It’s back to the drawing board for Konawaena, which had issues with transition defense and impatience on offense last season.
The Wildcats erased those problems though three days at the 6th annual Keaau/Waiakea preseason basketball tournament at the Warriors Gym.
But in the championship on Saturday night, those hiccups came roaring back in a 47-32 loss to Kalani, spoiling the early enthusiasm of the BIIF Division I runner-up on the fourth and final day.
The Falcons shot 44 percent, hitting 11 of 15 from the field in the second half, often racing ahead of Wildcats to the rim or working the ball inside — two things Konawaena always attempts to do but didn’t.
The Wildcats shot 25 percent, sinking just 3 of 19 from the floor in the first half. Still, the led 11-10 at halftime.
Austin Aukai scored 12 points and Hauoli Akau had six points for Konawaena (3-1).
Kapaa Nishimura scored 12 points and Micah Kawano added eight points for Kalani (4-0). Nishimura went 12 of 16 from the free throw line.
Last season, Falcons finished 6-8 as the OIA Division II runner-up and placed fifth at the HHSAA tournament, beating St. Joseph 50-48 in consolation.
Kalani returns three starters in 5-10 forward Kawano and 5-9 guard Toby Mitchell, a pair of seniors, and 6-2 junior forward Nishimura.
Konawaena led 11-10 at the break but had a second half to forget, going scoreless on 0 of 9 shooting from the field and 0 for 2 on free throws.
In the third quarter, McKinley outscored Konawaena 20-12 to take a 30-23 advantage into the final eight minutes.
Third place
Keaau 43, McKinley 38: Rico-Logan Handy scored 15 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, which the Cougars entered behind 27-22.
The Cougars disrupted the Tigers’ 2-3 zone early when Handy drilled consecutive 3-pointers for a 28-27 lead. Then, McKinley quickly jumped ahead for the last time after Jeremy Coloyan hit a jump shot at the elbow with under five minutes.
Reynaldo Arcellana followed with another 3-ball for the Cougars, who never trailed again with 4:35 remaining.
Handy also nailed 7 of 10 free throws in the final eight minutes. Arcellana added eight points and Branden Pagala six points.
“It was a hard-fought game, and we didn’t give up. The boys deserved the win,” Keaau coach Jun Pagala said. “We focused on four things the whole tourney: communication, blocking out, help-side defense, and being patient on offense.”
Through the first three quarters, it looked more like a football score as both teams played a 2-3 zone and struggled to find and drop open shots.
Then the fourth quarter rolled around, and the Cougars discovered their rhythm, sending sharp passes to Handy, who worked hard to get clean looks.
“We ran multiple plays and waited to see what was open,” said Pagala, the second-year coach. “We changed plays and made the defense move. Rico’s free throws were excellent, too. That’s one other thing we set as a goal as a team and individuals to hit our free throws.”
Fifth place
Waiakea 60, Kealakehe 37: Treyson Ishimoto and Noa Tominaga scored 10 points each to lead the host Warriors.
