Final day of the Punahou Invitational. Wish I could’ve seen Baldwin earlier. And more of Hawaii Prep. Can’t be everywhere.
Punahou 14, Baldwin 9, end first quarter
The Bears roared to a 7-0 lead, but post Josiah Maglente-Tonu picked up his third foul. Punahou went on a 14-0 run, swishing four treys.
Punahou 22, Baldwin 20, halftime
The Buffanblu haven’t been able to get a lot of open looks from the arc since that big first-quarter run. They got the lead up to eight, but Baldwin’s execution in the halfcourt remains excellent. Teva Eldredge hit a 3 to bring the Bears back within a basket.
Punahou 46, Baldwin 39, final
Big win for the Buffanblu on their homecourt against the vastly underrated Bears. The clash of styles went in favor of Punahou — just slightly. The difference was Justin Kam, who went on an 11-point roll in the third quarter to give Punahou the lead for good. He hit three consecutive treys against Baldwin’s zone defense.
Teva Eldredge was big for the Bears with 17 points and nine boards. But they truly missed Ryan Garces, who left after the semifinal round to attend his winter ball back on Maui. He and the Bears missed on their chance to knock off the No. 1 team in the state.
I’ll never understand how a wildly overpriced date night rates higher than the biggest game of the year (until the playoffs and state tournament) for any player and his teammates.
Third-place game: Farrington 17, Kalaheo 13, second quarter, 4:54
The Governors have only eight players suited up instead of the usual 15 due to football commitments. They were without two key posts (Mason Semisi, Manly Williams) on Friday when they lost to a strong Baldwin squad.
The Bears return some stealth posts like Teva Eldredge, who was superb at last year’s state tourney. Coach Wayne Gushiken’s team always runs that high-screen cut and wears defenses — and impatient defenders — down. That’s why it’s not a shock that the Govs fell in the semifinals. But it sure is a wake-up call for fans.
The Bears are for real.
As for this game, it’s a little ragged. Playing three games in three days is really not easy, otherwise the NBA and NCAA would do it. Shots are falling short for both teams, and neither is going very deep on the bench today.
Add to that the time of the game — both teams played their semifinal games less than 20 hours ago — and this is going to be a grind. Farrington is saving its legs and staying out on Kalaheo’s marksmen by using a 1-2-2 zone. No press.
Farrington 23, Kalaheo 17, halftime
Kalaheo 27, Farrington 26, end third quarter
Mustangs keep attacking the paint, where Farrington’s center is missing (four fouls). Govs are running on fumes. Should be an interesting finish.
Farrington 40, Kalaheo 36, final
Great comeback by Kalaheo to take the lead, but they ran out of gas while the Govs got re-energized. Farrington trailed 32-26 before switching to man defense, despite fatigue, and rallying for the win. Isaiah Visoria’s hanging, twisting layup on a baseline drive gave the Govs the lead for good, 37-36.
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