LIHU‘E — The Kapa‘a High School boys basketball team took a 66-41 win over Island School, and Kaua‘i High School held off Waimea High School by a point on Thursday night in Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation games at Bernice Hundley gym in Kapa‘a and the new Kaua‘i High School gymnasium.
During the Junior Varsity contests played ahead of the varsity matchups, Kapa‘a took a 63-36 win over the JV Voyagers behind 16 points dropped by Siotame Malafu and a dozen marks from Neki Tuulangavalu.
Piko Vaughn picked up a game-high 13 marks, including a trio of bombs from beyond the 3-point arc to lead the Island School JV. Jonathan Primeaux notched four of his five points in the final quarter. Kennedy Braun, the sole female in the boys basketball league, dropped in a pair.
Waimea split is series with Kaua‘i on the floor of the new gymnasium when the JV Menehune took a 54-47 win over the JV Red Raiders, who managed to outgun Waimea in the first and third quarters.
Efren Taylan Jr. led the JV Menehune with a game-high 19 points, including going five-for-six at the charity stripe. Kaleb Parraga added 16 points toward the win.
Nickolas Gandeza led the JV Red Raiders effort on 15 points, followed by Laurence Ganir with seven points and Edgar Porter with six points.
Aiden Johnson exploded for a game-high 24 points to lead the varsity Warrior win over Island School, who got nothing but treys from Matthew Dobashi for 18 points. Additionally, unlike the two previous contests, the Voyagers remained intact with no one fouling out and finishing short-handed.
Keaka Kauhane, leading the Warriors in scoring during the two previous outings, finished with no fouls and 13 points, including a trio of 3-balls.
Waimea varsity had a 10-6 lead following the opening stanza, but Kaua‘i knotted the contest, 19-19 at the break before renewed shooting efforts in the second half of the physically defensive, low scoring affair.
With seven ticks showing on the game clock, Kaua‘i’s Joshua Rego dropped a charity pair to ice the 48-47 win in a final quarter where Waimea outgunned the Raiders, 15-14.
Rego, who was limited to just a 3-ball in the first half, finished with 16 points. That included going three-for-four at the charity stripe in the waning seconds of the contest.
Carmen Holt-Ho came alive in the final quarter with a pair of 3-balls to finish with 18 points to lead the Red Raiders scoring. Isaac Mirey finished with 11 points.
Jayden Moises launched five bombs from outside the arc toward his 16-point contribution for the Menehune. Lindcey Constantino helped Waimea with 14 points, including a pair of sorely-needed 3-balls in the second half. Kelani Lewis added 13 points, including a trio of 3-balls.
KIF boys basketball continues on Saturday when Kaua‘i High School hosts Kapa‘a to open the home stretch of the KIF first round. Waimea will make the trek to the Wilcox Gymnasium on the campus of Island School.
The JV games at both sites tip off at 5:30 p.m., followed by the varsity contests after the JV games.
