KAPA‘AU — It’s starting to become a regular occasion for Kohala boys basketball.
On Tuesday night inside King Kamehameha Park Gymnasium, the Cowboys celebrated their 2023-24 Division II state championship prior to tipoff of their home opener against Laupahoehoe — receiving their championship rings and unveiling the third state banner in school history.
But since Kohala has won three state titles over the last four seasons, coach Kihei Kapeliela was asked if nights like Tuesday ever get old.
“No, never,” he said with a smile postgame. “But on nights like tonight, sometimes it’s harder to stay focused with everything going on, so I just wanted the boys to come out focused (against the Seasiders).”
And coming out focused, the Cowboys did. With strong full-court defense and getting out in transition quickly on offense, Kohala was able to overwhelm Laupahoehoe in an 87-16 win. The winners shared the ball throughout the night, and were rewarded with five double-digit scorers — Hezekiah Wilson (17), Royden Tabiolo (14), Isaac Salvador-Libron (13), Lucky Kobeney (12) and Jordan Manantan (10). Star forward Jayden Hook also had nine for the Cowboys.
“They wanted to come out and play hard in front of our crowd, and I think they did,” Kapeliela added.
For the Seasiders, Xavier Abair was the leading scorer with eight.
Former Kohala star guard Layden Kauka, who was a central contributor to the 2022-23 and 2023-24 state titles for the black and gold, was also in attendance to receive his ring and catch up with his old teammates and coaches. Kauka has since transferred to Utah Prep to continue his basketball career — one of the top high school programs in the nation.
“Always great to see him; he’s like family,” Kapeliela said. “We’re proud of him and what he’s doing now.”
With their non-conference slate officially out of the way, the Cowboys will turn their focus to the Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF) field, playing the remainder of their regular season games on the island.
With half the season left before playoffs, Kapeliela looks at the remaining games as an opportunity to keep growing as a unit. Thus far, Kohala is averaging 74 points while allowing less than 29 in its first two games against BIIF competition.
“We’ve had some injuries, and we’re still trying to find the right mix. Different leaders this year and guys have different roles. We have a lot we can improve on, just have to keep getting better every day,” he said.
The Cowboys will return to action tonight, hosting Kamehameha Schools-Hawai‘i at 5:30 p.m. at home. Junior varsity will play first.
Laupahoehoe will host Pahoa at 6 p.m. this evening.
Honoka‘a 53, Parker 39
Honoka‘a girls basketball reached over .500 in BIIF play after a 53-39 victory over Parker on Tuesday inside the Lady Dragons’ gymnasium.
Ava Tabucbuc, who averages 11 points per game for Honoka‘a, finished with a team-high 13 points. Teammates Leola Kekuewa, Aubrie Tabiesa and Kili Correira-Tavoi combined for 25.
Lady Bull Adalyn Ballard, who has been carrying Parker’s offense with 16 points per game, added a game-high 18 points. Sienna Long also dropped nine points for Parker.
Improving to 4-5 overall and 4-3 in the BIIF, the Dragons will next travel to Kea‘au to take on the Lady Warriors on Friday night at KSH’s gymnasium.
The Lady Bulls remain winless at 0-4, and will next travel to the east side to face Kea‘au at 6 p.m. Saturday on the Lady Cougars’ home floor.
Ka‘u 70, Kealakehe 17
Ka‘u girls basketball rebounded after falling to Konawaena on the road last weekend, redeeming itself with a 70-17 rout of Kealakehe in Pahala.
The paper was unable to obtain a list of the top scorers by deadline.
The Lady Trojans improved to 6-3 overall and 4-2 in the conference, averaging 40.7 points overall while allowing less than 34. Their next challenge will be DII rival Kohala on Saturday at King Kamehameha Park Gymnasium. Junior varsity will tip off first at 5 p.m.
The Lady Waveriders fell to 0-4, and will return to action against Parker on Dec. 30 at Kealakehe High School.