Defending boys basketball state runner-up Kaimuki came close but couldn't quite crack a five-point barrier last night against Philadelphia power Roman Catholic.

The Cahillites held off the Bulldogs, 68-59, in the first round of the 23rd Annual 'Iolani Prep Classic. Roman Catholic (5-0) will play Georgetown Prep (North Bethesda, Md.) in tomorrow's quarterfinals at 3:30 p.m. at 'Iolani Gym.

Kaimuki (6-2) fell behind 20-5 in the first period but regrouped and was down 23-16 by the end of the quarter. The Bulldogs closed to 25-20 on Keone Reyes' layup with six minutes remaining in the half, but could not get closer despite several opportunities the rest of the game.

"Fatigue was a factor," Kaimuki coach Kelly Grant said. "Our guys were playing on pure heart."

Every time the Bulldogs made a run to get close, the Cahillites would pull away. Kaimuki's last threat came when Beau Albrechtson's layup cut Roman Catholic's lead to 61-56 with 2:18 to play. But Wes Kirkland's free throw made it 62-55 with 1:50 remaining, and Brad Wanamaker's layup 25 seconds later pushed the lead to 64-55.

Reyes answered with a nifty reverse to make it 64-57, but Wanamaker scored on another layup to push it back to nine points with a minute left.

Albrechtson's two free throws cut it to 66-59 with 24 seconds remaining, but Wanamaker's brother, Brian, sealed it with a layup with 13 ticks remaining.

Brad Wanamaker, who has signed a national letter of intent to play for No. 7-ranked Pittsburgh, led all scorers with 20 points. Fellow guard Maalik Wayns, a sophomore, added 18 points. Two more guards, Brian Wanamaker and Courtney Stanley, each scored 11.

"They were definitely quicker than we were," said Grant, whose team actually matched up well size-wise with Roman Catholic's four-guard lineup.

Reyes, an Advertiser All-State first-team selection last season, led Kaimuki with 18 points. Senior guard Daniel Colon added 17 points and Albrechtson, a second-team All-State pick last season, contributed 14 points.

But the Bulldogs' comeback effort slowed when Reyes picked up his fourth foul with 1:24 left in the third quarter and Colon was assessed his fourth with 5:24 remaining in the game.

Still, their efforts did not go unnoticed.

"We knew they were a good team, we knew about those three guys (Colon, Reyes and Albrechtson) and they executed very well," Cahillites coach Dennis Seddon said. "We tried to get a nice lead, but we couldn't pull away, and that's a credit to them. They did a good job rebounding and played hard the whole game."

ROMAN CATHOLIC (5-0) 23 16 13 16—68

KAIMUKI (6-2) 16 14 13 16—59

ROMAN CATHOLIC — Maalik Wayns 18, Brian Wanamaker 11, Nick Daggett 0, Courtney Stanley 11, Will Kirkland 1, Bradley Wanamaker 20, Mark Reeves 0, Brian McBeth 0, Wes Kirkland 7. Totals 26 13-19 68.

KAIMUKI — Daniel Colon 17, Chezz Ramos-Dias 0, Craig Cabudol 0, Brandon Madamba 2, Makalii Nahinu 2, Ryan Kakitani 6, Keone Reyes 18, Beau Albrechtson 14. Totals 22 10-14 59. 3-point goals — Roman Catholic 3 (Kirkland 2, Wayns 1). Kaimuki 5 (Colon 3, Kakitani 2).

VINCENT 73, KAMEHAMEHA 45

The Vikings, a team from Milwaukee that is ranked No. 6 in the Midwest Region by USA Today, outscored the Warriors 19-0 in the third period to break open a close game.

Vincent will play perennial Los Angeles power Fairfax in tomorrow's quarterfinals at 5 p.m.

Kamehameha, a 2006 state semifinalist, played the Vikings even for most of the first half and tied the score 17-17 on Randy Cummings' two free throws with 5:14 left in the second period.

Vincent immediately took the lead back and extended it to 34-22, but the Warriors ended the half with a 6-0 run to make it 34-28 at intermission.

The Vikings then shut out Kamehameha in the third period, converting multiple steals into fast-break layups.

Vincent point guard Diante Garrett, a 6-foot-5 senior who signed with Iowa State, led all scorers with 20 points.

VINCENT 11 23 19 20—73

KAMEHAMEHA 9 19 0 17—45

VINCENT — Daryl Dent 6, Diante Garrett 20, Trent Thomas 3, Xavier Whittenburg 0, Bryquis Perine 9, Armon Boston 2, Jason Landry 0, Michael Weems 10, Dominque Sharp 12, Steve Stovall 0, John Duke 2, Yusef Gray 0, Marvin Fitzgerald 9. Totals 27 15-21 73.

KAMEHAMEHA — Randy Cummings 2, Kawika Lyons 0, Mitchell Kauweloa 0, Andrew Godinet 5, Pono Hanson 9, Rykin Enos 8, Jonathan Hew Len 2, Lay Kauka 2, Levi Goeas 0, Auwae DeRego 0, Pii Minns 2, Conrad Scheidt 13, Kamakoa Downey-Jovanovich 2. Totals 14 12-18 45. 3-point goals — Vincent 4 (Weems 2, Dent 1, Thomas 1). Kamehameha 5 (Scheidt 3, Godinet 1, Enos 1).

FAIRFAX 96, MILILANI 24

UCLA recruit Chace Stanback scored 26 points and defending champion Fairfax (Los Angeles) surged to a 46-10 halftime lead in a dominating performance.

Ja'Shon Hampton added 20 points and Solomon Hill 13 for Fairfax.

FAIRFAX 23 23 19 31—96

MILILANI 2 8 6 8—24

FAIRFAX — Rod Singleton 9, Chiris Solomon 9, Darius Singletary 7, Lance Bailey 3, Chace Stanback 26, Ja'Shon Hampton 20, Wesley White 2, Malcolm Campbell 7, Tedros Worku 0, Solomon Hill 13. Totals 41 7-19 96.

MILILANI — Devon Castellano 0, Aaron Lenchankko 0, Scott Burns 5, Jordan Torres 4, Curtis Murakami 2, Kendrick Clarke 0, Fred Nillo 2, Donovan Olmos 0, Nick Kanno 2, Warren Duke 1, David Otte 0, Brandon Dela Cruz 2, Jonathan Keen 6. Totals 7 9-18 24. 3-point goals — Fairfax 7 (Singleton 2, Stanback 2, Singletary, Bailey, Hampton). Mililani 1 (Burns).

GEORGETOWN 79, CAMPBELL 52

Garvey Young scored 22 points and freshman Markel Starks added 20 to lead Georgetown Prep (North Bethesda, Md.) past the Sabers.

Mike Makinano scored 14 points for Campbell.

GEORGETOWN 27 16 28 8—79

CAMPBELL 9 15 14 14—52

GEORGETOWN — Connor Hartley 0, Markel Starks 20, Teddy Greissing 1, Kevin Dyer 2, Ben Herrmann 2, Julien Williams 4, Mike Flanagan 0, Aaron Bond 2, Garvey Young 22, Alvin Tucker 6, Chris Harrington 14, Kevin Ridgway 4, Jimmy Crivella 2. Totals 34 5-8 79.

CAMPBELL — Demetrius Nealy 0, Danny Mau 0, Mike Makinano 14, Jay Nahial 3, Michael McDonald 3, Jayden DeLizo 5, Patrick Ward 3, Walter Daniels 8, Joseph Atimua 7, Terence Tafai 7, Pita Feleunga 2. Totals 17 9-20 52. 3-point goals — Georgetown 6 (Starks 4, Young 2). Campbell 3 (Makinano 2, DeLizo 1).

PARKER 72, LUTHERAN 59

Zac Nealy scored 18 points as Parker won the Division II title.

Alex Nielsen added 17 points, Leo Aiono 16 and Djavan Cackley 15 for Parker.

Derek Alik scored 28 points for Lutheran.

LUTHERAN 20 13 16 10—59

PARKER 14 21 21 16—72

Leading scorers—Lut: Derek Alik 28, Michael Abang 16. Par: Zac Nealy 18, Alex Nielsen 17, Leo Aiono 16, Djavan Cackley 15.

HANA 56, CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 38

Josh Helekahi scored 19 points and Liloa Lecker-Tolentino added 17 as Hana captured third place in Division II.

Joshua Ko scored 20 points for Christian Academy.

HANA 15 19 16 6—56

CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 9 12 13 4—38

High scorers-Hana: Josh Helekahi 19, Liloa Lecker-Tolentino 17. CA: Joshua Ko 20, Jason Ko 13.

DUNK CONTEST SET FOR TOMORROW NIGHT

The popular dunk contest will be held after tomorrow night's last game.

Also, a drawing will be held Friday to give fans a chance to win a free trip to Las Vegas by hitting a halfcourt shot.

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com.