Mizah Carreira scored 12 of his 18 points in the third quarter as No. 9 Campbell ran away with a 54-41 win over No. 7 Kahuku in the semifinals of the Pete Smith Classic on Tuesday night.
Campbell (10-4) will meet MPI in the final, set for 8 p.m. today. Kahuku (5-2) will play Punahou I-AA for third place at 6:30 p.m.
Carreira connected on two 3-pointers and finished a fast-break layup on a pass from Rondell Blenman-Villareal during an 18-3 run. Malik Jackson scored on a tough lefty drive for a three-point play as the Sabers turned a 26-24 halftime deficit into a 42-29 lead.
Blenman-Villareal and Miles Hornage added 11 points each for the Sabers.
Kache Kaio scored 14 points and Leonard Ah You added 11 for Kahuku.
Campbell avenged a 51-49 loss at Kahuku on Dec. 3. In that battle, the Sabers made up an 18-point deficit but lost the lead down the stretch.
This time, it was tough man-to-man defense and a highly opportunistic fast break that were key. Carreira found himself open on the left wing against Kahuku’s matchup zone.
By the first few minutes of the fourth quarter, Campbell had a 50-34 lead. Kahuku, struggling with turnovers and shooting against Campbell’s 3-2 matchup zone, got no closer than 11 the rest of the way.
“We let the first game get away. I told them, the second game, we can’t let them get away two times. The first time, we didn’t play as well together,” Campbell coach Wyatt Tau said. “Kahuku was in the zone the first time. This time, I told them we need to attack the gaps, and we made shots down the line.”
Kahuku coach Brandyn Akana saw his team struggle at times against Campbell’s zone defense.
“We’re getting better. We’re still figuring out everybody’s responsibilities. We’ve got to take care of the ball. At one point we had four or five turnovers in a row. That’s what preseason is for. We’ve got to take care of the ball,” he said.
Campbell’s height and length is good material for a 3-2 zone that can morph into a more traditional 2-3 as the Sabers match up in the course of a possession.
“With the amount of height we have this year, finally, these guys are playing good basketball. It makes it easier,” Tau said.
In the tourney opener on Monday, Campbell overwhelmed Sierra (Calif.), 75-52.
“Sierra looked pretty good on the video. We told the kids we’re not going to let anybody come to Hawaii and play us like that. We’re going to play good defense, and we’ve been playing good defense off the bat,” Tau said.
The Sabers were nearly flawless with their delay game in the final minutes Tuesday.
“When we played at Kahuku (last week), we tried to run a four corners, but the court was so slippery, we slipped three times. We were up 49-45 and we slipped three times,” Tau said. “I give credit to Coach Brandyn. His teams are always ready to play. It’s always a good challenge to play guys like them. We’ve had a tough preseason schedule. We’re ready for our (OIA) season to start on the 17th of December.”
Carreira is a fit for a classic Sabers run-and-gun style, but his patience against a tough zone is huge.
“Just work hard, come back even harder. Lock in and play defense, not have the excuse of a slippery court anymore, Carreira said. “It’s a mindset. Hard work paid off. Coach Wyatt drew it up perfect like we do at practice and it worked out well for us.”
Mid-Pacific 63, Punahou I-AA 48
Freshman Darius Chizer hit three treys and finished with 15 points to spark the Owls in the other semifinal matchup. Tyson Norr tallied 13 points and Jacob Bow added 12.
Matthew Pien led the I-AA Buffanblu with 10 points.
“Punahou is so athletic and they play with a frenetic style. It’s easy to get caught up in that. Coach Cole (Pacarro) is a super good coach. He was my coach,” MPI coach Robert Shklov said. “I can’t say enough about Jacob Bow today. He really orchestrated it. He hit some big shots for us in the second half. A lot of calm and maturity.”
Kalaheo 57, Nanakuli 50
In consolation play, CJ Bostic scored 23 points and Pierce O’Brien tallied 11 as the Mustangs prevailed.
Blaze Kaululaau led the Golden Hawks with 16 points.
Sierra 60, Kapolei 40
Logan Kilbert, a 6-foot-4 guard, poured in 31 points for the Chieftains (6-2).
Brennan Wastell led the Hurricanes with seven points.
Championship
Campbell vs. Mid-Pacific, 8 p.m.
Third place
Kahuku vs. Punahou I-AA, 6:30 pm
Seventh place
Nanakuli vs. Punahou I-AA, 5 pm
Fifth place
Kalaheo vs. Sierra (Calif.), 3:30 pm
