Waiakea played with a champion’s poise and patience but was mostly powered by the hot clutch hand of Calvin Mattos, who keeps reminding local basketball fans that the postseason is his time of year. ADVERTISING Waiakea played with a champion’s
Waiakea played with a champion’s poise and patience but was mostly powered by the hot clutch hand of Calvin Mattos, who keeps reminding local basketball fans that the postseason is his time of year.
Mattos scored 24 points and dished six assists as the No. 3 seed Warriors defeated No. 2 Kamehameha 71-58 in the BIIF Division I semifinals Thursday night at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium, where the twin weapons of ball-sharing and discipline were on display.
In the other semifinal, No. 1 seed Konawaena beat No. 4 Keaau 63-53 to force a rematch of the BIIF championship.
The Wildcats (13-0) play the Warriors (10-3) at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Hilo Civic. Last season, Waiakea thumped Konawaena 60-40 in the title game.
The season is over for Kamehameha (10-3), which loses seniors Solomon Escalante, Cullen Cariaga, Isaiah Ignacio, Kastle Quiocho, and Cody Cook.
Shaun Kojima added 12 points, Jerek Prudencio 10, Jayden Opiana nine, and Treysen Ishimoto had seven points for Waiakea, which diligently worked for clean shots and drilled 51 percent (26 of 51) from the floor and made 14 of 22 free throws.
Nalu Kahapea scored 18 points, Isaiah Nakoa-Oness 11 while Solomon Escalante and Kastle Quiocho each added eight points for Kamehameha, which converted 48 percent (19 of 40) from the floor and made 17 of 20 free throws.
Waiakea often passed three or four or five times and reversed the ball before a shot was fired. Kamehameha, which struggled to get entry passes to the 6-foot-4 Kahapea, didn’t rely on the same type of ball-sharing.
Both Warrior teams played a man and matchup zone, but Waiakea did a better job and forced 17 turnovers and held a 6-2 scoring edge off free gifts. The public-school Warriors had just nine giveaways.
Waiakea followed its philosophy of winning each quarter, and Mattos added that strategy also extends to valuable intangibles.
“That’s a big thing to win every quarter but also to win every minute and play hard every second,” said Mattos, the two-time BIIF player of the year. “It all comes down to heart. In the last game (Kamehameha’s 79-76 win), we gave up 30 points in the third quarter. We knew if we wanted to win, it would have to be all defense for us.”
Offensively, Mattos did the same thing he’s been doing since he was a freshman: scoring and setting up teammates. If he wasn’t hitting his favored right-handed floater or jump shots or attacking the rim, Mattos was drawing the defense in with dribble-penetration and feeding assists.
“I knew I had to score and get in the lane, but I had to dish to my guys,” said Mattos, who also played smart defense and finished with two personal fouls. “They hit big shots. It’s about trust.”
In the first quarter, Mattos had a hand in 14 of Waiakea’s 17 points, scoring seven points and handing out three assists, including Kiai Apele’s 3-pointer at the buzzer. And that was a savvy play in time management.
With 36 seconds left, Waiakea held the ball for one shot. Mattos dribbled and fed to Apele, whose brother Lanaki was a Kamehameha standout, and the freshman swished a 3-ball.
Also in the first period, Kahapea scored Kamehameha’s first eight points, including a rare 3-pointer for the big fella, who caught nothing but net.
In the second quarter, Waiakea again made sure to take the last shot. With 34 seconds to go, Mattos dribbled, a teammate missed but Ishimoto cleaned up with a putback right before the buzzer.
That was a 4-0 swing on time management, last-second shots.
Even better, those smart shots added up as Waiakea drilled 50 percent (14 of 28) from the field, including 4 of 8 from 3-point range in the first half.
Mattos finished the first half with14 points and four assists, all the while looking comfortable against Kamehameha’s man and zone defenses.
Kamehameha also buried 50 percent (8 of 16) from the field but just 2 of 6 from beyond the arc. The private-school Warriors had nine turnovers in the first half, compared to just four for Waiakea, which ran into halftime with a 35-24 lead.
At the start of the second half, Waiakea won the third quarter, 15-14, and continued to play like it’s ready to challenge for another BIIF title.
Waiakea 17 18 15 21 — 71
Kamehameha 13 11 14 20 — 58
