HILO – It’s tempting to call Waiakea senior Calvin Mattos a magician because he keeps doing something unbelievable on the basketball court: scoring and setting up his teammates for success even though a defense is designed to stop him.
But there are no tricks up the 5-foot-9 guard’s sleeve.
Mattos hits opponents over the head with the same strategy every single time: When he has a clean shot, he fires away. When there’s an open lane, he drives to the rim for a right-handed floater, layup or assist. When the double team comes, he keeps his head up, surveys the court and extends the play.
Behind his magical play, the Warriors defeated Konawaena 68-66 in the BIIF Division I championship on Friday night at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium, where Mattos’ all-around brilliance was on full display.
Down 66-63 with 13 seconds left after Hauoli Akau sank two free throws, Mattos dribbled down the court and buried a pull-up 3-pointer. Then Waiakea freshman Kiai Apele snagged the biggest steal of his young life and followed with a layup for a 68-66 lead with time dying on the Wildcats.
“To me, the big play was Kiai’s steal and score. The freshman came up big, and that’s all I ask for,” Mattos said, dishing off another assist. “And that’s for the team to step up and they did that.”
Konawaena, blessed with a lineup of athletic and seasoned hoopsters, tried to do something no BIIF team has been able to accomplish over the last three years: Shut down the heart of the Warriors, the incomparable Mattos, who has the gift of making his teammates better.
The Wildcats played a tough man and focused their defensive attention on Mattos, who, nonetheless punched in a time clock with 16 points on 7 of 13 shooting and eight assists.
Jerek Prudence also had 16 points on 6 of 10 shooting, sinking four 3-pointers, and Jaden Opiana added 13 points for the Warriors, who buried 62 percent (27 of 53) from the floor and hit 8 of 13 free throws.
Austin Ewing scored 19 points on 9 of 16 shooting, Austin Aukai had 19 points on 7 of 16 shooting, and Kamakana Ching scored 17 points on 7 of 10 shooting for Konawaena, which shot 52 percent (26 of 56) from the field and made only 11 of 21 free throws.
Waiakea (11-3) and Konawaena (13-1) both have berths to the HHSAA Division I state tournament, which starts with first-round games on Monday, Feb. 13, when the Wildcats will host a game.
The two cross-island rivals have created the most intriguing rivalry, which continues to get better.
Last year, Waiakea ran over the Wildcats 60-40 for the BIIF crown. In 2015, Konawaena ousted Waiakea in the semifinals. In 2014, the ’Cats beat them for the title. In 2013, the Wildcats ushered out Waiakea in the semis.
How’s that? Five matchups in the postseason: Waiakea has two titles in head-to-head battles, Konawaena kept the Warriors home from states twice in the semifinals, and the ‘Cats claimed one crown.
Bridging the third and fourth quarters, Konawaena reeled off an 11-0 scoring run to get within 50-46. Then it got crazy with three lead changes in less than a minute to play.
Ching scored on a three-point play to push the Wildcats ahead 62-61 with 1:18 remaining. Then Mattos answered with a layup with a minute to go. Ching got a tip-in on a third shot attempt for a 64-63 lead with 30 seconds to play.
With 27.2 seconds left, Mattos fed Apele, who missed for a go-ahead 3-pointer. The Warriors fouled Akau, who swished both free throws.
And from there, it was the Mattos and Apele magic show.
“Last year, we had a talented team,” Mattos said. “That’s why we won easy. But if we wanted that championship, we had to have all heart and play hard. And that’s what we did.”
Waiakea 17 19 14 18 — 68
Kona 14 12 16 24 — 66
