Keanu Meacham scored eight of his game-high 16 points in the final quarter as No. 1 Saint Louis turned a one-point lead into a decisive 55-41 win over No. 7 ‘Iolani on Tuesday night at Clarence T.C. Ching Gymnasium.
Meacham shot 8-for-9 from the field, relying on a precise mid-range jump shot to stymie ‘Iolani’s sticky matchup zone. The Crusaders improved to 6-0 in ILH play (22-1 overall) and were boosted by 13 points from Pupu Sepulona and 10 from Shancin Revuelto. Sepulona, who will play in the Polynesian Bowl on Friday, added six rebounds and five assists.
Meacham’s offensive contributions within a structured offense have helped while Sepulona recovered from a football injury.
“Whenever I get the chance, I put up 1,000 shots every day with the shooting machine,” said Meacham, a 6-foot junior. “Usually after practice from mid-range, all the little pockets.”
It was a tough night for a hot ‘Iolani squad coming off a 73-68 double-overtime win over Kamehameha. In that battle, Ayden Goo poured in 34 points and Aidan Wong scored 20. Saint Louis game planned defensively for each. Goo finished with 13 points on 3-for-7 field-goal shooting. Wong shot 3-for-10 from the field and finished with seven points.
“Saint Louis is a good team. We’ve got to go back to the drawing board. We’ve got to watch film. That’s the toughest part about this league. Now you turn around and you’ve got University or Punahou or Kamehameha,” ‘Iolani coach Ryan Hirata said. “We’ll keep getting better.”
‘Iolani dropped to 2-2 in league play (12-8 overall). The Raiders will play at No. 2 Punahou at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
Saint Louis hosts No. 9 Mid-Pacific on Thursday and No. 5 University on Saturday.
Meacham and Stone Kanoa were the primary defenders on ‘Iolani’s sharpshooters, with Sepulona and Corey Bailey filling in. Meacham also had a game-high eight rebounds. Four were on the offensive glass.
“Ever since I was young, my mom (Joy Meacham) has always been on me. After every game, she dictates to me about every little thing I didn’t do,” Meacham said. “Especially if I miss a free throw. She’ll probably tell me tonight about some stuff I didn’t do. Instead of standing in the middle, I could’ve been rebounding more.”
As a team, ‘Iolani shot 14-for-43 from the field. Saint Louis had another strong start, opening a 15-4 lead in the first four minutes of the game. Sepulona had six points by the end of the first quarter.
The Raiders were patient against Saint Louis’ man-to-man defense and got within 28-21 at the half. After a bank shot by Raymon Teocson and a 3 from Goo, ‘Iolani was down 28-26.
Saint Louis opened the lead back to eight points, but the Raiders chipped away. They were within 36-34 after Teocson’s trey from the left corner late in the third quarter.
The Crusaders answered again and had a six-point lead when Kanoa was whistled for a foul while guarding Goo. Kanoa was hit for a technical foul, and Goo sank three of his four foul shots. After Declan Beckette hit a 15-footer, ‘Iolani was within 40-39 with 5:55 left.
Saint Louis then got a jumper from the free-throw line by Meacham, and after Bailey hit a foul shot, Meacham hit another jumper, then hustled for a mid-air putback. That opened Saint Louis’ lead to 47-39.
A steal and bucket by Revuelto, with an assist from Sepulona, opened the lead to 10 points with 1:22 remaining. Saint Louis’ closing run was 15-2.
