The last day of basketball is here. As the Year 2017 A.D. nears its end, so does the game of roundball as we know it. It was good, no, fantastic while it lasted. It was a time that changed us, an era of sport that was like none other. And now, I bid you farewell and aloha, Basketball of the Year 2017. Wait. Are there any games tomorrow?
Here’s a look at the scores and schedule for the final day of the Punahou Invitational. The second game of consolation play is already underway. The eight-game slate closes with the championship game between No. 1 Punahou and No. 5 St. Francis in a classic duel of Goliath versus David. The matchups in this tourney have been mostly intriguing, a healthy mix of Oahu, neighbor island and mainland schools. Some are bigger. Some are smaller. Some are from smaller towns. Some are from scenic regions. But they all love basketball. Teamwork and sacrifice are universal. Some teams get it. Some are working on it. That’s why I love seeing seven to eight games a day. Goodbye Year 2017. I will miss you.
Championship game
Punahou 59, St. Francis 52, final
For the second time in nine days, the Buffanblu used a physical defense to stifle the Saints for a victory. Zayne Chong led Punahou with 16 points and added four rebounds, while Cole Arcnenaux and Tamatoa Falatea took turns covering the Saints’ often miraculous super scorer, Kameron Ng. Arcenaux scored 12 points, including 7-for-7 at the foul line. He and Falatea limited Ng to 20 points, if that makes sense. Ng shot 3-for-23 from the field and 13-for-16 at the foul line.
Cole Mausolf didn’t score, but the 6-foot-5 senior provided two key blocks in the final quarter. Chong, Arceneaux and Mausolf were named to the all-tournament team. So was Ng and younger brother Kordell, who added nine points, eight rebounds and three steals.
Punahou 43, St. Francis 35, end 3Q
Huge quarter for Punahou, generally replicating what they did against St. Francis in the previous meeting. Falatea clutch with another 3 plus a 2-point bucket. He sat down with his fourth foul, but he is providing 3-and-D greatness.
Punahou 40, St. Francis 29, 3Q, 1:30
Time out by the Saints after Kameron Ng draws contact and is hit in the head. Punahou on a 15-7 run, a physical beatdown as they crash the boards, muscle the Saints around just as they did nine days ago at the St. Francis tourney. By my count, there were three collisions that should’ve been offensive fouls or fouls by Punahou, very physical in nature. No call.
No. 1 Punahou 25, No. 5 St. Francis 22, halftime
Zayne Chong with six points as the Buffanblu surge ahead. Kordell Ng sandwiched by two Buffanblu in the key on a rebound. He goes down, no call. Moments later, the ball is poked out of Kameron Ng’s dribble by a Punahou defender, he grabs it and starts dribbling again with time ticking down. Referee on the opposite side of the court with no view of the deflection calls illegal dribble. Can the Saints deal with some adversity? Probably.
Kameron Ng with 12 points, just 2-for-10 from the field, but he’s getting contact and hitting free throws, 7-for-8 at the line.
Biggest play emotionally for St. Francis was a two-handed block at rim level by Kordell Ng on a layup try by Kaulana Makaula. Incredible athlete.
St. Francis 12, Punahou 11, end 1Q
Bench scoring comes through for Punahou, but the Saints are being patient offensively against a tough man defense. Tamatoa Falatea with a key 3 for the Buffanblu. Kameron Ng driving and dishing nicely. We got a battle.
St. Francis 5, Punahou 2, 1Q,4:44
Kameron Ng drive and dish to Boris Vukovic for a corner 3. He’s a true stretch 5 and presents a matchup issue.
Championship Bracket Consolation
Tesoro (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) 57, Maryknoll 39, final (third place)
Textbook execution by the Titans. Plenty of ball movement, cuts away from the ball, simple teamwork and passing. The Spartans got a very good look at what they have without their senior starting backcourt of Isiah Gelacio and Jordyn Perez. The good news for Maryknoll is their execution improved with time.
Tesoro (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) 44, Maryknoll 24, end 3Q
A much better overall quarter for the Spartans, who got a couple of quick baskets off steals to begin the second half.
Tesoro (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) 35, Maryknoll 17, halftime
OK, Jordyn Perez seems fine, but remains sideline either as a mandatory measure (head injury) or as a precaution. And Isiah Gelacio is resting or has a toe injury, or maybe both. More minutes for some key role players who normally don’t get a lot of minutes. So, as far as testing reserve players goes, this is an ideal situation, facing a very good Tesoro team as the ILH regular season nears.
Tesoro (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) 18, Maryknoll 7, end 1Q
Jordyn Perez remains sidelined (injury) and the Spartans aren’t quite the same without him. Also not playing, G Isiah Gelacio. Not sure if he is injured or it’s a good time to rest him after three games in three nights.
Tesoro (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) 9, Maryknoll 5, 1Q, 4:07
Corona Del Mar (Newport Beach, Calif.) 67, Leigh (San Jose, Calif.) 45, final (fifth place)
Kevin Kolbrine of Corona Del Mar is selected to the all-tournament team. Kolbrine will play for UCLA next year — on the volleyball team.
Corona Del Mar (Newport Beach, Calif.) 61, Leigh (San Jose, Calif.) 39, 4Q, 4:16
Corona Del Mar (Newport Beach, Calif.) 36, Leigh (San Jose, Calif.) 24, halftime
Longhorns giving it a good effort, but the Sea Kings are so cohesive in their man defense. High IQ, great decisions and when they attack the rim, they’re physical. Not a team with a lot of girth, but still aggressive to the rack.
Corona Del Mar (Newport Beach, Calif.) 20, Leigh (San Jose, Calif.) 15, end 1Q
Longhorns are rocking their black-and-gray uniforms today. Probably my favorite unis of the tourney. CDM is playing solid as always, plenty of length and versatility. They had two guys really play well yesterday offensively: Kevin Kolbrine and Jack Garza. Neither really took command in the first quarter.
Kamehameha-Hawaii 62, South Anchorage (Alaska) 55, final (ninth place)
Strong performances by the Warriors to finish the tourney with a 3-1 record. Nalu Kahapea has been selected to the all-tournament team. He said he hasn’t gotten any offers yet, but hopes to play for Hawaii. Versatile 6-5 swingman who can post up, has 3-point range, high IQ. I can see him in a green Warriors uniform.
Kamehameha-Hawaii 51, South Anchorage (Alaska) 44, 4Q, 5:51
Kahapea powers inside and draws contact, swishes two FTs. A moment later, he deflects a pass near midcourt and scores, and the lead is up to seven.
Kamehameha-Hawaii 45, South Anchorage (Alaska) 44, end 3Q
The Wolverines don’t quite have an answer for Kahapea, who is pounding the low post and attacking. His versatility is a breath of fresh air.
South Anchorage (Alaska) 33, Kamehameha-Hawaii 28, halftime
The Warriors trailed by 13 before rallying late in the second quarter.
Sequoia (Redwood City, Calif.) 82, Hawaii Baptist 67, final (seventh place)
The Eagles clear the bench as their run in the tourney comes to a close. St. Francis is the favorite in ILH D-II as the defending state champion. I haven’t seen University or Le Jardin or other D-II teams in the ILH, but it appears that HBA and Damien will be in a tough battle for that second state-tourney berth. Two teams with different styles. Hope I get to see one of those games later.
Ziggy Lauese scored 24 points, sophomore Sam Schult hit six treys and finished with 20 points, and Lio Lauese added 18 points for Sequoia. Ziggy Lauese, a 6-6 senior, said he has interest (not offers) from three universities, including Hawaii. He has been selected to the all-tournament team.
Micah Mitchell finished with 43 points to lead the Eagles. Max Wiemken added 15 points.
Sequoia (Redwood City, Calif.) 66, Hawaii Baptist 54, end 3Q
The patient Cherokee finding open teammates for uncontested layups in this third stanza. The lead was up to 15 before Mitchell splashed a corner 3. Oddly enough, Schult had a wide-open 3 from the top and made it, of course. How does he get open so often?
Sequoia (Redwood City, Calif.) 40, Hawaii Baptist 33, halftime
I spent the half interviewing and photographing Damien. I return and it’s 40-33 at the break. Wow. Micah Mitchell has 19 points for the Eagles. Sam Schult, the sophomore guard, has three treys for the Cherokee. I’d guess that they put a man tight on Mitchell from now on. Big Ziggy Lauese has eight points so far for Sequoia.
Damien 52, Kamehameha II 44, final (OT) (11th place)
Strong finish by Damien, which outscores KS-II 8-0 in the extra period. Hall was dynamic in this one, great decisions, strong to the basket, took a few tumbles, got right back up. This, by far, is the best I’ve seen him play, though I’ve seen just three of their games. The freshman grew up a lot in this tournament. He knows how to take control of a game now rather than just relying on perimeter shooting. Big win for the diaper dandies, probably the youngest varsity team in the state.
Hall finished with 16 points and Kolen Galdiano added 13.
Kaethen “Bubz” Kahana led the D-II Warriors with 15 points. Kamahao Arita finished with 10 points.
Kamehameha II 44, Damien 44, end 4Q
Hall splashes a clutch corner 3 with less than 1 minute left, ties the game, then steals a pass in the final seconds. Time out, Damien. But they don’t get a good look and when Hall gets the pass back he has to heave a prayer from 25 feet out, misses and we go to overtime.
Kamehameha II 40, Damien 37, 4Q, 3:38
What a comeback by the young Monarchs. Arita hits two big FTs and it’s a three-point lead.
Kamehameha II 28, Damien 20, 3Q, 5:30
Freshman guard Jydon Hall giving the Monarchs a spark with consecutive drives for buckets. KS-II’s 6-5 center, Kamahao Arita, picks up his fourth foul and Coach Kalani Fronda has to sit him down. He’s got his team in a halfcourt press and Damien is struggling again.
Kamehameha II 27, Damien 14, half
The Warriors are playing much more consistently than they did yesterday, while the Monarchs are lethargic on Day 4. KS-II has deflected a lot of passes out of its zone defense. The Damien freshmen and their teammates are learning to play a tall, long team. They’re learning how to compete while fatigued. The body language? Not great, but they’re still giving good effort.
Kamehameha II 9, Damien 6, end 1Q
Monarchs trying to be patient against the Warriors’ 2-3 zone, but made some hasty, forced passes. Still amazes me in what Coach Alvin Stephenson has with three freshmen starters. Sky’s the limit.
Hilo 65, Mid-Pacific 62, final (13th place)
Lapina hits a tough 10-foot turnaround J in the lane to tie the game for MPI, but Alameda hits a 23-foot trey from the left wing for the lead with 5.1 seconds left. WOW. Time out, MPI. They inbound and advanced the ball up the court, but the pass to an open shooter in the corner is off target. Time expires, Hilo wins. This is the second winning shot in as many games for the sophomore guard.
Four Vikings scored in double figures. Liko Medeiros and Shelsey Martinez scored 12 each, and Jojo Balagot and Guyson Ogata tallied 11 apiece. Alameda finished with eight points.
Colin Ramos and Hugh Donlon led the Owls with 12 points each. Kamana Lapina added 10.
Hilo 62, Mid-Pacific 56, 4Q, :38.6
Alameda fouled on a drive, almost an and-1. He sinks the first FT. And rattles in the second.
Hilo 60, Mid-Pacific 60, 4Q, :48.6
Hugh Donlon scores inside for MPI, then it’s an offensive foul on the sideline against MPI’s press. MPI’s Kamana Lapina fouled on the perimeter, shooting 1-and-1. Makes the first. Makes the second, we’re tied again. Hilo won a thriller yesterday, and that’s the kind of team they are. It hasn’t been the same since the Larry Mangliguis era, but they’re scrapping and trying to rebuild with former Viking great Bruce Ferreira at the helm. Like the Owls, they’re learning how to win games.
Hilo 60, Mid-Pacific 56, 4Q, 1:25
Vikings take the lead on two free throws, then freshman Shelsey Martinez hits an elbow jumper for a three-point lead. MPI turnover, and Kekaukahi Alameda is fouled on the layup attempt. He sinks one FT. This is a 24-7 run by the Viks.
Mid-Pacific 56, Hilo 55, 4Q, 2:45
Hilo guard Liko Medeiros gashed his chin after taking a fall in the second quarter. He had to leave the game after bleeding on the court, but he’s OK and now playing with his chin taped up. He’s a big part of this rally for the Viks.
Medeiros fouled while going after an offensive board. It’s the fourth foul for MPI’s Bobby Thompson. Medeiros swishes both FTs, and the Vikings are within one.
Mid-Pacific 54, Hilo 48, 4Q, 4:57
The Vikings chipped away and brought the lead down to 51-48, but MPI’s Colin Ramos hit a corner 3 in transition. Time out, Hilo.
Mid-Pacific 49, Hilo 37, end 3Q
Hilo cut MPI’s lead in half and was within 37-31, but the Owls’ fullcourt pressure sparked a 12-2 run.
Punahou II 72, Sequim (Wash.) 58, final (15th place)
Kaimi Dunaway scored 20 of his 36 points in the final quarter to lead the D-II Buffanblu. Parker Van Dyke added 12 points. Payton Glasser led the Wolves with 28 points.
Wednesday’s scores
>> Game 1: Corona Del Mar (Costa Mesa, Calif.) 57, Punahou II 43
>> Game 2: Maryknoll 62, Damien 50
>> Game 3: St. Francis 69, Mid-Pacific 38
>> Game 4: Sequoia (Redwood City, Calif.) 64, Kamehameha-Hawaii 50
>> Game 5: Leigh (San Jose, Calif.) 71, Kamehameha II 23
>> Game 6: Tesoro (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) 72, Sequim (Wash.) 27
>> Game 7: Hawaii Baptist 60, South Anchorage (Anchorage, Alaska) 59
>> Game 8: Punahou 89, Hilo 39
Thursday’s games
Punahou Invitational
>> Game 9: Maryknoll 49, Corona Del Mar (Costa Mesa, Calif.) 34
>> Game 10: St. Francis 66, Sequoia (Redwood City, Calif.) 61
>> Game 11: Tesoro (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) 52, Leigh (San Jose, Calif.) 39
>> Game 12: Punahou 84, Hawaii Baptist 42
>> Game 13: Damien 68, Punahou II 52
>> Game 14: Kamehameha-Hawaii 53, Mid-Pacific 48
>> Game 15: Kamehameha II 49, Sequim (Wash.) 37
>> Game 16: South Anchorage (Anchorage, Alaska) 59, Hilo 48
Friday’s scores
Punahou Invitational
>> Game 17: Mid-Pacific 73, Punahou II 53
>> Game 18: Hilo 51, Sequim (Wash.) 50
>> Game 19: Sequoia (Redwood City, Calif.) 75, Corona Del Mar (Costa Mesa, Calif.) 61
>> Game 20: Leigh (San Jose, Calif.) 84, Hawaii Baptist 63
>> Game 21: Kamehameha-Hawaii 55, Damien 47
>> Game 22: South Anchorage (Alaska) 57, Kamehameha II 45
>> Game 23: St. Francis 55, Maryknoll 48
>> Game 24: Punahou 44, Tesoro (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) 41
Saturday’s games
>> Game 25: Punahou II 72, Sequim (Wash.) 58 (15th place)
>> Game 26: Hilo 65, Mid-Pacific 62 (13th place)
>> Game 27: Damien 52, Kamehameha II 44, OT (11th place)
>> Game 28: Kamehameha-Hawaii 62, South Anchorage (Alaska) 55 (ninth place)
>> Game 29: Sequoia (Redwood City, Calif.) 82, Hawaii Baptist 67 (seventh place)
>> Game 30: Corona Del Mar (Costa Mesa, Calif.) 67, Leigh (San Jose, Calif.) 45 (fifth place)
>> Game 31: Tesoro (Rancho Margarita, Calif.) vs. Maryknoll, 6:30 p.m. (third place)
>> Game 32: Punahou vs. St. Francis, 8 p.m. (championship)
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