Kamehameha faced a very tall order in the championship of the Hilo High/Holiday Prep Classic, where the physical BIIF contender had the unusual disadvantage of being undersized.
Trinity (Texas) Christian brought too much height and depth. On the Tigers’ 14-player roster, the shortest guys were 5 feet 8 and 5-10. Everyone else was either 6-1 or taller.
Taking advantage of their height, the Tigers defeated the Warriors 80-65 for the title on Saturday night at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium, where the fans were entered by the high-scoring Tyreek Smith, who pumped in 24 points and flushed two dunks.
Trinity Christian is not only big but also talented. Three players have Division I offers; Smith, a 6-9 junior, has five Division I offers. Also, four players have football scholarship offers.
Isaiah Range and Thomas Bower-Shaw added 13 points each for Trinity Christian, which shot 54 percent (28 of 52) from the floor, including 6 of 17 from long range.
Nalu Kahapea scored 20 points, and Payton Grahovac scored nine points on three triples to lead Kamehameha, which converted 40 percent (21 of 53) from the field, including 7 of 22 from beyond the arc.
In the first half, the Tigers shot 50 percent (13 of 26) from the field, including two slam dunks by Smith and Range, to grab a 36-26 halftime cushion.
Smith and Range both had their moments that showcased their collegiate potential. In the third quarter, Range, a 6-3 junior guard, crossed up his defender and buried a shot off the dribble. A few plays later, Smith rebounded, ran the floor and dropped in a layup.
Grahovac and the rest of the Warriors didn’t back down and kept firing away. Grahovac sank all his 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.
If the Tigers played in Hawaii, they would be a serious contender for the HHSAA Division I championship, quite able compete with defending state champion Kahuku or the ILH powerhouses.
The Warriors had their bright spots, too. In the third quarter, they ran their press-break offense to perfection. Kahapea and Izayah Chartrand-Penera each scored layups.
Smith’s last score was a putback for a 75-56 cushion with under four minutes left. Then he took a seat on the bench, and his teammates closed out the victory.
For girls field, Konawaena won the championship with a 3-0 victory. The key was a 61-59 overtime victory over Trinity Christian on Friday night.
Like the Tiger boys, the girls team is huge with four players at 5-10 or taller. The offense is built around 6-1 mobile sophomore Anzhane Hutton, a Division I prospect.
If the Tigers played in Hawaii, they would likely challenge Konawaena, Maryknoll and anyone else from Oahu for the HHSAA Division I title.
In girls games on Saturday, it was Konawaena over Keaau 66-41, Waiakea over Honokaa 68-31 and Hilo over Trinity Christian 65-50 in a huge upset for third place.
Mandi Kawaha scored 24 points, including 12 in the fourth period, to lead Hilo. Tatiana Rideout added 13 points, Mindy Kawaha 11 and Mele Vaka had nine points, including eight in the fourth quarter.
Hutton scored 19 points, Tierney Coleman, a 5-9 sophomore point guard, added 17 points for the Tigers, who suffered when Hutton fouled out with a minute remaining.
“I give the girls credit. It was a big win, and they came back after we had tough games against Konawaena (42-34 loss) and Waiakea (39-34 loss),” Hilo coach Clifford Kawaha said.
It was sort of a David takedown of Goliath for the much shorter Vikings, who entered the fourth quarter tied 35-35. (One of the Tigers’ bigs was injured and didn’t play.)
After a Tiger 3-pointer, Hilo exploded for a 13-0 run, scoring nine points off turnovers. In the final eight minutes, Mandi Kawaha buried 7 of 8 free throws, battling Trinity Christian’s attempt to foul and stop the clock.
“We noticed their defense wasn’t moving as fast, and we looked to cut down the middle and score layups,” Kawaha said. “We switched to zone and doubled their big girl. I’m proud of the girls.”
In boys games, it was Waiakea over Hilo 65-54, Honokaa over Kohala 48-45 and St. Joseph over Parker 43-35.
