WAIMEA — Kauai High School’s Marissa Layosa scored 10 of her night’s 17 points in the second quarter Friday night during the Kauai Interscholastic Federation girls basketball game that determined the league’s first-round title before an audience that was roused to thunderous cheering in the final six minutes at the Clem Gomes Gym in Waimea.
“Everything came down to the fourth quarter,” said Kauai coach James Dingus, whose Red Raider ladies’ effort came up short, 69-63. “It was a very tight fourth with both teams going back and forth, and the crowd really getting into the excitement. It was a good environment with players on both sides making plays, making good decisions, and executing — Waimea just made more good plays than we did.”
Trailing by 10 points at the end of the first quarter, Layosa entered the arena to score her first points of the night as the Red Raiders chipped away at the Menehune margin to finish the half trailing by just three points, 33-30.
They stayed close, 18-20 in the third frame, and 15-15 in the final frame, before Layosa fouled out with just 14 ticks showing in regulation.
Waimea’s Hazel Serapio’s bucket knotted the contest, 57-57, in the final four minutes of play, and Kauai took its first lead of the contest with 2:27 showing when Amalya Sales dropped a bucket for the 59-57 go-ahead, raising the sound level a few decibels in the process.
Kiersten Gummerus answered the Raider lead at 2:05, getting help from a charity pair from Kaye Serapio as the clock dipped below the 2-minute mark, and another Hazel Serapio bucket upping the bulge, 65-59.
But Kauai was not through, as Tia Jaquias bucketed Kauai’s comeback effort with less than a minute showing.
Following Kaye Serapio’s three points — a bucket and the tail end of a charity pair — Kauai’s effort fell short with five ticks showing as Sales came up empty on a plus-one play for the final 68-63.
“Kudos to Kauai High School,” said Waimea coach Natalie Mata. “They had a good plan coming in, and they conquered everything. We just need to get better.”
Kaye Serapio topped the Waimea scoring on 28 points, one of the few times her scoring production dropped below 30 points, followed by Gummerus adding 13 points, another low-production night for the guard who ended with a three-for-four showing at the foul line.
Hazel Serapio filled in with 14 points, including a blistering three-ball in the opening quarter, and BraeLynn Cayaban added six points to the victory that brought the KIF round-one crown to Menehuneland.
“We just let the girls go tonight,” Mata said. “They played freely. We’re still not where we need to be. We need to keep working to get better.”
On the Raiders’ bench, Sales got the nod for high-point honors on her 22-point showing that included four treys balanced between two halves. Layosa followed with 17 points before being buzzed out, and Jaley Medeiros added 10 points, including a pair of three-balls. Strong guard Tia Jaquias finished with six points, Angeline Nizo was limited to just a trey in the first quarter, and Gianna Lewis was held to four points in the first half.
In junior varsity play, Kauai High avenged its earlier loss with a 45-37 win after pulling ahead from a 23-23 halftime deadlock.
With just eight ticks showing in the half, the Menehune forced the stalemate on a Tisha Burton bucket, her only score in the second quarter.
Kauai could not break the deadlock until a three-ball, one of two in the third frame, from Jazmine Constantino pulled the JV Raider ladies back into the ‘W’ column with 1:36 showing.
Garalan Tolentino and Kaylah Santos topped the Kauai JV scoring with 10 points each, including a pair of treys from Tolentino. Constantino and Brooklyne Alayvilla each added six points, including a Constantino three-ball.
Qiyrah Rapanot topped the JV Menehune scoring with 13 points, including a second-quarter three-ball, and Burton added eight points, including a third-quarter trey. Maya-Lynn Ramos finished with six points, and Shylah Bagaoisan-Rita bucketed a trey in the second quarter.
The next KIF girls basketball games are scheduled for Monday, Jan. 6 to open the second round, when Kapaa travels to the Clem Gomes Gym against the Menehune. The JV contest tips off at 5:30 p.m. followed by the varsity matchup.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
