It was Honokaa or bust Wednesday at the HHSAA boys basketball quarterfinals.
It was Honokaa or bust Wednesday at the HHSAA boys basketball quarterfinals.
On a day of blowouts in Honolulu, the Dragons were the only BIIF team to end up on the right side of the ledger, taking control in the second and third quarters to down Kauai 71-55 at Kalani High to reach the Division II semifinals.
“Kauai, they like to run,” coach Jayme Carvalho said. “If you’ve watched us play, that’s what we like to do, too.
“We got easy baskets. I don’t think they are used to playing a team that comes at you for 32 minutes.”
Attacking inside against the perimeter-oriented Red Raiders (8-1), Kamuela Spencer-Herring thrived, scoring a game-high 20 points and collecting seven rebounds for the BIIF champion Dragons (12-3).
Spencer-Herring shot 9 of 13 from the field, and Kelvin Falk added 15 points.
While Falk has gotten more accolades during his career, Carvalho couldn’t say enough about Spencer-Herring, a 6-foot-3 junior center.
“Kelvin is the most unselfish scorer I’ve ever coached,” Carvalho said. “Kamuela, he’s just the kind of person you would want your son to be.”
Returning to the semifinals for the second consecutive season, Honokaa advances to play top-seeded Saint Francis at 5 p.m. Thursday at Kalani. The ILH champion Saints overwhelmed Farrington 80-43 in their quarterfinal.
During the preseason, Saint Francis beat Honokaa at St. Joseph’s tournament in Hilo.
“We came here to play the best,” Carvalho said.
While Kauai’s up-and-down style played right into Honokaa’s hands, Saint Francis, Carvalho said, likes to mix it up.
“We just have to play our game,” he said. “We can play any style.”
The Dragons trailed 18-16 after the first quarter, but with Falk and Micah Lorenzo (11 points, four rebounds, three assists) penetrating to the key and either shooting or passing, Honokaa went to a bigger lineup and led 39-33 at halftime and 53-39 entering the fourth.
Gene Ansagay and Koa Callihan (five rebounds) each scored eight points, and Kea Callihan had four points and six rebounds. Falk added four rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
It’s no wonder Carvalho called it a good team win.
“We were fighting for each other,” he said. “We got some momentum and it kept flowing.”
Of the eight games Wednesday, none were decided by single digits, and the average margin of victory was 24.1.
BIIF teams were on the wrong end in three of the games:
Seabury Hall 47, Hawaii Prep 25
BIIF runner-up Ka Makani fell behind quickly, missing all 13 of their first-half shots and trailing 30-7 at halftime in losing at Saint Francis.
Peter Konohia was the only player in the game to score in double figures with 11 points for the No. 2-seeded Spartans (14-1) of Maui.
Umi Kealoha led HPA (9-6) with six points. Ka Makani were making their first state appearance since winning the title in 2014, but they had to make 7 of 13 from the field in the second half to finish at 26.9 percent shooting, and they were outrebounded 25-15.
Matija Vitorovic added four points and five rebounds for HPA, which will face Le Jardin at 7 p.m. Thursday in a consolation game.
Division I
Iolani 70, Waiakea 37
The defending state champion Raiders looked primed to make yet another deep tournament run, dominating on the inside and shooting 55 percent to roll at McKinley High.
While ILH runner-up Iolani (13-4) is searching for its 12th state crown, the BIIF champion Warriors (11-4) fell to 2-8 all-time in the quarterfinals.
Reigning tw0-time BIIF Player of the Year Calvin Mattos had a tough shooting night (4 off 11), but he scored 13 points with six rebounds, four assists, and seven steals, going 5 of 5 from the free throw line.
Frank Felix scored 13 points for the Raiders, and with 6-9 Hugh Hogland (eight points, five rebounds) and 6-5 Cole Hogland (nine points, four rebounds) lurking, Waiakea was outrebounded 41-20 and shot just 13 of 45.
Wesley Amuimuia added seven points and six rebounds for the Warriors, who will try earn the right to play at Stan Sheriff Center with a win against Kalaheo at 5 p.m. Thursday at Radford High.
Punahou 70, Konawaena 52
The Wildcats’ Austin Aukai scored a game-high 16 points with seven rebounds, but like his teammates he struggled with his shot as the top-seeded Buffanblu wore down the BIIF’s runner-up at Radford High.
Duke Clemens collected a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds for ILH champion Punahou (12-3).
Hauoli Akau added nine points and Kamakana Ching tallied six points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks for the Wildcats (14-2), who were trying to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2013.
Konawaena, which shot just 32.3 percent, will try to extend its season in a consolation game against Leilehua set for 7 p.m. Thursday at Radford.