HILO 68, HPA 45
Hilo High’s boys varsity basketball team stayed near the top of BIIF Division I, beating HPA 68-45 on Tuesday night in Waimea.
The Vikings’ Payton Pana finished with a game-high 20 points — adding to his team-leading scoring season at 16.5 points a game. Cam Root and Bruce Lee — Ka Makani’s two-highest scorers this season — dropped 14 points each, respectively.
Hilo (10-2 overall, 8-2 BIIF) next plays Honoka‘a at 7 p.m. Tuesday at home. Tuesday’s game against HPA was Hilo’s third straight victory. The Vikings won five straight before suffering their first BIIF loss, to Kohala High in late December.
Just two regular season outings remain for Hilo after next week’s homestand against Honoka‘a. On Jan. 27, the Vikings will face their biggest test of the season — a home game against undefeated KS-Hawai‘i. The Warriors hold the top standing in BIIF Div.-I, but could be dethroned if they lose to Hilo.
The Vikings will cap off their season Feb. 1 at home, with their senior night game against Christian Liberty Academy.
HPA (1-7 overall, 1-5 BIIF) hosts Ka‘u at 7 p.m. tonight in Castle Gym.
KEA‘AU 61, CLA 26
Kea‘au High’s boys varsity basketball team won its second straight game, routing Christian Liberty Academy 61-26 on Tuesday night across Kea‘au Village.
The Cougars moved to 3-6, a vast improvement from their 1-6 record at the start of last week. Just three matchups remain for Kea‘au, and the first two will be at home.
At 6 p.m. on Saturday, the Cougars will take on HPA. Kea‘au will play its senior night on Jan. 26 against Honoka‘a High. The Cougars will then end their season with their final DI test, again across town at Kamehameha Schools – Hawai‘i (7-0 BIIF, 9-1 ovr.).
The clock is ticking for CLA to get in the win collumn, as the Canefire dropped to a record of 0-6. On Friday, CLA will travel to Kapa‘au to face defending DII state champion Kohala High (6-0 BIIF, 11-2 ovr.).
HONOKA‘A 94, ST. JO 42
Honoka‘a High’s boys varsity basketball team got back to business, dominating St. Joseph School and nearly reaching triple digits with a 94-42 win on Tuesday night in Hilo.
Despite taking such a big loss, the Cardinals had one of their best starts of the season — trailing by just 20-16 by the end of the first quarter.
The high scoring affair became more lopsided during the second frame, as the Dragons outscored SJS 29-16.
Honoka‘a buried the Cardinals during the second half, outscoring them 45-10 between the third and fourth quarters.
Mauloa Tagabi led the Dragons with 19 points. Jastyn Babino and David Aiona trailed closely with 18 and 17 points, respectively.
Amari Wiedemeier led SJS with 13 points, followed by Axel Reid with 11 points.
Now 5-2, Honoka‘a will face an important BIIF DII test on Saturday at home — facing Pahoa High (6-2) in a decisive matchup. The Daggers stand at No. 2 in BIIF DII, but Honoka‘a will take their standing if it wins on Saturday.
At a dismal 0-8, St. Jo has just four remaining chances to get a win. On Friday night at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium, the Cardinals will host DI juggernaut KS-Hawai‘i.
On Monday, SJS will play away against also-winless Christian Liberty. The winner of this matchup will likely avoid ending the season with no wins and at the bottom BIIF DII standing.
Parker School’s JV team played against Honoka‘a’s JV prior to Tuesday’s matchup at Civic. The Dragons defeated the Bulls 58-29. Top scorers for Honoka‘a were Waimuna O’Niel (11 pts.) and Dakota Choney (10 pts.). Top scorers for Parker were Barry Daoust (9 pts.) and Ethan Schimitt (8 points).
