LIHU‘E — Waimea High School’s Katelyn Constantino scored a season-high 14 points on Wednesday night during the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation girls basketball game hosted by Kaua‘i High School.
Constantino’s high score, which included a pair of bombs from outside the three-point mark, and four buckets, combined with Hailey Mata’s 12 points to lead the Menehune to a 45-30 win over the Red Raiders.
Kaua‘i High School, enjoying the first-time appearance of Hema Naka‘ahiki-Young on the hardwood, grabbed the lead, 14-11 in the first stanza behind the shooting of Chayley Jacobs, who finished the frame with six points, including a trey, and four points put away by Naka‘ahiki-Young.
That moment faded in the second period onward, as the Raiders were limited to just four marks, two points each from Jacobs and Naka‘ahiki-Young.
Waimea picked up the pace in the second period, outgunning the Raiders, 10-4 behind three-balls from Constantino and Mata, and buckets from Mary Joy Angala and Shaylen Leah Guerrero.
Jacobs topped the Raiders’ effort at eight points, all dropping in the first half, and Naka‘ahiki-Young who finished with six points, again, all dropping in the first half.
Anaiah Mendez sparked a last quarter surge with a distance bomb for Kaua‘i following a third quarter where Waimea’s defensive limited Kaua‘i to just a point from Mendez, who finished the contest with four points.
Kadee Parubrub also marked four points on a pair of buckets.
Following the Menehune scoring leaders who went to the trey to outdistance the Raiders, Stephanie Companero finished with six points, Guerrero added five marks, and Kiaura Rita-Ortiz, normally a bustling bundle of energy for the Menehune, was limited to just a pair.
Waimea next travels to Bernice Hundley Gym on Friday to take on the Kapa‘a Lady Warriors and close off the KIF First Round.
According to Kapa‘a Athletic Director Greg Gonsalves, this will be a single game with a 6:30 p.m. tipoff.
Round 2 starts with a contest on Jan. 2 when Kaua‘i travels to Bernice Hundley Gym against Kapa‘a.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
