KAPA‘A — Kapa‘a High School girls basketball, the defending Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association Division II state champions, made short work of the visiting Kaua‘i High School team in a 70-26 win at Bernice Hundley Gym on Thursday evening.
The defending state champions shot the lights out from the starting tip off, making 25 points in the first stanza while limiting the Red Raiders to just three marks — all of which were free throws.
Rolling behind the hot hand of Denise Alfonso netting six points, and Taira Samiano marking five, including a three-ball, the Warriors reached 42 points at the end of the first half while limiting the Red Raiders to just five points.
Kapa‘a’s Olivia Malafu, recently acknowledged as a KIF girls volleyball all-star, topped the Lady Warriors scoring with a game-high 23 points as the go-to inside post.
Alfonso added 14 points, including a pair of bombs from the outside, and Samiano finished with 15 points, including three treys.
Lailah Kalani topped the Kaua‘i effort with eight points, seven dropping in the third quarter. Anaiah Menedez also finished with eight marks, all, including a three-ball, dropping in the final frame.
KIF girls basketball continues on Monday when Kapa‘a makes the trek to Clem Gomes Gym to face Waimea High School for the first time this year. The JV contest tips off at 5:30 p.m. with the varsity match following 20 minutes at the end of the JV game.
The Junior Varsity Kapa‘a squad set the pace earlier in the evening with a 11-2 lead following the first quarter en route to an eventual 32-19 victory to open the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation girls basketball season before an enthusiastic home crowd that relished the addition of new air conditioning units.
Taylor Duran led the Kaua‘i JV effort by marking in all four quarters to end with 11 points that included a long distance bomb from outside the three-point arc in the final stanza. Maddie Perreira, Chloe Kaluahine and Jaelyn Maeda-Kalani each contributed a pair.
Aedyn Umala had the hot hand for the Kapa‘a JV by marking 12 points, including a trio of three-balls. Kehakeha Lawhead added eight marks and Chloe Woodward finished with six points.
