Who says Honokaa can’t play defense?
The Dragons did when it counted Thursday, and they’re the last BIIF team standing at the HHSAA boys basketball tournament.
Kea Callihan scored 15 points and Honokaa stifled second-seeded Roosevelt’s 3-point attempt to tie as time expired, earning a 40-37 victory at Farrington Gym in Honolulu to reach the state Division II semifinals.
“We knew they had won a couple games on last-second 3-pointers and we were prepared for it,” coach Jayme Carvalho said. “We played defense, baby!”
Honokaa did it for 32 minutes, holding the OIA champion Rough Riders (6-9) to 40 percent shooting, even though the Dragons (9-5) spent much of the BIIF season piling up points while being generous on the other end.
Not Thursday.
Kainalu Lau hit two free throws with 16 seconds left to restore the Dragons’ three-point lead and finished with seven points, four rebounds and three steals.
“Kainalu played great defense on their guards,” Carvalho said. “We stuck together and took care of the ball and never let them get going on the other end.
Honokaa will face ILH runner-up University (12-3) at 5 p.m. Friday at Kaimuki for a spot in the final.
Carvalho, a Honokaa Dragon through and through, never made it to states as a player, falling short all four years.
“They are scratching my itch, too,” Carvalho said.
Honokaa clinched its first state berth since 2007 by winning the BIIF’s regular-season Division II title, but it was upset by St. Joseph 51-50 in the title game last Saturday.
Carvalho said his team had two of its best practices leading up to states.
“I told the boys to look at the big picture and told them they still had a great opportunity,” Carvalho said. “It’s easy to blame others when things go wrong, but we didn’t do that.”
Honokaa shot 42.5 percent and held a 30-22 rebounding advantage. Jonathan Charbonneau finished with six points and seven rebounds and Koa Callihan and Kamuela Spencer-Herring each added five points.
Honokaa was down by two points early in the third quarter, but it never trailed again after Kea Callihan and Koa Callihan each converted three-point plays and Spencer-Herring hit a jumper for a 28-22 advantage with 2:01 left in the third.
Seabury Hall 38, St. Joseph 33: The BIIF champion Cardinals only had four players score at Kaimuki, were outrebounded 31-21 and shot only 27 percent in falling into consolation play.
Maui’s Spartans (14-1) used a 11-1 run spanning the first and second quarters to lead take a 27-15 lead at halftime.
St. Joseph cut its deficit to 35-32 on a Manato Fukuda basket with 3:16 left in the game, but it never scored again.
Cole deSilva led the Cardinals (8-7) with 15 points and eight rebounds, but he shot just 3 of 16 from the field, including 2 of 10 on 3-pointers. Fukuda had 13 for St. Joe, which will play the OIA’s Kalani (6-9) at 5 p.m. Friday in a fifth-place semifinal at Farrington.
Isaiah Payne led Seabury with 18 points.
Division I
Kaiser 77, Waiakea 61: The Cougars shot 55.6 percent from the field and led from the first quarter on to stop the unbeaten BIIF champion Warriors in a quarterfinal at McKinley High in Honolulu.
Calvin Mattos led fourth-seeded Waiakea (14-1) with 17 points and Noah Ferreira added 16. The Warriors, who lost 20 turnovers, play Maui runner-up Baldwin (10-6) at 1 p.m. Friday in consolation play.
A BIIF has not had a Division I team reach the semifinals since Konawaena did so in 2013.
Chance Kalaugher led all scorers with 28 points for OIA runner-up Kaiser (14-2).
Kahinu Alapai finished with 12 for Waiakea and Louie Ondo chipped in 10.
Leilehua 39, Konawaena 31: Maitland Akau scored 11 points and Kupono Kane added seven points and 12 rebounds, but the BIIF runner-up Wildcats lost in consolation play at Moanalua, ending the season 11-4.
