KEAAU – Keaau scored 13 points off Ka’u turnovers in the first quarter, led 19-5 and looked poised for a blowout, but the Trojans kept clawing back.
Patrick Mears scored 14 points and Shane Namnama added eight points off the bench to lift the Cougars over the Trojans 46-32 in BIIF game on Tuesday night at their gym.
Andre Carvalho scored 17 points, and Izaiah Pilanca-Emmsley added seven points for the Trojans (0-2).
During that stellar first period, the Cougars (1-0) had good spacing and took open shots. There was a good rhythm up and down the floor on both ends.
Keaau bolted to a 10-0 lead, and the visitors didn’t get on the scoreboard until Carvalho sank a pair of free throws with 3:42 left in the first quarter.
In the second period, the Cougars jumped on a 9-0 run, interrupted when Carvalho sank two free throws with 3:32 until the break.
The Trojans closed with a 6-0 run to trim Keaau’s halftime lead to 29-14. Ka’u had long scoring droughts in the first two quarters.
However, after halftime, the Trojans cleaned things up.
Despite Ka’u’s ball-handling issues, the Cougars finished with more turnovers, 21-19.
The Trojans started to lock down defensively, ran the floor every chance they got, and the shots stopped falling for Keaau, which was outscored 12-6 in the third quarter.
“All the hard work pays off,” Keaau coach Jun Pagala said. “We have a lot of improve on, but it was good to see the boys enjoy the game of basketball.
“The third quarter is not our best quarter, but I have to give credit to Ka’u for not giving up.”
Carvalho kept charging the rim and scored right before the buzzer. He got Ka’u within 35-26, but that was as close as the Trojans would get.
In the fourth quarter, the Cougars held the ball, milked the clocked and attacked when the Trojans were forced to come out and defend.
Mears got a putback that increased Keaau’s lead to 42-28 with five minutes to go, and Namnama stiff armed the Trojan comeback with a pair of free throws to cap the scoring.
IN the JV game, it was Keaau 46, Ka’u 19.
Monday
Boys
KA‘u 47, HPA 41
The start of BIIF Division II play for the Ka’u girls basketball team has been nothing short of encouraging.
Mei Lin Galban Kin In scored 10 points and Reishalyn Jara added nine Monday night as the Trojans came back to beat Hawaii Prep 47-41 in Pahala.
Ka’u evened its record at 2-2 in defeating a Ka Makani team that’s in a similar position. Both are looking to become upstarts in a Division II, which features a pair of traditional powers going through a transition and wide-open race for two state berths.
Maja Burdova scored 16 points for HPA (0-3) which led 20-16 at halftime, and Mariah Borce added 13.
Kianie Medeiros Dancel chipped in with eight for Ka’u, which was overwhelmed as expected against Konawaena and Waiakea of Division I earlier in the month. But the Trojans righted the ship last Saturday in beating Pahoa (0-4), just one of the four winless D-II teams.
Another is Kohala (0-2), which visits the Trojans for a game Wednesday night. Honokaa (0-1), last season’s BIIF runner-up, has a small roster this season and even defending state champion Kamehameha (1-1) appears to be rebuilding as it replaces four starters.
Ka’u last reached the BIIF semifinals in 2017, but it’s already surpassed its win total after going 1-9 last season, when the Cowgirls and Ka Makani were the Nos. 3 and 4 seeds.
Keaau 37, Pahoa 13
Joy Galamay scored 10 points and Britney Calhoun added nine as the host Cougars eased to a 3-0 start to the season.
April Gamponia scored seven points for the Daggers, who trailed 20-9 at the break and managed just two points apiece in the third and fourth quarters.