At 6 feet 5 and 225 pounds, Kamehameha junior Nalu Kahapea looks like he belongs on the football field, but he prefers basketball because of the intensity and quicker pace.
During the offseason, the junior forward worked on his cardio and conditioning, lost 10 pounds and returned as a different player, even though he’s the only returning starter.
But his presence as a power/speed scoring force wasn’t enough to carry Kamehameha in a 78-76 double-overtime loss to Honokaa at the St. Joseph Cardinal Classic on Friday night.
The Dragons managed the clock, limited turnovers, and played an inside-out game better than the Warriors, who had that same game plan but didn’t execute it as well.
The final day of the preseason tournament will start at 10 a.m. Saturday with a junior varsity game (St. Joseph vs. Hawaii Prep) to be followed by four varsity games at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.
Kahapea scored 26 points, Payton Grahovac dropped 18 points, sinking five 3-pointers, and Cullen Cariaga added 12 points for the Warriors, who came back from a nine-point deficit with under three minutes to force the first OT.
Kelvin Falk scored 31 points, nailing six 3-pointers, and Kamuela Spencer-Herring added 18 points for the Dragons, who forced the second OT when Falk swished a 3-ball with 22 seconds left.
A night earlier in an 81-77 loss to Hilo, Falk scored 37 points. Against Kamehameha, he scored two points in the first half and caught fire like crazy in the second and overtime periods.
In the second OT, Spencer-Herring got inside the paint and scored for a 78-76 lead with seven seconds remaining. Kamehameha couldn’t break Honokaa’s full-court pressure to get a shot off with 4.9 seconds to go after a timeout.
Kamehameha had four turnovers in the OT periods and every one hurt while Honokaa had just one giveaway. It didn’t help that Warrior point guard Solomon Escalante, who played starter’s minutes last year, was out with the flu.
Last season, Konawaena, then the three-time BIIF champs, defeated Kamehameha in the league’s Division I semifinals. The Warriors last went to the HHSAA tournament in 2015 and won a BIIF title in 2012.
The road back to either will depend largely on how far Kahapea carries the rest of the team on his back. He’ll not only be the focal point in an inside-out offense but the defensive anchor in man-to-man and a 1-2-2 zone.
He’s ready for it. For one thing, Kahapea played the entire game and didn’t foul out. He also went 8 of 14 from the free-throw line, tagging fouls on Dragons and giving himself a chance at easy points.
“I did tons of work during the offseason, running up bleachers, early morning workouts, a lot of stuff people don’t do,” Kahapea said. “I kept losing weight, and I got quicker. I did a lot of one-on-one drills at practice with the coaches.
“Last year, I played more passively. I want to be a leader on the team. Without leadership, the team will go nowhere. I want to communicate with my teammates and keep open-minded. And then I think we can go pretty far.”
The Warriors are 4-4 on the preseason, and second-year coach Vince Ulloa is still tinkering with his starting lineup. Kahapea, Escalante and Cariaga are pretty much set in stone as starters.
Cody Cook, a 6-5 forward, guard Kastle Quiocho, and forward Isaiah Ignacio will be in a musical chairs battle for two spots. Grahovac, the designated long-ball gunner, and point guard Isaiah Nakoa-Oness provide bench firepower.
Kahapea, Grahovac, and Nakoa-Oness are juniors. The rest of the main parts are all seniors. The graduated starters (Pukana Vincent, Bayley Manliguis, Kaeo Batacan, and Colin Calip) were all floor runners.
The new edition will play more of a half-court offense and run when the opportunity presents itself. Early against Honokaa, the Warriors moved the ball well and found open shots, especially in the second quarter.
That’s when the ball was fed to Kahapea, who flashed a versatile post game with spin moves, a jump hook, and other assortment of shots. He scored 10 points in the second period.
“Nalu can counter now. He’s got a jump hook, fadeaway, up-and-under, and he’s using more double moves,” Ulloa said. “We can hit the 3-pointer but sometimes go to that shot too much instead of going inside-out. When four people collapse on Nalu, we’ll have more open looks.
“Payton comes off the bench and has a quick release. He’s been working on his range. Cullen can shoot the 3, but he’s been taking more mid-range shots for a higher percentage. We like that.”
In the fourth quarter, Kamehameha inbounded the ball from the right sideline, looked for Grahovac running to the right off a screen, but he was covered like glue. Quiocho ran away from the ball, which was thrown over the defense, and he caught and fired on the run. It hit nothing but net for a 60-60 tie with 5.1 on the clock.
Escalante has also been hobbled by an ankle sprain. That has opened more minutes for Nakoa-Oness to log in valuable playing minutes as well as the others.
“Isaiah is learning a lot. He’s got a versatile inside-out game,” Ulloa said. “With Sol, we’re looking at him to lead the team in his senior year. Cody’s height gives us a defensive presence. Ignacio is an energizer bunny. He’s very aggressive and hustles. Kastle energizes our defense. He plays with a big heart, and that’s what we like to do.”
In the first round, Kamehameha fell to Saint Louis 74-70 in overtime, missing an opportunity to pull out a nail-biting victory.
“I think if we can manage the end of the game better, take care of the ball and get back on defense, we’ll get better,” Ulloa said. “We gave the boys credit for coming back against Honokaa down nine points. They fought back, and the message was to stay positive.
“Our identity will be a half-court, possession type of team and pound the ball inside. We can run, and we’ve shown we can press. We have to be solid in man-to-man and half-court. Nalu gives the team confidence when he challenges shots as the last line of defense. We’ll go as far as Nalu and Sol carry us. We’ll keep working to get better.”
Honokaa 14 13 17 16 8 10 — 78
Kamehameha 14 14 10 22 8 8 — 76
Hilo 72, Kohala 44
Crescen Nobriga scored 14 points while Isaac Liu and Kyle Yowan added 11 each for the Vikings.
Isaiah Salvador scored 10 points and John Nicolas nine for the Cowboys.
In the JV game, it was Honokaa 46, St. Joseph 21.
Kohala 6 18 9 11 — 44
Hilo 15 17 21 19 — 72