Warriors with 16 points.
The Warriors not only wore down the smaller Cardinals with their depth but also with their physicality. There’s no such thing as a skinny Kamehameha basketball player. All of coach Vince Ulloa’s guys make good use of the school’s weight room.
Hilo is not exactly undersized. Liu weighs a solid 180 pounds and played football for the Vikings, who captured their third straight BIIF championship. Breitbarth is a well-built 6-foot senior. But across the board, most of the Warriors are bigger.
Kamehameha’s size helped and so did the deep bench. Escalante claimed the team’s sixth-man, high-scoring honors with five points. Hilo’s bench had zero points.
Escalante’s last two points were the game’s biggest, until Manliguis hit a layup when Hilo gave the visitors the generous gift of too much time.
In the junior varsity game, it was Hilo 57, Kamehameha 46.
Kamehameha 9 14 9 12 — 44
Hilo 9 12 12 9 — 42