KEALAKEKUA – As the BIIF basketball regular season begins to draw to a close, wins and losses start to mean more as teams try to maneuver themselves into a good seeding for the playoffs.
Two teams putting a lot of slashes in the win column as of late, Hawaii Prep and Konawaena, met on the hard court in Kealakekua on Monday. Both teams have been streaking, with Ka Makani entering the game with four straight wins and the Wildcats on a five-game streak.
Both teams proved to be evenly matched in the back and forth game, but a late third-quarter run by Hawaii Prep gave Ka Makani the points it would need to hold off Konawaena 55-52.
“This was a good game between two good teams and it came down to a couple of possessions,” said Hawaii Prep coach Fred Wawner. “We were able to execute at critical times and play at our speed. We were able to make one more play at the end to win.”
Jonah Hurney and Javan Perez each scored 12 points for Hawaii Prep (7-2), which remained in a first-place tie with Honokaa in Division II, took a nine-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but three consecutive layups by Paka Cacoulidis – who finished with a game-high 24 points – Austin Ewing and Aldrin Gadot cut the deficit to two with four minutes to play. Cacoulidis picked up a free throw on the back end of his three-point play.
The Wildcats (7-3) struggled to take the lead and with 30 seconds remaining Ka Makani led by three. After an inbound pass, Cacoulidis raced to the basket, scoring on an uncontested layup with 16 seconds to play.
The Wildcats were forced to foul at the 12-second mark and Hurney went to the line. He converted both free throws to put his team back up by three. After a couple of fouls by Ka Makani, Gadot had an open look at a 3-pointer to tie the game with two seconds to go, but the ball hit the front of the rim.
Cacoulidis grabbed the rebound and tried for the putback but missed. He was then fouled and went to the line, but missed his first free throw. HPA grabbed the rebound to end the game.
“I thought we played well we just shot the ball terribly from outside,” Konawaena coach Donny Awa said. “HPA is well-coached and disciplined, and they make you work hard on both sides of the ball.”
Honokaa 52, Kealakehe 51: Kamuela Spencer Herring scored 13 points, including the go-ahead free throw with 4.5 seconds remaining, and the Dragons won on the road.
Kolten Carvalho also had 13 points for Honokaa (7-2), which not only stayed in a first-place tie in D-II but also dropped the Waveriders to 6-4, giving increased hope to Keaau (5-4 entering Tuesday) and Hilo (4-5 entering Tuesday). Both of those teams trail Kealakehe for the fourth and final playoff spot in Division I.
After putting his team ahead, Spencer Herring missed his second free throw, but Sheltyn Carvalho grabbed the rebound to seal the game for the Dragons.
St. Joseph 63, Parker 60: The Cardinals (1-7) won in Waimea to earn their first win of the season and gain an edge on Parker (0-9) and Laupahoehoe (0-9) in the race for the final playoff spot in D-II.
St. Joe hosts Laupahoehoe on Feb. 2 and a win should be enough to get the Cardinals into the playoffs.