BIIF basketball: Junior Handy helps guide Keaau in right direction

When Keaau’s outside shooting goes cold, Rico Handy provides a nice backup plan, finding other ways to get hot and score.

Handy repeatedly attacked the rim to rally the Cougars past St. Joseph 40-37 at the Hilo High Holiday Prep Classic on Friday.

The junior point guard scored 18 points, going 12 of 15 on free throws, including 7 of 9 in the fourth quarter, at Hilo Armory.

Keaau plays Honokaa for fifth place at noon Saturday at the Vikings Gym.

Down 37-33 with 1:27 remaining, Handy drove to the hoop three straight times, missed each layup attempt but nailed 4 of 6 free throws.

Handy missed the back-end free throw for a go-ahead score with 21.6 seconds remaining, but the Cougars snagged the rebound.

Funny thing is Handy wasn’t the hero at the end. He missed two layups, but Patrick Mears scored on a putback with no time on the clock. Mears was fouled and swished the free throw to close the game.

“Our outside shots weren’t falling and coach (Jun Pagala) wanted us to attack the basket, get to the free throw line and get the other team in foul trouble,” Handy said. “Two of their guys fouled out. I’ve been working on my free throws a lot, and I was confident on the line.”

The Cougars went 17 of 26 from the line and gave themselves a chance because their foul shooting stopped the clock.

Also, they committed only six turnovers, including none in the fourth quarter. The Cards also had six giveaways, including one in the fourth period.

Ross Iwasaki scored six points, hitting two 3-pointers, and Mears added four points for Keaau, which shot 29 percent (10 of 34) from the floor.

Manato Fukuda sliced through Keaau’s 2-3 zone to score 18 points while Ruka Suda added 11 points for St. Joe, which converted 33 percent (11 of 33) from the field and made 9 of 19 free throws.

Fukuda scored 13 points in the first half, draining a pair of 3-balls and sinking layups. In the second half, Keaau switched to a sticky man and held him to five points.

It was a thrilling game, but Pagala has one request for his players.

“I’m waiting for our first game where we play all four quarters,” he said. “We’ll start slow and finish strong or start quick but finish slow. It’s the preseason, and we have things to work on. But I want us to have one full game.”

Last season, the Cougars finished with a 5-7 record and missed the four-team BIIF Division I playoffs.

Hilo got in as the No. 4 seed with a 6-6 record, proving the old adage that every win counts.

The Cougars last advanced to the HHSAA tournament in 2009. Konawaena is regarded as the BIIF title favorite, again, but anything can happen in the playoffs.

“I think we’ve got a good chance of becoming one of the top teams in Division I,” Pagala said. “We’re trying to push ourselves. The thing I liked is the kids played with a lot of heart.”

Besides Handy, the other returning starters are guard Reynaldo Arcellana and forward Tzion Carland, a pair of seniors.

Iwasaki, a senior, saw a lot of minutes last season off the bench, and Mears, a sophomore, round out the lineup.

“Rey is one of our 3-point shooters. He’s a good defender,” Pagala said. “Ross is a 3-point shooter and a humble kid. He doesn’t talk much and doesn’t show much expression, but if we need a 3-point shot he’s one player we can go to.

“Tzion is getting physical underneath the basket now. He realizes he can play physical. We just need to remind him about that. Mears is very athletic. He’s got a good inside-out game, and we’ve got many more years to work with him and get him stronger.”

Early in the game, Handy found gaps in St. Joe’s zone and dribble-penetrated. He dished to teammates, and they couldn’t convert on about four easy assists.

Then the fourth quarter rolled around, and Handy put the game on his shoulders. But when he missed two late layup attempts, Mears was working hard on cleaning glass.

“What I like about this team is everybody comes and plays hard,” Handy said. “And they all hustle.”