KEALAKEHE — Kealakehe girls basketball fell to Ka‘u on Saturday at home by a score of 44-32.
The Waveriders showed improvement from their last loss against KS-Hawai‘i earlier in the week — attacking the rim more consistently and being smarter with taking care of the ball. Nelena Oco and Sarah Broberg had seven points each to lead Kealakehe.
But the Trojans kept hitting their 3-pointers, which put the game out of reach for the Waveriders. Ka‘u hit six total threes to the Waveriders’ one. Freshman star Caliyah Silva-Kamei led the Trojans with a game-high 17 points.
Next up, Kealakehe (1-4) will take a two-week break before returning to action against Honoka‘a at 6 p.m. Dec. 28 at home. Ka‘u (2-3) will have an even longer break, next taking the court against Konawaena at 6 p.m. Jan. 3 at Ellison Onizuka Gymnasium.
KOHALA 67, KONAWAENA 48
Kohala boys basketball collected its second conference win of the season Saturday night in Kealakekua, beating Konawaena 67-48. The team also won its seventh straight.
Cowboys star Layden Kauka finished with 21 points, seven assists and five blocks. The sophomore continues to lead the defending state champions, averaging 22 points per game. Teammate Jayden Hook added a team-high 24 points.
Abraham Ogata led the Wildcats with 11 — continuing to be the groups’s leading scorer with 10.5 points a night on the season.
Kohala (7-2 overall, 2-0 BIIF) will next travel to Pahoa to play the Daggers at 7 p.m. Tuesday on the road.
Konawaena (2-6 overall, 0-2 BIIF) will head to the other side of town to play the Waveriders at 7 p.m. Friday in Kealakehe Gymnasium.
JV score: Kona 71, Kohala 40.
KS-HAWAI‘I 63, HILO 15
Kamehameha Schools Hawai‘i girls basketball routed Hilo 63-15 Saturday in Kea‘au, collecting its third straight win.
The Warriors overwhelmed the Vikings from the opening tip, outscoring Hilo throughly in every quarter. Keanu Huihui dropped a game-high 33 points, adding to her 27.3 points-per-game season average. Huihui’s teammates — Baeleigh Lukzen and Maela Honma — scored 15 and 11, respectively. Madysin Galima was the only Hilo player in double figures with 11. No other Viking scored more than two.
KSH (7-4 overall, 5-0 BIIF) will next head to Kapaau to play Kohala at 7 p.m. Thursday on the road. Hilo (1-5 overall, 1-3 BIIF) will enjoy the remainder of the Christmas season off before next taking the court against Pahoa at 7 p.m. Dec. 27 on the road.
KS-HAWAI‘I 60, KEALAKEHE 30
Like the girls team, KSH boys basketball took care of business Saturday at home — beating Kealakehe handily 60-30. The Warriors won second first BIIF matchup of the season, while the Waveriders are still in search of their first conference win.
KSH (4-1 overall, 2-0 BIIF) will travel south to Ka‘u to play the Trojans at 6 p.m. Tuesday on the road. Kealakehe (1-4) will try to redeem itself against local rival Konawaena at 7 p.m. Friday in Ellison Onizuka Gymnasium.
KOHALA 56, CLA 3
Kohala girls basketball routed Christian Liberty Academy 56-3 Saturday on the road, improving to 4-2 overall on the season.
The Cowgirls (2-0 BIIF) next host KS-Hawai‘i at 7 p.m. Thursday in Kapaau. The Canefire (0-4) will next play Honoka‘a on Jan. 5 at home.
HPA 59, SJS 23
Hawaii Prep boys basketball took care of business Friday against St. Joseph’s in Castle Gym — routing the Cardimals 59-23 for its first win of the season. Cam Root led Ka Makani once again with 14 points. Axel Reid and Koen De La Cruz led SJS with six points apiece.
HPA (1-4 overall, 1-2 BIIF) next plays CLA at 6 p.m. Jan. 9 on the road. The Cardinals (0-3) host Hilo at 6 p.m. tonight at home.
HILO 54, KEA‘AU 15
The Vikings’ boys varsity basketball squad dusted the home standing Cougars 54-15 on Thursday night at the Kea‘au High gymnasium.
This was Hilo’s fifth straight win, advancing their regular-season BIIF record to 4-0 and overall record to 6-1.
The Vikings held Kea‘au to no more than five points per frame, outscoring the Cougars 19-5 in the first quarter, 16-2 in the second, 10-4 in the third and 9-4 in the fourth.
Peyton Pana led the way for Hilo — as usual — with 17 points. Ikena Leao put up nine points, and nine other Vikings were able to score points throughout the outing.
Thayne Nakoa led Kea‘au with six points.
Hilo will be back in action at 6 p.m. Monday, with a cross-town matchup against St. Joseph School (0-2) at the UH-Hilo gymnasium.
Now 1-1 in BIIF play and 2-2 overall, the Cougars will have nearly two weeks of down time before their next matchup — a road test on Dec. 27 at Konawaena High (currently 0-1 BIIF, 2-5 ovr.).
JV Score: Hilo wins 40-31. Top scorers: Tre Palmerston (Hilo) 21 points, Nyson Cabreros (Kea‘au) six points.
KS-HAWAI‘I 72, HONOKA‘A 66
The Kamehameha Schools – Hawai‘i boys varsity basketball team kept just ahead of Honoka‘a High to end a close contest with a 72-66 victory Thursday night in Honoka‘a.
The Warriors built their lead slowly, narrowly outscoring the Dragons in each quarter — 17-16 in the first, 13-11 in the second, 24-23 in the third and 18-16 in the fourth.
Kawohi Huihui led KSH with 22 points, followed by teammate Kiai Yasso with 17 points — including two three-pointers.
Honoka‘a’s scoring was well rounded. Mauloa Tagabi led the way with 17 points, David Aiona and Kukia Tagabi each scored 13 points and Elijah Kaupu-Alip posted 12 points.
Tagabi capitalized on free throws, sinking seven of ten. KSH’s Davedon Cabreros was immaculate at the free throw line — completing six of six.
The win moved KSH to 1-0 in BIIF play and 3-1 overall, following a Saturday homestand against Kealakehe (results will be published soon), the Warriors will close out the calendar year with a road test at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at Ka‘u High (1-2) and a homestand against Waiakea High (2-1 BIIF, 2-4 ovr.) on Thursday.
The loss to KSH halted the Dragons’ two-game BIIF play win streak. Honoka‘a (2-1 BIIF, 3-3 ovr.) will look to get back on track – and end 2023 on a high note — with a 6 p.m. Tuesday home game against Christian Liberty Academy (0-1).
JV Score: KSH wins 57-46.