Thomas Fleming scored 24 points as Cathedral Catholic outlasted Kamehameha 58-49 in opening-round action at the Punahou Invitational boys basketball tournament on Tuesday.
Tre Lucia chipped in 10 for the Dons. Kaina Watson led the Warriors with 14 points.
The Dons (8-5) led 26-21 at the half and stretched the lead to nine after three quarters.
Kamehameha (8-8) got within six points, but missed three 1-and-1 opportunities down the stretch. The Warriors blend of fullcourt pressure, fast breaks and disciplined halfcourt offense kept them in the game, but they missed 6-foot-8 center/wing Kainoa Wade.
“No excuses, but Kainoa is on a volleyball trip. Chaseton (Ponteras) got hurt in the first quarter, so we rested him,” Kamehameha coach Larry Park said.
Ponteras has been a mainstay as a consistent double-digit scorer. The injury to his knee is not expected to be serious.
“The trainer on site said there was stability,” Park noted.
“We hung around, but (Cathedral Catholic) shot it really good. I watched a YouTube video and they hit 11 3s in the first half of a game, so our boys chased them. We played hard and battled, but they had more size and we gave up some offensive rebounds,” Park noted.
Another concern was the Dons’ talented 6-7 junior, Ryan Enos.
“He’s ranked high in the junior class,” Park said of Enos, who was rated among the top 10 in the Select 16U division at the Pangos Sweet 16 tournament last summer in Las Vegas. He finished with two points on day one at Hemmeter Fieldhouse.
“What’s good for us is last week we got into some late-game situations, up and down, and this week, hopefully the same thing,” Park said, referring to the ‘Iolani Classic. “Those are hard to replicate at practice.”
Sandpoint (Idaho) 40, Mid-Pacific 38
Parker Childs hit three treys and finished with 17 points as the Bulldogs edged the Owls. Jarek Yee led the Owls (7-10) with 11 points.
Bellevue (Wash.) 73, Punahou I-AA 41
Four Wolverines scored in double figures, led by Brady Kageyama’s 17 points. Luke Bell added 13, including three 3-pointers, while Bryce Kageyama and Alex Yu had 10 points apiece for Bellevue (10-1).
Skyler Yamada had 13 points and Nestor Herana added 12 for Punahou I-AA (4-8).
Kamehameha-Hawaii 52, Hawaii Baptist 48
Kawohi Huihui poured in 24 points as the Warriors escaped with the win over the Eagles. Nixis Yamauchi added 14 for Kamehameha-Hawaii (5-4). Eli Shibuya shot 8-for-9 at the free-throw line and led HBA (4-6). Jordan Qin tallied 12 points.
No. 4 Saint Louis 55, Waiakea 43
Sophomore Pupu Sepulona pumped in 18 points and freshman Keanu Meacham had 12 as the Crusaders (12-2) advanced. Nicholas-Ryder Cabreros had 19 points for the Warriors (3-3).
Oakwood (Calif.) 64, University 39
Ben Eisendrath splashed three treys and finished with 19 points to lead the Owls (6-6). Hayden Suslow added 12 points. Duke Mobley scored 12 points and Trey Ambrozich tallied 10 for ULS (6-2).
No. 3 ‘Iolani 54, Faith Lutheran (Nev.) 42
Alika Indalecio scored a season-high 23 points and Casey Lyons added 16 as the Raiders (11-4) staved off the Crusaders’ rally.
Leyton Barr led Faith Lutheran (3-6) with 23 points.
The Raiders took advantage of a flood of turnovers by the Crusaders to open a double-digit lead in the first half. Faith Lutheran rallied to within 37-33 after a 23-foot trey, but ‘Iolani responded with a 15-0 run.
After a block by Luke Tobin, Indalecio splashed a 3 on the secondary break for a 47-33 lead with 3 minutes to go. After Indalecio hit a hanging layup, the lead was 16.
No. 2 Punahou 78, Saint Louis I-AA 40
Ayndra Uperesa-Thomas scored 11 points to lead a balanced Buffanblu attack. Dillon Kellner and Kekai Burnett added nine points each for Punahou (12-2)
Hayden Hannemann led the Crusaders (1-3) with 17 points.
The Crusaders had an early 9-5 lead before the home team went on a 24-4 run, fueled by its fullcourt press.
Wednesday’s games
Punahou Invitational
Consolation
Punahou I-AA vs. Waiakea, 9:30 a.m.
Hawaii Baptist vs. Saint Louis I-AA, 11 a.m.
Mid-Pacific vs. University, 12:30 p.m.
Kamehameha vs. Faith Lutheran (Nev.), 2 p.m.
Quarterfinals
Sandpoint (Idaho) vs. Oakwood (Calif.), 3:30 p.m.
Bellevue (Wash). vs. Saint Louis, 5 p.m.
Cathedral Catholic (Calif.) vs. ‘Iolani, 6:30 p.m.
Kamehameha-Hawaii vs. Punahou, 8 p.m.
