KAILUA-KONA — Parker boys volleyball traveled south to the Kona proper to face Makua Lani on Tuesday night at Old Airport for the Lions’ senior night, and the Bulls handled business. Parker won in straight sets — 25-18, 25-11 and 25-13.
Parker’s team chemistry and accurate spikes from outside hitter Beaudin Schad proved to be too much for Makua Lani, who showed heart and grit throughout the match by diving at nearly every live ball in front of its home crowd.
Now at 5-3 overall and in the top five of the BIIF Division II standings, the Bulls will look to end the 2024 regular season on a high note with two games left. They’ll next play DII rival Honoka‘a at 5 p.m. Monday in the Dragons’ gymnasium.
The Lions (0-9) are still in search of their first win. Makua Lani will next play Kanu at 10 a.m. Thursday at home.
KOHALA 3, HONOKA‘A 1
Kohala High’s boys volleyball team prevailed 3-1 in a tight contest against Honoka‘a High, winning its third straight game Tuesday night in Hamakua.
The Cowboys narrowly held off the Dragons through the first two sets, winning 26-24 and 25-17. Honoka‘a kept up the fight to win the third set 25-18, but Kohala outlasted the Dragons once again to win the fourth set 25-19.
The Cowboys improved to 5-2 on the season, and are sitting pretty at No. 4 in BIIF Division II — behind No. 1 Konawaena, No. 2 Pahoa and No. 3 Ka‘u. It’s a good spot to be at, as just two weeks of regular season play remain, and the No. 4 seed gets a first-round bye in the BIIF DII playoffs.
With three outings left on its regular season slate —all in Kapa‘au — there’s still opportunity for Kohala to improve, or slump. Tonight, the Cowboys will host Pahoa (7-1). If Kohala beats the Daggers, it will disrupt the standings and provide a chance for the Cowboys to shoot for a higher seed.
HPA and Parker will also be important matchups, as the No. 5 Bulls (5-3) narrowly trail Kohala and the No. 6 Ka Makani (3-3) will also be fighting for a better postseason berth.
Honoka‘a fell to a 3-4 record and the No. 7 league standing in its third straight loss. Though the Dragons are still in the playoff hunt, they will need to end their skid to stay in it.
On Monday, Honoka‘a will host Parker for a decisive matchup. The Bulls are in a similar boat — hitting some mid-late season road bumps and trying to maintain their playoff seed.
Honoka‘a will wrap up its season with a road test at Hawaii Prep next Thursday (April 18) and a home game against Konawaena the following Friday.
JV score: Kohala won in 3 (25-21, 22-25, 15-13).
KS-HAWAI‘I 3, KEA‘AU 0
The Warriors won the first of two matchups this week against Kea‘au High, sweeping the Cougars Tuesday night on their own court.
KSH prevailed in lopsided sets of 25-15, 25-12 and 25-9.
Setter Kalena Launiu and hitter Nainoa Paio have been prominent forces on the court all season for KSH, and Tuesday night was no exception. Launiu notched 14 assists and Paio led the Warriors with eight kills. Lansyn Apigo made an impact from the service line, serving five aces.
The two Division I Puna teams will butt heads again tonight, this time on the Warriors’ court. It will be their last encounter of the regular season, and KSH has so far dominated the rivalry 2-0.
The Warriors (7-1) will stay busy, next jumping into a Friday night home game against Waiakea High.
Kea‘au (1-7) will also face Waiakea next, traveling on Tuesday to WHS.
JV score: KSH won in 2 (25-22, 25-21).
BASEBALL: KONA 20, KOHALA 8
Thanks for Konawaena baseball’s four innings with four or more runs, the Wildcats were able to run-rule Kohala 20-8 in six innings on Tuesday in Kapaau.
Kona posted nine hits to the Cowboys’ seven, while also totaling less errors with two to Kohala’s four.
Wildcats center fielder Kainoa Lorenzo collected a team-high two hits, while teammates Kolt Baptista, Jaeden Meyer, Tobias Naihe, Hayden Nishida, Kainoa Smith, Tate Garana and Keale Blas got on base once apiece with hits.
Kawika Fukunaga was the game’s winning pitcher for Kona, going two innings while striking out three.
The Cowboys scored eight runs in the second and third innings, but couldn’t produce anything after that. Hezekiah Wilson posted a game-high three hits, while teammate Ryzen Cazimero-Bautista logged two of his own. Isaac Salvador-Libron and Trycen Alejando additionally had one hit each for Kohala. The Cowboys went through three pitchers across the afternoon.
The Wildcats (6-2) currently sit in second in Division II, and will next play Ka‘u at 3 p.m. Wednesday in Kealakekua. The Cowboys are still winless at 0-8, and will try again at 1 p.m. Saturday against Kea‘au in Kapaau.
SOFTBALL: KS-HAWAI‘I 15, KONAWAENA 0
It was the second game in a row where Kailee Wagner homered, as the Warriors trampled the Wildcats 15-0 in a four-inning TKO and their fourth straight double-digit win and fifth run-rule victory this season on Tuesday in Puna.
Emily Hora earned the win on the mound — her sixth on the season — giving up no runs on four hits in three innings, striking out four.
Though Aleisha Estranero, Daesha Bestamente, Sunshine Taketa and Jamaica Moses were able to generate hits for the Wildcats, Konawaena was still shut out.
The Wildcats dropped to 2-6 in their second straight loss, and have just one outing remaining — next Wednesday at home against Ka‘u High (0-6). Konawaena is just barely in the BIIF DII playoff hunt at a shakey No. 4, at risk of being overlapped by No. 5 Pahoa — which is 1-4 with four games left. Ka‘u could also still rise from the cellar and into playoff territory if it can muster some wins.
The Warriors — who have secured the No. 1 BIIF DII playoff seed — will play their final regular season matchup on Saturday at home against Division I’s Hilo High.