WAIMEA — Waimea High School girls basketball opened the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation season with a 47-41 win over Kaua‘i High School on Wednesday night at the Clem Gomes Gym that swelled with spectators as the contest raged on.
Red Raider freshman Lailah Kalani bucketed eight of Kaua‘i’s first quarter 10 points that was challenged by the Menehune, who finished the opening stanza with nine points led by Tristan Raposas getting five points and Mary Joy Angala and Ari Acosta helping with a bucket each.
The lead flip-flopped at the break with the Menehune holding a 20-19 bulge behind a trey launched by Kiaura Rita-Ortiz and five points from Shaylen Lea Guerrero, matched by a three-ball from Chayley Jacobs, and two-point contributions from Emma Burgess, Kadee Parubrub and Cairee Quinones.
The seesaw continued until the final minute when Katelyn Constantino found her mark from outside the three-point arc with 1:22 showing on the game clock. A feed to Rita-Ortiz pushed the Menehune to a 44-39 bulge.
Holding Kaua‘i to just a pair of charity shots from Quinones, the Menehune poured in a trio of charity shots from Rita-Ortiz to ice the win with 10 ticks remaining on the game clock.
Kalani, recovering from an injury suffered during Monday night’s contest against Kapa‘a, rebounded to finish the contest against Waimea with a game-high 21 points, including a three-for-five showing at the free-throw line.
Quinones added nine points, including a 5-for-1o appearance at the charity stripe that in the end, proved to be the difference between a win and a loss.
Cadee Parubrub, a strong senior leader on the floor, finished with six points.
Rita-Ortiz topped the Menehune scoring with a dozen marks, including one from outside the three-point arc, and a 3-for-4 showing at the charity stripe in the final quarter.
Katelyn Constantino finished with all of her seven points, including the swing trey, dropping in the fourth quarter.
Hailey Mata netted her six points in the third quarter where Waimea was chasing a 9-13 Kaua‘i run, and Raposas finished with six points. Companero ended the night on five points in the second quarter, and Angala closed out with four points in the first half.
Waimea next hosts Kapa‘a girls in a single contest on Friday night at the Clem Gomes Gym with the tip off set for 6:30 p.m.
