WAIMEA — Hawaii Preparatory Academy’s boys volleyball team won a competitive first set against Ka‘u High by a score of 25-21, but Ka Makani could not recover afterward, as the Trojans took control and won the remaining three sets — 25-18, 28-26 and 27-25.
HPA showed heart and passion through its blocking defense at the net — but Ka‘u’s strategic hitting overwhelmed Ka Makani, and set the Trojans on a roll.
With the win, Ka‘u is now tied with Pahoa (as of Thursday afternoon) in the DII standings at 7-1. The Trojans will look to stack another win and secure their standing at their next match — against the Daggers at 6 p.m. Monday in Pahoa town.
If Ka‘u can snag the No. 2 seed in the BIIF DII playoffs, it would receive byes for the first two rounds and enter in the semifinals at home. The Trojans’ final regular season outing will be Wednesday at home against Christian Liberty Academy (1-5).
HPA (3-4) fell below .500, and will try to get back on track against Ka ‘Umeke Ka‘eo PCS at 6 p.m. tonight in Castle Gym. Ka Makani will round off its season with games on Tuesday and Thursday against Kohala High (5-2) and Honoka‘a High (3-4), respectively.
WAIAKEA 3, KEALAKEHE 2
Waiakea High’s boys varsity volleyball team got a much needed win, outlasting Kealakehe High to prevail after five sets on Wednesday night in Hilo.
The sets stayed tight and the lead bounced back and forth — as the Warriors took the first set 25-20, the Waveriders won the next two 25-16 and 25-20 and Waiakea bounced back to win the fourth 25-20.
The Warriors prevailed 15-9 in the fifth set to notch their second win on the season and exit a five-game skid — moving to a 2-5 record.
Waiakea will be back in action tonight for their last of three regular season matchups against KS-Hawai‘i (7-1). This season, KSH is 2-0 against Waiakea — and 6-2 in sets.
Kealakehe sank to 3-5, and will look to find some success in another trip to Hilo tonight — as the ‘Riders face the 5-1 Vikings, who swept them in their last two encounters.
If the Warriors win their next game and the ‘Riders lose theirs, Waiakea will knock Kealakehe out of the No. 3 standing in BIIF DI. Both teams are still comfortably in the playoff hunt, as No. 5 Kea‘au trails at 1-7.
JV score: Kealakehe wins in 3 (19-25, 25-19, 15-13).
PAHOA 3, KA ‘UMEKE 0
Ka ‘Umeke Ka‘eo PCS’ boys volleyball team fell in straight sets — 25-11, 25-11 and 25-18 — to Pahoa High on Tuesday night in Keaukaha.
Pahoa moved to 7-1 and, after a Thursday night game against Kohala (results will be reported soon), will close out its season with a marquee matchup against Ka‘u on Monday at home.
Ka ‘Umeke dipped to 1-5, but still has four outings left on its regular season slate — starting with a road test at HPA tonight, then on to another away game at Christian Liberty the next day.
Ka ‘Umeke’s final home game will be Tuesday (April 16) against undefeated Konawaena High (8-0). The team will end its season on April 20 in Waimea for a rivalry bout against Kanu ‘o ka ‘Aina Charter (1-7).
BASEBALL: HPA 8, HONOKA‘A 6
Hawaii Prep baseball collected its second win of the season with a road matchup against Honoka‘a on Wednesday at the Dragons’ home field, winning 8-6.
Despite winning, Honoka‘a beat out Ka Makani in hits — eight to five. However, the Dragons had five errors to HPA’s one.
Ka Makani’s Owen Smith posted a team-high two hits, while teammates Lex Ni, Asher Anderson and Leon Kikukawa had one apiece. HPA as a team was walked eight times.
Honoka‘a’s Heolu Bertleman-Makani had the only home run of the afternoon with a solo shot. His teammate, Jayden Salazar, led the Dragons with two hits. Isaac DeRego, Josiah Napoleon-Umeda, Kamahao Kanekoa, Caleb Kaniho and Chrys Coelho also had one hit each.
Ka Makani pitcher Nishiki Iwai was the game’s winning ace, going six innings while striking out 10. Honoka‘a went through four pitchers throughout the outing.
Now at 2-6, HPA will look to stack more wins — with its next test against Waiakea at 3 p.m. today in Waimea.
The Dragons (3-6) sit in fifth in DII standings (as of Thursday afternoon), and will next play Ka‘u at 1 p.m. Saturday in Pahala.
LOWELL 1, KSH 0
The Warriors suffered their first loss of the season — but not officially — to visiting Lowell High of San Francisco, Calif. on Wednesday in Puna.
The Cardinals visited the isle to play three games in three days — suffering losses of 6-1 and 14-3, respectively, to Waiakea on Monday and Hilo on Tuesday before notching their first win.
The Warriors surrendered a run in the top of the first inning when an infielder errored an attempted pick-off, allowing a runner to reach home. KSH was held to one hit for the rest of the outing — Shiloh Santos’ leadoff single in the bottom first.
The Warriors went down with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, cementing their first loss on the Big Island this year. However, KSH is still undefeated in BIIF play at 9-0 — so the loss to Lowell won’t really affect anything, other than bragging rights.
The Cardinals will return to the Bay Area for a game on Saturday, the same day that the Warriors will complete their regular season with a home game against Hilo (7-0), the only other undefeated baseball team on the isle.
KA‘U 3, PAHOA 1
The Trojans baseball team won their second straight, beating Pahoa High 3-1 on Wednesday afternoon in Pahala.
Ka‘u moved to 5-2, tightening the Troajns’ grip on the No. 3 standing and securing a postseason berth. With three outings remaining, Ka‘u could still climb the standings, but would still remain in the top four if it lost them all.
Ka‘u’s next game will be Saturday afternoon at home against Honoka‘a High (3-6). After that, the Trojans will host Waiakea High (5-2) on Tuesday and end their season on the road against Konawaena High (6-2) the following day.
Now 3-5 and standing at No. 4, Pahoa will need to pad its record in order to guarantee a playoff appearance and distance itself from the No. 5 Dragons.
The next matchup on the Daggers’ slate is Wednesday at Kea‘au High (0-6). PHS will also play on April 19 at Kohala High (0-8). A rained out game between Pahoa and Hilo High (7-0) has yet to be rescheduled.
SOFTBALL: PAHOA 15, KA‘U 6
Pahoa softball handled business against Ka‘u on Wednesday in Pahala — beating the Trojans 15-6.
The Daggers improved to 2-4 on the year, while Ka‘u stayed in the basement of the Division II standings at 0-7.
Pahoa will next play Kea‘au at 1 p.m. Wednesday at home. The Trojans will host Honoka‘a at 11 a.m. Saturday in Pahala.