LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i High School Red Raiders hosted the Waimea High School Menehune Wednesday night in the KIF boys basketball opener and came away with a 49-43 win. The Red Raiders got out to an early 19-11 lead at
LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i High School Red Raiders hosted the Waimea High School Menehune Wednesday night in the KIF boys basketball opener and came away with a 49-43 win.
The Red Raiders got out to an early 19-11 lead at the end of the first quarter. Kaua‘i was able to knock down shots from beyond the three point line, which Waimea was not able to match. Jassem Cumlat, Kelson Andrade, Kalawaia Judd and Kerwin Morano combined for 15 points from the three point line in the first half of play.
To go along with solid outside shooting, Mikal Moranz gave the Red Raiders a strong presence inside, finishing with 11 points and plenty of activity in the paint. The combination saw Kaua‘i hang on to a 31-26 lead at the end of the first half.
Waimea kept the score close for most of the game and was able to put runs together off of excellent defensive play. Peterson Lahip lead all scorers in the game with 13 points and gave the Menehune an all-around complete game from the point guard position. Duke Yadao also pitched in with 11 points and at times showed a feathery touch from mid-range and a strong ability to get to the charity stripe.
The second half was controlled mostly by the Menehune with Kaua‘i turning the ball over often. Despite the Red Raiders’ sloppy play, Kaua‘i was able to fend off Waimea on its way to victory.
Waimea put together maximum effort, which outmatched the Red Raiders at times, but couldn’t hit open shots when available, and Kaua‘i did just enough to keep the Menehune at bay.
In junior varsity action the Red Raiders were able to put together a come from behind win in dramatic fashion.
With the Menehune up by 1 and with less than 10 seconds remaining, the Red Raiders inbounded the ball from the baseline for an easy lay-in to put Kaua‘i up by one with 6.5 seconds left.
Kaua‘i was able to steal the full court pass attempted by Waimea and walk away with a 45-44 win.
• Rick Killeen, sports writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 237) or sports@thegardenisland.com.
