BIIF hoops: Boys state tourney continues on O‘ahu

Three Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF) boys basketball teams played in the HHSAA tournament Wednesday night on O‘ahu. See the paper in the coming days for state tournament updates.

Kohala 50, Damien 22

The defending HHSAA Division II state champions started their title defense on the right foot, to say the least.

No. 4 Kohala boys basketball blasted fifth-seeded Damien 50-22 in the DII quarterfinals at Kaimuki High School. With the win, the Cowboys advanced to play No. 1 seed Seabury Hall in the semifinals late Thursday night — a rematch of last season’s DII state championship. See Saturday’s paper to read the results.

Kohala displayed one of its greatest defensive performances this season, holding the Monarchs to less than 10 points in every quarter and swiping for 15 steals. The Cowboys scored a 22-point first quarter that set the tone for the rest of the night, and Damien could not recover.

Cowboys star guard Layden Kauka finished the night with a game-high 17 points and six rebounds. He sprained his ankle in the third-quarter, and was listed as a game-time decision prior to Thursday night’s tipoff.

Kauka’s teammate Jayden Hook finished with 16 points. Hezekiah Wilson was a menace on the defensive end, logging a night-high four steals.

No Monarch reached double digits in scoring due to Kohala’s suffocating defense, but Alani Tuifua scored a team-high five points. Teammates Oli Steinhoff and Kainoa Santos added four each. It was the lowest-scoring output from Damien this season.

The Monarchs moved to the consolation bracket after winning 12 straight, where they faced Kaiser on Thursday night at Kalani High School. They moved to 19-9 overall — averaging 53.5 points per game while allowing 43.3.

The Cowboys elevated themselves to 18-7 overall — averaging 56.8 points per game while allowing 43.

HPA 59, Kauai 49

Hawaii Preparatory Academy boys basketball reached the DII semifinals after handling second-seeded Kauai at Kalani High School. Ka Makani won 59-49, improving to 20-7 overall and punching its ticket to face No. 3 Aiea late Thursday night. See Saturday’s paper to read the results.

Six-foot-seven star center Vander Eberhard finished the night with a game-high 20 points, seven boards and a block. Frontcourt teammate Cam Root added 13 points and 13 rebounds. Kingdon Simmons also swiped for four steals. The red and white average 59.4 points per game while allowing 41.2.

HPA’s suffocating defense gave the Red Raiders fits early, as Ka Makani held them to less than 10 points in each of the first two quarters. HPA entered halftime with a 29-16 lead and never gave it up from there.

Kauai had three double-figure scorers — Camren Holt-Ho with 11, Barkley Gilman with 11 and Reese Jenkins with 10. Moving to the consolation bracket to face LeJardin on Thursday, the 19-5 Red Raiders average 56.1 points per game while allowing 47.5.

Punahou 67, KSH 53

After winning 14 consecutive games and not losing since late December, third-seeded Kamehameha Schools-Hawai‘i finally fell 67-53 in the HHSAA DI quarterfinals at Moanalua High School.

The Buffanblu advanced to play in Thursday’s quarterfinals against University, while the Warriors faced Kailua in the consolation bracket.

KSH put itself in a hole early, trailing 25-11 after the first eight minutes. Punahou kept up its strong two-way play for the remainder of the night. The Warriors found themselves within seven going into the fourth quarter, but the Buffanblu kept their lead intact.

Punahou’s Ethan Chung finished the night with 18 points, while teammate Zion White added 16 points and 10 boards. Houston Hosoda and Tate Takamiya combined for 23 points, respectively.

The 26-8 Buffanblu average 64 points per game while allowing 50.

KSH was led by Kiai Yasso with 18 points and three steals. Teammate Kawohi Huihui added 15 points and seven rebounds. In 2024-25, the 20-4 Warriors average 67.1 points per game while allowing 44.4. See this weekend’s paper to read how KSH finishes in the consolation tournament.