KAPA‘A — Willo Batol hit a shot with three seconds left in the game to give the Kaua‘i Ballers to a 31-29 edge over Hanakila, Thursday in one of two Boys 14 and Under basketball games. Hanakila’s Triston Hawelu-Inanod, finishing
KAPA‘A — Willo Batol hit a shot with three seconds left in the game to give the Kaua‘i Ballers to a 31-29 edge over Hanakila, Thursday in one of two Boys 14 and Under basketball games.
Hanakila’s Triston Hawelu-Inanod, finishing as one of three scoring leaders for the combined players from the Hanalei Kilauea area, had hit the equalizer with 30 ticks remaining to knot the contest 29-29 before Batol’s tie-breaker.
Playing in one of six games in the Kaua‘i Youth Basketball Association and the County of Kaua‘i’s Summer Youth Basketball league, Keli‘i Colipano got a game-high 12 points to lead the Kaua‘i Ballers’ winning edge followed by Batol adding six points.
Paul Oyama, Wheeler Batol and Junard Mata each finished with four points in the intense defensive slugfest.
Kelvin Ganotisi finished with 15 points to lead Team Lihu‘e to a 55-35 win over the West Kaua‘i Hornets in the second Boys 14 Under match played at the Kalaheo Neighborhood Center.
Christian Oligo and Mark Lacierna each added 10 points in the win while Seaton Farias made his mother proud by netting a game-high 23 points to lead the Hornets’ effort.
If Donald Balualua had dropped his charity trio, the deficit would have been just one point for Westside Pride.
But Balualua, finishing with high-point honors for the Westside Pride, was able to sink just one of three and Hanakila, capitalizing on the exhaustion burdening the Westside Pride, took a 78-71 win at the buzzer, James Paik capping the win on a bucket with 20 seconds showing in the game.
Paik finished the match with 12 points, including a first quarter three-ball with the remaining nine points coming in the final quarter.
Bryson Nacapuy topped the Hanakila scoring with 20 points including four from outside the three-point arc and Marlon Cudiamat added 15 points.
Keliikoa Baclayon, the guard for Hanakila, dropped 10 points, including back-to-back buckets on turnovers in the second half which helped pull Hanakila into the lead.
Balualua topped the Westside Pride effort with 33 points, including three treys followed by Reynante Villanueva with 18 points. Benjamin Buyat ended with 15 points, Archie Acoba had three points and Ric Villanueva ended with a pair as all five players who showed up for the Westside Pride went the distance, holding a lead through most of the game before exhaustion set in.
Emery Souza finished with 13 points, Austin Rosa and Randy Vicoy each added nine points to lead the Warriors to a 49-44 win over Tropang L in the final Men 18 and Over match in Kapa‘a.
Jr. Punzalan set the pace for Tropang L with 13 points followed by low post James Badua adding 11 points in the effort.
Natalie Mata finished with 14 points, Jayme Jacinto added 12 marks with Carie Inouye and Mei Ling Keopuhiwa finishing with nine points each to lead the BAM to a 59-35 win over the SHAKERS who got 13 points from Ana Jacinto, Jayme’s sister, and nine points from Robyn Ho‘opi‘i-Manuel.
This was one of two Women 18 and Over matches played at the Kalaheo Neighborhood Center.
Vakeesha Lagazo finished with 13 points, Cheyenne Duarte added 10 points and Nikki Banasihan added nine points to lead Bajingas, a team of Waimea High School girls basketball players, to a 48-38 win over TUNDAZ who was led by Belinda Butac netting a game-high 17 points and Liona Hasegawa adding 10.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
