KAPA‘A — Daniel Reis fired off 10 big points to lead Kapa‘a to a 41-36 win over Kaua‘i High School before an enthusiastic overflow crowd at the Bernice Hundley Gym Monday night. The victory, which turned to Kapa‘a’s favor in
KAPA‘A — Daniel Reis fired off 10 big points to lead Kapa‘a to a 41-36 win over Kaua‘i High School before an enthusiastic overflow crowd at the Bernice Hundley Gym Monday night.
The victory, which turned to Kapa‘a’s favor in the third quarter, gives the Warriors the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation boys basketball title, its fifth consecutive championship since 2009.
Coming off a 15-14 halftime deficit, Kapa‘a got its first taste of the lead late in the third quarter when Junior Varsity upgrade Keali‘i Colipano dropped a bucket on a third effort at the 2:31 mark for the 19-18 go-ahead.
But Kaua‘i’s Mikal Moranz, finishing the night with a game-high 16 points, dropped an answering bucket which was promptly answered by Kapa‘a’s Lance Miyashiro with less than two minutes remaining in the period.
Miyashiro’s bucket triggered a 9-2 Kapa‘a run to end the period on a Reis exclamation point — a trey from the leftside, his second of the night, for the 29-22 Warrior lead.
During the run, Reis peeled off two feeds to Makana Aki for buckets, Aki getting all of his game-total five points in the waning minutes of the turn-around, Kapa‘a outscoring Kaua‘i 15-5 in the period.
But Kaua‘i was not out as Jassem Cumlat, being held to just a three-ball in the opening period, warmed up, firing off eight of Kaua‘i’s 14 points in the final stanza, including a pair of treys, his first one at the 3:59 mark pulling Kaua‘i to within four points, 31-35, and his second one, at the 3:06 mark, pulling the Red Raiders to within three points, 36-39.
Reis opened the final period for Kapa‘a, dropping one of his two buckets in the frame. Morean Clements, finishing with eight points on the night, took the lead, firing off six of his evening’s eight points in the final frame.
Reis finished by topping the Kapa‘a scoring with 10 points, including two treys. He was followed by Clements adding eight points, including the six big fourth quarter points, to the win. Lance Miyashiro, normally a double-digit scorer, was held to just five points, including a one-for-three showing at the free throw line. James Paik and the JV upgrade Colipano each finished with four points. James Stevens and Grant Mitchell added pairs and a digit from Brison Nacapuy rounded out the final math.
Kaua‘i, plauged with foul trouble with three of its starters having two fouls apiece at the half, was led by Moranz finishing with 16 points, including a perfect four-for-four showing at the charity stripe.
Overall, Kaua‘i finished five-for-seven in foul shots compared with Kapa‘a’s five-for-19 attempts.
Cumlat added 11 points to the Kaua‘i effort with Angelo Ramento, finishing with four fouls, adding five points and Tingzon, a Junior Varsity upgrade, ending with a pair in the third period.
With the win, Kapa‘a will represent the KIF at the Hawaiian Airlines Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association Boys Division II basketball championships which will play Feb. 20 through 23 on O‘ahu.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
