HONOKA‘A 91 – KEALAKEHE 72
Honoka‘a High’s boys varsity basketball team nearly reached triple digits, downing Kealakehe High 91-72 in a high-scoring affair Friday night at home.
The victory moved the Dragons to a 3-1 record, maintaining their No. 3 standing in BIIF Div.-2 — behind No. 1 Kohala (4-0) and No. 2 Pahoa (5-2).
The Waveriders sank to 2-5, and will next face Christian Liberty Academy (0-4) on Thursday in Kea‘au.
Following a Saturday road trip to Ka‘u (results will be published later), Honoka‘a will go head to head with Kohala on Wednesday for a rematch of last year’s BIIF DII championship — tipping of with JV at 5:30 p.m. in Honoka‘a.
HILO 61 – WAIAKEA 43
Hilo High’s boys varsity basketball team defeated Waiakea High 61-43 on Friday night at Hilo HS.
After entering the second quarter tied 13-13, the Vikings exploded — dropping 20 points while holding the Warriors to just 3.
Hilo kept up the pressure, outscoring Waiakea again 17-13 in the third quarter.
The Warriors made a final-frame push — outscoring Hilo 13-11 — but could not chip away enough from their large deficit.
Hilo’s Ikena Leao had a gargantuan outing, putting up a total of 21 points. Peyton Pana and Kaiwalya Kaneta each scored 10 for the Vikings.
Waiakea was led by Thayden Sweat (14 points) and Josiah Amuimuia (11 points).
Hilo’s (7-1) next outing will be Jan. 16 at Hawaii Prep.
Waiakea’s (4-4) next court appearance will be Wednesday at home against Konawaena High.
WAIAKEA 55 – KEA‘AU 15
Waiakea High’s girls varsity basketball team remained undefeated at home, routing Kea‘au High 55-15 in BIIF Div.-1 action Thursday night in Hilo.
Waiakea was unstoppable from the start — dropping 21 points in the first quarter as Pua‘ena Herrington got steal after steal and broke away to make layups. Meanwhile, the Cougars were only able to muster five points.
Herrington, Jolie Mantz, Maya Kaneshiro and other WHS players continued to hammer Kea‘au — putting up another 21 points in the second frame while holding the Cougars to just two points.
Herrington scored a total of 20 points on the outing, trailed by Mantz with 15. Kea‘au was led by Lerizy Adlawan and Raychelle Ducusin with 4 points each.
Now 8-1 in BIIF play, 12-3 overall and 4-0 at home — the Warriors will return to their home court at 6 p.m. on Monday to face Parker School (2-1).
Kea‘au fell to 2-5, and will seek redemption Tuesday on the road at Honoka‘a High (4-3).
JV score: Waiakea wins 41-21. Top scorers: Kaya Texeira 19 points (Waiakea), Rayme Cuba-Nethon 13 points (Waiakea) and Keahialoa Kelly 11 points (Kea‘au)
KSH 66 – PAHOA 13
The Kamehameha Schools – Hawai‘i girls varsity basketball team downed its third and final Puna rival, crushing Pahoa High 66-13 on Thursday night in Pahoa.
The Warriors set the tone by outscoring the Daggers 51-10 during the first half of the game.
During the first quarter, KSH’s Keanu Huihui scored 11 points, Baeleigh Lukzen sank a pair of three-pointers and Maela Honma scored seven points. In the next frame, Honma put up another 10 points and Huihui scored 9.
Huihui led the Warriors with 23 points, followed closely by Honma with 22.
Pahoa was led by Remedy Gonzales — who scored seven of her 9 total points from the free throw line, shooting 70% from the stripe.
KSH rolled to 7-0 in BIIF play, tightening its grip on BIIF Div.-2’s top standing.
Pahoa fell to 1-6, but will have an opportunity to get a win on Tuesday, facing Christian Liberty (0-6) on Tuesday in Kea‘au.
KSH will begin a five-game homestead, beginning with a Saturday home outing against Parker (results will be published later).
On Monday, the Warriors will face their toughest test yet — hosting undefeated BIIF DI leader Konawaena High (7-0).
HPA 59 – KEALAKEHE 23
After nearly a month off, Hawaii Prep’s girls basketball team crushed fellow west-side rival Kealakehe on Thursday night in Castle Gym by a score of 59-23.
Ka Makani improved to 4-4 overall and 2-2 in the Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF). Kealakehe fell to 1-6 overall.
HPA star Brooke Samura dominated the stat sheet once again, scoring a game-high 34 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, nine steals and two blocks. The senior has continued to prove her case for being recognized one of the top players in the state, averaging 32 points per game.
Samura’s teammate, Rosey Wawner, added nine points, six rebounds and a block in the win.
The Waveriders were led by Sarah Broberg, who notched 11 points. Broberg leads Kealaheke in scoring at 8.3 points a night.
Now sitting in the middle of the standings of Division II, Ka Makani will look to continue its strong start to the second half of the regular season against Ka‘u — tipping off 6 p.m. Tuesday on the road.
The ‘Riders, who stand near the bottom of DI, next play Kohala at 6 p.m. Monday in King Kamehameha Park Gymnasium.