Kalaheo reaches OIA basketball semifinals
By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer
Kalaheo shrugged off a slow start and exploded in the fourth quarter behind the strong play of 6-foot-7 center Sam Wilhoite in a 55-47 victory over visiting Moanalua in an O'ahu Interscholastic Association basketball tournament quarterfinal last night.
The three-time defending OIA champion Mustangs will host the semifinals on Wednesday, and will be joined by East No. 3 seed Kaimuki, East No. 6 seed McKinley, and West No. 1 seed Mililani. Kalaheo will play Kaimuki at 5 p.m., and Mililani will play McKinley at 6:30 p.m.
Last night, Wilhoite helped break open a close game in the fourth quarter. After a pair of free throws by Joseph Nishimura pulled Moanalua to 34-32, Wilhoite scored 11 consecutive points to give Kalaheo a 45-39 lead that it would not relinquish.
Wilhoite finished with 15 points after going scoreless in the first half. Nishimura led Moanalua with 20 points.
"My coaches told me to stop settling for jumpers," Wilhoite said. "I went back to what I knew best. I started pounding it in the post, got some fouls, and things just starting going my way."
Kalaheo coach Chico Furtado said Wilhoite got a little impatient in the first half with his shot selection, but settled down in the fourth quarter.
"Sam knew he wasn't doing the job in the first half," Furtado said. "We challenged him at halftime to play Wilhoite basketball around the basket."
Wilhoite credited Moanalua's swarming defense for his offensive troubles in the first half.
"Moanalua came out ready to play," Wilhoite said. "I don't think any team has done that to me so far this year."
Kalaheo needed Wilhoite's late-game heroics to stay ahead of Moanalua. The East No. 5 seed Menehunes grabbed an 18-15 lead on Michael Loeschke's basket in the second quarter and kept the game close in the second half.
In the third quarter, Moanalua tied the game at 20 on Glen Gascon's free throws, and later trailed by one, 28-27, after a putback by Sean Mullaney.
However, Kalaheo responded with a 3-pointer by Theo Fujita and a three-point play by Neil Bowers, and took a 34-30 lead entering the fourth quarter.
"It was a battle of two heavyweights," Moanalua coach Byron Cheng said. "Kalaheo executed a little better down the stretch. They hit their free-throws and they were patient."
In the fourth quarter, Kalaheo hit 9 of 14 free throws, and Wilhoite scored 11 of his team's 21 points.
"We forced him to do his turn-around jumpers, we didn't give him layups, and he knocked those down," Cheng said. "Our boys did exactly what we asked them to do. He did what he had to do, and that's why he's Sam Wilhoite."
Moanalua 10 8 12 17—47
KalAheo 12 6 16 21—55
Moanalua—Sean Mullaney 2, Glen Gascon 6, Joseph Nishimura 20, Michael Loeschke 7, Marquise Du Vall 5, Johnathan Austad 0,Greg Morgan 0, Glenn Taijeron 0, Darin-Jay Shinagawa 4, Eric Keys 3, Ira Rodrigues 0, Kamoe Mehrtens 0, Micah Bagor 0. Totals 16 12-20 47.
KalAheo— Chris Taumaneng 3, Matt Nakashima 3, Theo Fujita 7, William Elliott 14, David Moore 1, Sam Wilhoite 15, Kahua Hollinger 12. Totals 19 13-21 55.
3-point goals—Moanalua 3 (Nishimura 3). Kalaheo 6 (Elliot 3,Nakashima, Fujita, Bowers).
Reported Candice Kinney
KAIMUKi 58, LEILEHUA 36: Jimmy Miyasaka scored a game-high 15 points as the Bulldogs routed the Mules at Kalaheo.
Tone Faasoa scored 13 and Kekoa Onaga and Nick Milan added 10 each for Kaimuki. Angelo Massey led Leilehua with 13 points.
KAIMUKI 12 12 10 24—58
LEILEHUA 13 6 8 9—36
KAIMUKi—Davey Nguyen 0, Isaiah Ano 7, Kekoa Onaga 10, Dexter Tautofi 3, Jordan Wong 0, Tone Faasoa 13, Jimmy Miyasaka 15, Reginal Palfrey 0, Keanu Lockwood 0, Nick Milan 10. Totals 17 20-24 58.
LEILEHUA—Angelo Massey 13, Edward Garcia 3, Kennedy Orteza 0, Anthony Palomares 2, Antonio Carter 2, Kekoa Kama 0, Yahweh Yago 3, BJ Fruean 0, Anthony Hall 6, Angel Fontanez 6, Johnathan Scruggs 0, Clayton Laurel 1. Totals 15 2-9 36.
3-point goals—Kaimuki 4 (Ano, Miyasaka, Onaga 2). Leilehua 4 (Massey, Garcia, Fontanez, Yago).
MCKINLEY 45, CASTLE 29: Robert Holder scored all nine of the Tigers' first-quarter points, and teammate Abel Werner secured the lead in the fourth by sinking 7 of 8 free throws.
Holder (19) and Werner (11) combined for 30 points, sending McKinley into Wednesday's semifinals against Radford.
McKinley 9 12 8 16—45
Castle 11 2 8 8—29
MCKINLEY—Mark Nakatsuka 2, Abel Werner 11, Shane Quisano 6, Iakopo Taumua 7, Robert Holder 19, Golden Lawrence 0. Totals 12 19-25 45.
CASTLE—Bryan Pelangka 0, Brad Guillermo 0, Jonathan Horner 7, Louis Mansanas 4, Bryce Kalauokaaea 2, Jordan Bruhn 2, Isaac Adams 0, Antone Watanabe 4, Victor Clore 0, Blaze Soares 6, Scott Argue 2, Herbert Lee 2. Totals 12 4-6 29.
3-point goals—McKinley 2 (Quisano, Holder). Castle 1 (Horner).
Reported by Rocky Fraticelli
MILILANI 44, RADFORD 42: Puna Neumann scored a game-high 12 points to lead the host Trojans.
Neumann's pair of free throws put Mililani up 44-39. Greg Solomon and Tauran Moore each scored 12 points for Radford.
Radford (9-3) 6 11 12 13—42
Mililani (11-0) 14 7 15 8—44
Radford—William Kerins 0, Justin Quinones 9, Ricardo Shipley 10, Jordan Rellin 0, Greg Solomon 11, Tauran Moore 11, Mike Davis 0, James Herron 1. Totals 16 7-10 42.
MILILANI—Puna Neumann 12, Scott Neumann 0, Aaron Kanno 9, Clarence Gray 5, Andrew Tokumi 2, Alex Patykula 10, Jonovan Santos 0, Nick Rogers 6, Lorenzo Abernathy 0. Totals 16 9-13 44.
3-point goals—Radford 3 (Moore, Solomon, Quinones). Mililani 3 (Kanno).
Reported by Christina Korodan
ILH
Boys junior varsity
Division I
- Punahou 54, Damien 51 (OT)
- Iolani 42, Kamehameha 36
