KALAHEO — Kaiea Miguel popped four of his game-total 10 points in the sixth period, and Team Central outgunned Eastside Heat 9-4 in the frame to clinch a 33-28 victory Thursday night during the county’s youth basketball league at the Kalaheo Neighborhood Center.
Strapped with no bench, the Hanakila boys stayed close for two of the six periods before Hanapepe outdistanced the North Shore boys 40-26 in the nightcap.
The boys were playing in the county’s Division 2 boys, or players in the fifth and sixth grade, with assistance from the Kaua‘i Youth Basketball Association with game officials and the officials table.
Eli Unotao fired off a game-high 20 points to lead the Eastside Heat, 10 coming in the fourth stanza alone. Logan Noice added four points to the effort with Kaulu Rittmeister and Aiden Offley each adding a pair.
Unotao’s value, however, was not limited to scoring as he was joined by Rittmeister and Mickey Cruz as posts in the paint, effectively using their height to keep the Team Central traffic to the outside.
In response, Kaimani Tecson, getting high point honors for Team Central with 16 points, fired off a pair from outside the three-point arc.
Miguel peeled off six of his game-total 10 points in the second half as Team Central answered the height of the three Eastside Heat posts with a swarming defense, which limited the Heat shots while pulling away from an 11-10 halftime lead to outgun Eastside 22-18 in the second half.
During the second matchup, Hero Raza, getting high-point honors for Hanakila at 12 points, was joined by Felix Cosman, the low post, in pulling the team coached by Dave Simon to a 4-0 first period lead.
Raza, limited to just free throw marks in the first two frames, was joined by Jesse Zemel who bucketed four points, including a pair from the foul line in the second frame.
Hanapepe, however, came off the bench with five points, including a three-ball, to lead the Bomb Squad to an 11-point frame and an 11-10 bulge following two periods of play.
With 10 players on the Hanapepe bench and just five players on the court for six periods, the Bomb Squad, coached by Elton Montemayor, simply pulled away from Hanakila at that point, building its lead behind 10-point contributions from Tai Ofisa, Lacin Montemayor and Vanaman.
Degan Davis netted his game-total four points in the second period with Kepa Kali, Ha‘o Trugillo and Naikoa Simao each adding pairs to the victory.
Hero Raza, finishing three-for-four at the charity stripe, went on to collect eight buckets for a dozen points to lead Hanakila. Felix Cosman, the low post, added six points along with point guard Jesse Zemel and a pair from Giovanni Rodriques rounded out the math.
Division 2 boys basketball games continue Monday at the Kalaheo Neighborhood Center with two games on tap from 6 p.m.
Hanakila will open against Team Lihu‘e in the 6 p.m. tipoff followed by Eastside Heat taking on the Kamikaze starting at 7 p.m.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
