Konawaena couldn’t play its usual uptempo game but shot well, handled the ball and valued possessions to counter St. Joseph’s slow-down tactics.
Behind a balanced attack and a lot of patience, the Wildcats clipped the Cardinals 42-32 in a BIIF basketball game on Tuesday night.
Austin Ewing led the way with 11 points while Hauoli Akau had eight points, Austin Aukai seven and Kamakana Ching five for Konawaena (3-1), which shot 49 percent (17 of 35) from the field.
Manato Fukuda scored 14 points and Cole deSilva had 12 points for the St. Joe (1-2), which made 39 percent (11 of 28) from the floor, going just 4 of 14 in the second half.
“St. Joe plays really smart so we had to value possessions,” Kona coach Donny Awa said. “They pack their zone in tight, so you almost have to shoot 3s, and we’re not the best 3-point shooting team. We knew the game was going to be like this.”
Ewing, Akau, Paka Cacoulidis and Kupono Kane each sank a 3-pointer for Kona. Fukuda nailed St. Joe’s only 3-pointer, and he and deSilva were too much of the offense, which made the home team easier to guard.
With its athleticism, height and depth, Konawaena outrebounded St. Joe, 22-17, a reason for the shot disparity.
The Wildcats finished with 11 turnovers, including none in the fourth quarter. The Cardinals had 12 giveaways.
Kona struggled at the free throw line and went 4 of 10, but Aukai drilled 3 of 4 in the final eight minutes. St. Joe made 9 of 12 free throws.
Ball-handling was a key because the Cardinals couldn’t force a turnover in the fourth quarter. Kona drained two minutes off the clock, playing keep away, until Aukai was fouled with 1:03 left.
The Wildcats held the ball for a last shot in the second and third quarters and scored twice when Ewing hit a layup and 3-pointer.
Ewing dropped in two layups right before the halftime buzzer, the latter on a nice play design when the Wildcats held the ball with under a minute left.
Konawaena set two screens at the top of the key, and Ewing blazed through a gap before a Cardinal post could slide over.
In the third period, the Wildcats held the ball with under a minute remaining. Then Ewing buried a 3-pointer with 4.6 seconds to go. That gave the three-time BIIF Division I champions a 31-28 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
St. Joe shot 50 percent (7 of 14) in the first half, but went into the break down 21-16 because Kona rebounded much better.
For most of the first half, St. Joseph worked hard to find a clean shot against Kona’s sticky man defense, but deSilva and Fukuda wiggled free for layups and created shots for themselves.
Likewise, the Wildcats kept reversing the ball, but St. Joe stayed disciplined in its 2-3 zone and didn’t give up driving lanes.
Then the second half rolled around, and the Cards briefly took the lead when Ruka Suda scored on a putback with 3:05 left in the third quarter.
But Cacoulidis answered with a 3, and Ewing buried another trey right before the buzzer to give Kona a bit of breathing room for the final eight minutes.
Ewing slashed into the lane and dropped in a few floaters against St. Joe’s 2-3 zone. But what Awa liked best was his decision-making — staying patient and moving the ball.
It also helped that the Wildcats got physical senior forward Ryan Malone back. He was out with a back injury. He scored four points in the first half, getting underneath St. Joseph’s zone.
“Austin Ewing had a good game, and that’s a big key for us when he plays smart,” Awa said. “We’re also finding guys to fill out our lineup. Hauoli Akau and Austin Aukai are turning in consistent games. Ryan had a decent game, considering it’s his first game back.”
Suddenly, the Wildcats are looking like themselves again. They’re moving the ball, playing tough defense and beating opponents with any type of style.
In the junior varsity game, it was Kona 51, St. Joseph 15.
Konawaena 11 10 10 11 — 42
St. Joseph 12 4 12 4 — 32
Hilo 44, Kealakehe 33
Lawrence Padasdao scored 16 points and Josh Breitbarth added 10 as the host Vikings (1-2) ended a brief two-game losing streak.
Elijah Simpliciano led the Waveriders (1-2) with nine points.
Hilo won in JV 61-57.
Kealakehe 6 10 6 11–33
Hilo 13 13 9 9 – 44