WAIMEA — With 13 seconds left on the clock in overtime, Kapa‘a’s Charlene Hanie found herself with the ball behind the three point line and her team down by one. Kapa‘a, down by 13 points at half time, battled its
WAIMEA — With 13 seconds left on the clock in overtime, Kapa‘a’s Charlene Hanie found herself with the ball behind the three point line and her team down by one. Kapa‘a, down by 13 points at half time, battled its way back to a tie at the end of the fourth quarter, putting the game into extra minutes.
Hanie was left wide open and got a good shot off from the left side of the court. As fans rose to their feet, Hanie’s shot hit the bottom of net and the crowd erupted in pandemonium.
The three put Kapa‘a up by two points with only six seconds left on the clock. The Menehune knew they still had a shot to tie the game so Waimea quickly moved the ball down the court and put the ball into the hands of Mariayah Oliver, who went up for a shot before being fouled with one second left.
Oliver took the foul line, with Waimea down by two. She had to hit both free throws in order to tie. Her first shot went up with a resounding thud off of the back iron, which would seal the game for Kapa‘a.
A disappointed Oliver was able to hit the second shot to pull the Menehune within one. Kapa‘a was able to run the final second off the clock, leaving the team with a 59-58 comeback win on the road against a tough Waimea team Tuesday night at the Clem Gomes Gym.
Hanie’s three was not her only big moment of the night — she also found herself on the free-throw line in the fourth quarter when the Warriors were down one point. She missed the first shot, which prompted a timeout from Head Coach William Aki. Hanie returned to the line and sunk the second shot to tie the game at 54-54 with four seconds left to put the game into overtime, which led to her heroics.
Many Warriors had big nights, including Hanie. However, some of those moments would not have come to be if it were not for Kekai Gonsalves’ huge all-around game. Gonsalves finished with a game high 24 points, with 13 of those points coming after the first half.
The Menehune often had trouble keeping Gonsalves out of the lane and penetrating its defense.
Kapa‘a also had help from Diana Garcia-Aguilo, who pitched in with 11-points. Uilani McCacbe added 9 points to the cause, including a big shot she hit in overtime.
The Menehune were not without its share of stars, which included Paige Connelly, who led Waimea with 23 points and eight rebounds. Tiana Apilado added 9 points, and Mariyah Oliver added 7 to the Menehune total.
The loss drops Waimea to 0-2 on the season as the Menehune prepares to host the undefeated Kaua‘i High School Red Raiders Friday at the Clem Gomes Gym.
Kapa‘a moves to 1-1, and have ample time to get ready for a rematch against the Red Raiders Dec. 28 in Lihu‘e.
In JV action the Menehune took down Kapa‘a 54-27.
