Kailua may be unranked right now, but their defense, length and toughness make them a formidable opponent for any team. Kamehameha has played well of late, taking the consolation title at the ‘Iolani Classic. This could be a real good one at the Punahou Invitational.
FIRST QUARTER
Kailua cleaning the boards. Christian Mejia already with seven rebounds. KS leads 7-4 after one.
SECOND QUARTER
The Warrior are so good at pushing the ball on the break, and then capitalizing on opportunities from the 3-point line when a defense isn’t up to par recovering. More than that, however, is that Kailua is getting caught up in Kamehameha’s tempo. The Surfriders can run on most teams, but so far they’ve committed five turnovers in the first quarter and six more in the second.
Noah Auld has made some smart passes on the go, and Mejia has eight rebounds and two points. Points are just hard to come by. Warriors coach Greg Tacon has continued to platoon five in and five out as he has through preseason, and the balance he has within such a deep bench is striking.
And Fatu Sua-Godinet is not even close to hitting his stride since healing up from football injuries. He’ll get there eventually, and that’s one more weapon — a slashing, explosive finisher — that they don’t really have right now. Well, sophomore Kameren Victoriono-Kato had a nice attack on the rim on a skip pass, and their guards in general are all playmakers. But Sua-Godinet brings that airborne ability when fully healthy.
It’s getting wet here on the top row of the mauka bleachers here at Hemmeter Fieldhouse. That means it’s gotta be pouring crazy outside.
THIRD QUARTER
Kailua stayed in zone for nearly the entire quarter and Kamehameha was quickly deliberate. They are flowing like few other teams. Great ball movement and unselfishness. 36-18.
FOURTH QUARTER
Things got a wee bit interesting in the fourth quarter when the Surfriders hustled their way back to a 36-26 deficit. Kamehameha then went throttle, fielding their starting five. The Warriors closed out the game with a 10-2 run.
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