Free throws are overrated, at least when you know you are probably going to get the ball back anyway.
No. 1 Punahou hit 20 of its 39 free-throw attempts and beat No. 2 Kamehameha 62-55 on Tuesday night at Kekuhaupio Gym. The Buffanblu didn’t need the free throws in the tight game, mostly because they seemed to know that they would get all of their misses back anyway.
DeForest Buckner dominated down low for Punahou, scoring 17 points and collecting 14 rebounds and three blocked shots. Like Kamehameha’s Dyrbe Enos, he is becoming impossible to scheme against.
“We have tried to scheme for that the past three days,” Kamehameha coach Julian Nakanishi said. “Boxing out, sending guys at him, they got the bounces. He’s a load, a lot to handle.”
But it wasn’t Buckner alone, as Malik Johnson contributed 17 points and Nick Velasquez added 15 points. Both teams pressed the entire game, and Punahou’s posts made the Warriors pay when their press didn’t execute to perfection.
“DeForest played like a beast tonight,” Punahou coach Darren Matsuda said. “Our strategy for combating their dribble drive, he had a big role in that and I thought he did an outstanding job tonight.”
The Buffanblu ran their lead to 10 points, 51-41, with 3:28 left when Johnson hustled for one of his eight rebounds, hit the putback and was fouled. He calmly hit the free throw, and Kamehameha cut the margin to seven three more times but never got any closer. Austin Gerard hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer for Kamehameha to provide the final score.
Enos led all scorers with 25 points, 17 of them in the first half on four 3-pointers and five free throws. The Buffanblu held him scoreless in the third quarter before he put up eight points in the fourth. But Matsuda is not going to take credit for that.
“Man, Dyrbe is a hell of a player,” Matsuda said. “He was hitting shots with hands in his face, guys in his face and I thought our guys played really good defense but man, he hit some shots today. This place is always a nightmare for us against him.”
Jordan Tanuvasa turned a tight first half into a six-point lead for Punahou with a heave at the buzzer. It was Punahou’s biggest lead to that point after the first 16 minutes featured eight lead changes. The Buffanblu dumped it inside to Buckner and Johnson when it was lucky enough to break Kamehameha’s press, getting 21 points from the pair, seven of them from the line. The Buffanblu were 12-for-20 from the line in the first half, the Warriors were 7-11.
The Warriors were 10-for-17 from the line, all but two of the makes by Enos. Taylor Taliulu came off the bench to score 12 for Kamehameha.
“We wanted some size coming off the bench,” Nakanishi said. “He actually gave us offensive spark as well, which is a big bonus for us.”
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At Kekuhaupio Gym
| Punahou (5-1) |
17 |
19 |
9 |
17 |
— |
62 |
| Kamehameha (4-2) |
18 |
12 |
7 |
18 |
— |
55 |
PUNAHOU—Jordan Tanuvasa 8, Bryan Matsukawa 0, Micah Maa 0, Steven Lakalaka 1, Dayson Watanabe 0, Matt Taniguchi 0, Blake Lyon 0, Kaaha McAfee-Torco 0, Taylor Henderson 6, Jeffrey Yamashiro 0, Nick Velasquez 15, Malik Johnson 17, DeForest Buckner 17.
KAMEHAMEHA—Noa Kinimaka 0, JT Campbell 5, Gavin Lagrange 0, Taylor Taliulu 12, Dyrbe Enos 25, Makoa Camanse-Stevens 4, Austin Gerard 5, Makana Harrison 2, Kamai Olowofoyeku 0, Noah Borden 0, Thor Latu 0, Zerin Parker 2.
3-pointers—Kamehameha 8 (Enos 5, Taliulu 2, Gerard 1). Punahou 4 (Velasquez 3, Tanuvasa 1)
ILH DIVISION I BOYS
No. 3 AOP 82, Mid-Pacific 54
Artur Mkrtychyan scored 17 points, Keomalu Akiona added 13 and Marshall Gourley had 10 as the Dolphins beat the Owls.
Mid-Pacific’s Jordan Matsumoto scored 16 points and Ryan Swanson had 14.
At Mid-Pacific
| AOP (6-1) |
18 |
23 |
22 |
19 |
— |
82 |
| MID-PACIFIC (0-8) |
15 |
10 |
11 |
18 |
— |
54 |
AOP—Shai Brown 4, Carter Kauwenaole 6, Keomalu Akiona 13, Mattia Raebel 3, Kamana Keohohou 0, Arkadiy Mkrtychyan 6, Drew Viena 4, Artur Mkrtychyan 17, David Daniel 6, Wilson MacLeod 9, Marshall Gourley 10, Bret Kanoa 4.
MPI—Jordan Matsumoto 16, Kenny Artymiak 3, Trey Kubota 4, Brennan O’Connell 7, Ryan Swanson 14, Alex Poon 0, Rory Pidot 1, Tyler Yamachika 7, Shayne Kanemitsu 2, James Woo 0.
3-point goals—AOP 4 (Kauwenaole 2, Artur Mkrtychyan, MacLeod). MPI 7 (Matsumoto 3, Artymiak, O’Connell, Swanson, Yamachika).
No. 8 ‘Iolani 48, University 41
Duke Pauli scored 15 points and Gabriel Vega added 12 as the Raiders beat the Junior Rainbows.
Gui Aires scored 13 points for University, which trailed 12-4 after the first period.
At ‘Iolani
| University (3-2) |
4 |
8 |
9 |
20 |
— |
41 |
| ‘Iolani (4-2) |
12 |
9 |
6 |
21 |
— |
48 |
UNIVERSITY—Makena Suan-Rothenberg 6, Anthony Canencia 8, Chris Meyer 0, Ian Akamine 3, Peter Fee 2, RJ Realubit 0, Cameron Conant 7, Nalu O’Connor 2, Gui Aires 13.
‘IOLANI—Andrew Okimura 1, Drew Uchiyama 5, Erik Yamada 1, Austin O’Leary 9, Gabriel Vega 12, Zach Buscher 5, Joshua Hannum 0, Josiah Situmeang 0, Duke Pauli 15.
3-point goals—University 1 (Suan-Rothenberg). ‘Iolani 4 (O’Leary 3, Uchiyama).
Damien 61, Saint Louis 58
Jaylen Layco finished with 20 points to lead the Monarchs over the Crusaders.
Alex Fant added 12 points and Ashton Obrero had 10 for Damien.
Saint Louis’ Kamalei Correa scored 15 points.
At McCabe Gym
| Damien (2-4) |
14 |
16 |
14 |
17 |
— |
61 |
| Saint Louis (1-5) |
17 |
15 |
12 |
14 |
— |
58 |
DAMIEN—Aaron Miyahira 0, Syles Choy 0, Alex Fant 12, Rusty Kauahikaua 5, Ocean Le 1, Dominique Arakaki 5, Ashton Obrero 10, Kapi‘ina King 8, James Roy 0, Jaylen Layco 20.
SAINT LOUIS—Ricky Ahlo-Pinera 3, Jimmy Nunuha 6, Kevin Marks 0, Jerrick Taboada 3, Acen Cabral 6, Nate Mantanona 9, Ihaka Johnson 4, Jaron Hall-Monis 1, J.V. Caires 2, Robert Sawinski 5, Kamalei Correa 15, Elu Aydon 4.
3-point goals—Damien 3 (Fant 3). Saint Louis 2 (Ahlo-Pinera, Correa).
ILH DIVISION II BOYS
St. Francis 71, Saint Louis 45
Matthew Nuumanaia scored 20 points, including three 3-pointers, as the Saints beat the Crusaders to remain unbeaten in league play.
Alex Pacheco scored 17 points for Saint Louis.
At Manoa Valley Recreation Center Gym
| Saint Louis (1-5) |
8 |
9 |
8 |
20 |
— |
45 |
| St. Francis (4-0) |
18 |
13 |
19 |
21 |
— |
71 |
SAINT LOUIS—Joshua Marr 1, Imaiokalani Park 2, Zachary Baysa 5, Dominic Bush 2, Joseph Kea 7, Dallas Smith 3, Alex Pacheco 17, Afi Greig 6, Zachary Cuarisma 2.
ST. FRANCIS—Austin Ursua 6, Sosiua Havea 2, Matthew Nuumanaia 20, Kaohukea Sanborn 8, Shabir Lynton 7, Drew Wilson 10, Keoni Tom-Millare 9, Kai Sun 5, Blayne Won 4.
3-point goals—Saint Louis 2 (Baysa, Kea). St. Francis 6 (Nuumanaia 3, Tom-Millare 3).
Punahou 72, Hawaiian Mission 61
Travis Matsuzaki scored 20 points, Raffy Howe added 17 and Jaren McCartney had 15 as the Buffanblu beat the Knights.
Lucas Earles and J.J. Reynolds each scored 16 points for HMA, which trailed 49-48 entering the fourth period.
At Hawaiian Mission
| Punahou (4-1) |
12 |
23 |
14 |
23 |
— |
72 |
| HMA (3-5) |
18 |
11 |
19 |
13 |
— |
61 |
PUNAHOU—Jaren McCartney 15, Ben Ota 2, Taylor McClafferty 4, Raffy Howe 17, Alex Shin 8, Travis Matsuzaki 20, Zach Grief 6.
HMA—Brady Clark 3, Marcus Uechi 4, Ryan Kim 9, Lucas Earles 16, Nesi Bechard 7, Israel Olsen 6, J.J. Reynolds 16.
3-point goals—Punahou 6 (Howe 3, McCartney 2, Shin). Hawaiian Mission 4 (Kim 3, Bechard).
ILH DIVISION I GIRLS
Sacred Hearts 37, No. 10 Mid-Pacific 36
Tiare Moses scored 11 points and Paris Johnson added 10 as the Lancers beat the Owls for their first win in league play.
Mid-Pacific’s Alexe Navarro scored 10 points.
At Mid-Pacific
| SAC. HEARTS (1-9) |
4 |
8 |
11 |
14 |
— |
37 |
| MPI (3-7) |
6 |
6 |
8 |
16 |
— |
36 |
SACRED HEARTS—Tiare Moses 11, Tristin Martin 0, Nicole Daoang 0, Hunter Wilson-Pena 2, Angela Kim 6, Erica Pagan 3, Celina Pagan 5, Paris Johnson 10.
MID-PACIFIC—Nicole Sato 3, Megan Kinoshita 0, Kayla Watanabe 2, Alexe Navarro 10, Kamalei Lyons 4, Mikaela Limper 4, Pua Kanekoa 4, Camille Ganahl 8, Becky Martin 1.
3-point goals—Sacred Hearts 1 (E. Pagan). Mid-Pacific 3 (Navarro 2, Sato).
ILH DIVISION II GIRLS
Maryknoll 46, ‘Iolani 21
Maegen Martin scored 12 points as the Spartans beat the Raiders.
Maryknoll outscored ‘Iolani 14-2 in the first period and 12-0 in the fourth.
At ‘Iolani
| Maryknoll (10-0) |
14 |
9 |
11 |
12 |
— |
46 |
| ‘Iolani (4-5) |
2 |
7 |
12 |
0 |
— |
21 |
MARYKNOLL—Maile Goodin 4, Kylie Teramoto 0, Maegen Martin 12, Crystie Wong 7, Maia Laboy 9, Alexis Villa 2, Kayla Agustin 2, Cianna Ochocco 0, Ashlee DeSantos 6, Athena Adora 2, Tabae Sina 2.
‘IOLANI—Kelly Cournoyer 0, Cari Anne Nada 5, Lauren Nikaido 4, Zoe Palmer 0, Paige Omura 5, Nicole Yokoyama 0, Steffanie Tanaka 0, Ashley Yoshioka 2, Alyssa Kogami 0, Liz Nomura 0, Renn Isobe 0, Cori Whang 3, Jasmine Chen 0, Michelle Maitland 2, Miki Sylva 0.
3-point goals—Maryknoll 1 (Wong). ‘Iolani 4 (Nada, Nikaido, Omura, Whang).
St. Francis 60, Lanakila Baptist 26
Jedidah Hanakahi scored 12 points and Lacey Satele added 11 as the Saints routed the Warriors.
Lanakila Baptist’s Jessica Sonson scored a game-high 13 points.
At Manoa Valley Recreation Center Gym
| LANAKILA B. (1-10) |
1 |
5 |
13 |
7 |
— |
26 |
| St. Francis (4-5) |
13 |
14 |
15 |
18 |
— |
60 |
LANAKILA BAPTIST—Jeizelyn Pananganan 4, Jessica Sonson 13, Millie Pacheco 2, Kat Walker 2, Bethesda Camacho 5.
ST. FRANCIS—Lacey Satele 11, Taylor Bellevou 5, Alissa Pacarro 3, Kayla Jones 7, Rachel Carlos 8, Tori Keliiaa 2, Jairian Ka’ahauni 2, Jasmine Soon 6, Jedidah Hanakahi 12, Jessica Rossi 4.
3-point goals—Lanakila Baptist none. St. Francis 5 (Soon 2, Jones 2, Satele).
Hanalani 47, Kamehameha 42, OT
Sarah Liva scored 18 points and Nicole Gonzalez added 12 as the Royals outlasted the Warriors in ovetime.
Kamehameha’s Kapelekua Gramberg scored 12 points.
At Kamehameha
| Hanalani (8-3) |
12 |
13 |
8 |
7 |
7 |
— |
47 |
|
| Kamehameha (5-4) |
10 |
10 |
13 |
7 |
2 |
— |
42 |
HANALANI—Lyna Kehler 7, Brittany Williams 2, Sarah Hyde 0, Malia Boullion 5, Nicole Gonzalez 12, Sarah Liva 18, Dylan McCorquodale 3, Kara Tanaka 0.
KAMEHAMEHA—Carly Thomas 2, Skye Young 1, Tamara Hallums 2, Arianna Daskauskas 3, Uilani Schnackenberg 10, Angela Reich 0, Jasmine Tangonan 6, Kapelekua Gramberg 12, Sanoe Kaohelaulii 6.
3-point goals—Hanalani 1 (Kehler). Kamehameha 1 (Daskauskas).
La Pietra 42, Hawaiian Mission 36
Salote Lopes-Liutolo scored 16 points, Jordan McDonald added 13 and the Lady Panthers outscored the Knights 16-8 in the fourth period en route to victory.
HMA’s Sarah Santiwan scored 18 points.
At Hawaiian Mission
| La Pietra (3-7) |
13 |
6 |
7 |
16 |
— |
42 |
| HMA (0-10) |
6 |
10 |
12 |
8 |
— |
36 |
LA PIETRA—Kiana Ho‘ohuli 0, Angelina Ishiki 5, Veronica Thomas 0, Marina Sewell 0, Marissa Hoen 2, Zoe Moriwaki 0, Salote Lopes-Liutolo 16, Monique Smith 6, Jordan McDonald 13.
HMA—Savannah Valencia 4, Ayumi Kato 0, Isabella Olsen 0, Raeann Butella 6, Carla Ramos 0, Chrisslene Diaz 8, Sita Maira 0, Sarah Dorsey 0, Janae Wong 0, Abegail Ramos 0, Sarah Santiwan 18.
3-point goals—La Pietra none. Hawaiian Mission none.
