KAILUA-KONA — The question lately around Kealakekua — what’s going on with the Wildcats?
The perennial BIIF contenders uncharacteristically dropped two home games to open the new year against Division I foes Kamehameha and Hilo, and were seemly searching for answers to get back on track.
While there are still some questions that need answering, the Wildcats (2-2) righted the ship against their cross-town rivals, holding off Kealakehe (1-3) in a 57-51 win in front of a split green and blue crowd.
“Losing those games to two other D-I schools, you start thinking now, ‘are we going to make the playoffs?,’” Konawaena head coach Donny Awa said .”Right now, we aren’t assured anything, but I think we put ourselves back in the mix.”
Big man Paka Cacoulidis notched a game-high 16 points for the Wildcats, with freshman Bronson Rivera close behind, netting 15. Hauoli Akau also made it to double digits, scoring eight of his 11 points in the first half.
“They are very athletic and could match us speed-wise,” Awa said. “We just had to play smarter basketball.”
The matchup between the west-side rivals was very much a contrast of styles. Konawaena liked to work the ball around the arc, making the extra pass to find the open shot or a path to the rim. Kealakehe ran at a much quicker pace, getting shots up in a hurry and doing their best work in the paint.
”We were much more disciplined tonight than we have been,” Awa said. “We took mostly good shots. Against Kamehameha and Hilo, we didn’t do that. We like to play fast, but fast doesn’t mean wild and crazy. That’s how those games got for us. Tonight, we ran when it was there, and set it up when it wasn’t.”
After falling behind in the first quarter, Konawaena was in front the rest of the way, but Kealakehe hung around. The Waveriders narrowed the margin to as small as three in the fourth quarter, but some clutch plays and late free throws were enough to hold Kealakehe at bay, despite two late 3-pointers from the ‘Riders in a very long final 20 seconds.
“I don’t want to say it’s a rivalry. I think our big rivalry is with Waiakea. We always seem to match-up with them in the big, critical games,” Awa said. “But it’s big for the kids. They see each other every day and some are playing against their cousins. It’s fun.”
Anthony Trevino was the sparkplug for the Waveriders, working hard in the paint for his points and getting the Kealakehe faithful on their feet with a big block at the end of the first quarter. He finished with a double-double, hauling in 11 rebounds to go with his 11 points. Kainoa “Boo” Jones led Kealakehe with 13 — nine of those coming on a trio of 3-pointers — and Howard Robert scored 11.
As in most rivalry games, it didn’t take long for the game to get heated in Waveriders’ gym. Just a few minutes into the second quarter, a bump and a shove behind the play resulted in double technical fouls being assessed.
It cooled off a bit after that, although the contest remained a physical one. The Wildcats gained the first substantial lead in the second quarter behind some stifling defense. The Waveriders scored just two buckets and Konawaena outscored Kealakehe 12-4 in the period to enter the break up 26-19.
While ahead, the Wildcats couldn’t get comfy and Kealakehe stayed within striking distance. The dagger for the Wildcats came when guard Seth Mattos crossed up his defender and got a layup to stretch the lead to seven with under two minutes left.