HILO — Abraham Ogata put up 25 points as Konawaena High’s boys varsity basketball team defeated Waiakea High 61-52 on Wednesday in Hilo.
In the first quarter, the Wildcats capitalized on free throws and found success inside the key to take a 15-10 lead.
Konawaena came out hot in the second quarter, quickly obtaining a 19-10 lead. However, the Warriors shut the Wildcats out for the rest of the frame — ultimately outscoring Konawaena 8-4 to reduce their halftime deficit to 19-18.
Waiakea came into the third quarter with momentum, establishing a small lead early on. It didnt last long, as Konawaena kept scoring. The teams struggled back and forth, until the Wildcats led by 36-32 entering the final frame.
The fourth quarter was the most explosive, as both teams scored more than 20 points. The eight game minutes were stretched out to over 20-minutes of real time as WHS and KHS each spent plenty of time at the free throw line.
Though the Warriors went on a late scoring run, it was too late to overcome Konawaena’s surplus.
Thayden Sweat and Azariah Agno led Waiakea with 13 points each. Josiah Amuimuia scored ten for WHS.
Behind Ogata, Konawaena’s next-highest scorer was Kenneth Sanders with 12 points.
The Wildcats are now 6-4, standing at No. 3 in the Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF) Div.-I behind No. 1 KS-Hawai‘i (6-0) and No. 2 Hilo (7-1). With just three regular season outings remaining, Konawaena will next face Ka‘u High (1-5) on Saturday in Pahala.
Waiakea’s next matchup will be its final regular season BIIF DI game — 7 p.m. on Monday in at Kealakehe High.
The Warriors will end the season with a trio of non-division BIIF outings — starting with a Jan. 23 road match at Kohala High, senior night on Jan. 26 at home against St. Joseph and, finally, a road game Jan. 30 at Pahoa High.
Kohala 76, Honoka‘a 58
In a rematch of last season’s BIIF Division II Championship, No. 7 Kohala boys basketball prevailed against island rival Honoka‘a once again — winning 76-58 in front of a wild crowd Wednesday on the road. The Cowboys have won 11 straight, and remain in the driver’s seat of the Division II standings.
Kohala junior Jayden Hook finished with a monster game, tallying 30 points on 14-for-15 shooting and 12 rebounds. Sophomore Layden Kauka posted 18, with teammate Isaac Salvador-Libron dropping 14.
Kukia Tagabi led the Dragons with 16 points, and sibling teammate Mauloa Tagabi had 11.
Next up, Kohala (11-2 overall, 6-0 BIIF) will face another tough test in No. 13 KS-Hawai‘i, who currently sit in first in Division I. The Cowboys and the Warriors will tip off at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Kea‘au.
HPA 49, Ka‘u 22
Ka‘u High’s girls varsity basketball team dropped a home game against Hawaii Prep, falling 49-22 on Wednesday night in Pahala.
HPA moved to a 2-3 BIIF record and 5-4 overall record — still standing at No. 4 in BIIF DII. Ka Makani’s next game will be Saturday at home against Kea‘au High (2-6). HPA will end its season with three road games, then senior night on Jan. 26 against Kohala High.
Now 2-6 and tied with Pahoa for the No. 6 standing, the Trojans will next host Kohala (6-2) at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Ka‘u will play away Jan. 18 at Pahoa High, then play senior night Jan. 20 against Hilo High — ending its season on the road Jan. 25 at Honoka‘a High.