KAILUA-KONA — Kamehameha-Hawaii has taken its show on the road as of late, and the reviews are in — the Warriors are a top-tier contender for a BIIF crown.
Kamehameha moved to 4-0 in BIIF play on Thursday night, knocking off Kealakehe 61-52 in front of a lively Kona crowd for a third straight road victory over a Division I foe.
The Waveriders stuck around with some scrappy play, but Kamehameha big man Nalu Kahapea put the game away by putting up 11 of his game-high 26 points in the fourth quarter.
“Teams on the Big Island play hard. That’s what Big Island basketball is about. For us, it’s about slowing the game down and taking advantage of our size with Nalu,” Kamehameha head coach Mea Wong said. “He earns everything in the gym. He works everyday for a performance like tonight and played with poise and patience.”
Izayah Chartrand added 14 for the Warriors and Isaiah Nakoa-Oness had nine.
“We are excited,” Kahapea said. “The chemistry has been great and we have been building every single game. We do it as a team.”
Kahapea is averaging just over 21 points per game this season and has been getting his buckets in a variety of ways. Not only does his 6-foot-5 frame give him a size advantage on most defenders on the Big Island with his back to the basket, but he can hit from the outside and drive by defenders who are not as fleet of foot.
The Waveriders had no one who could consistently stick with Kahapea, and even when Kealakehe brought double — or sometimes triple — teams, he found a way to get to the rim or created space for a shot. Anthony Trevino did the best job trying to contain Kahapea, but he fouled out in the fourth quarter.
“The mentality is to go up strong, every time,” Kahapea said of seeing increased defensive focus from his opponents. “No matter of a double-team, I just have to finish through the contact.”
Kamehameha has reeled off three straight road victories over D-I rivals Kealakehe, Waiakea and Konawaena — no small feat and a message to the rest of the league that the program is hungry for its first BIIF title since 2012.
But the only message Wong is focused on sending is one to his team to not look too far down the road.
“I played basketball on the Big Island, so I know that teams come and compete every night,” Wong said. “If we miss a step or are too worried about the end goal, we may not get the result we want. We are trying to compete one possession at a time and hopefully the scoreboard will take care of itself.”
The Waveriders (1-2) were led by the antics of senior guard Bryton Lewi, who scored all of his 16 points in the second half and was the main reason the game stayed close down the stretch.
