Hawaii Preparatory’s magical postseason run fell just short in Friday’s HHSAA Division II Boys Basketball Championship on O‘ahu.
Ka Makani fell 49-33 to Seabury Hall, handing the Spartans their first state championship. HPA reached its first state championship game since 2014, finishing the year 21-8 overall and 13-3 in the Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF).
“It was just an amazing experience,” Ka Makani head coach and head of school Fred Wawner told West Hawaii Today of the deep playoff run. “I told our kids that when you put your heart and soul into something and it hurts when it doesn’t end the way you want it to, it actually means you did it right.
“Our goal is to always be in the last game and get every ounce and every drop out of the season. And we did that. We got to the last game, which is really cool for our school and our kids. I’m proud of the effort and journey, and I think we learned a lot.”
HPA — a tall, physical team that prides itself in grinding out wins with an imposing presence — met its match against Seabury. The Spartans have a disposal of long, athletic guards that are able to attack off the dribble from several different spots on the floor. Seabury got off to a hot 9-0 start that set the tone for the remainder of the night, getting buckets from senior Bromo Dorn and junior Sebastian Peterson. Ka Makani trailed 14-3 after the first quarter, as only sophomore guard Micah Yamasaki and senior forward Cam Root could produce points.
HPA settled in more into the second and third quarters, as star sophomore big man Vander Eberhard found his groove near the end of the third after a quiet first half.
With Ka Makani trailing by 10 heading into the fourth, the Spartans responded with another 14-point period — as Dorn and Peterson both executed with needed baskets to pull ahead. HPA scored just eight points in the last eight minutes.
“(Seabury) is a little more explosive than we are now, and Scott Prather (Seabury’s coach) does a really good job,” Wawner added. “We made it hard for them to score. (The Spartans) did a nice job with their length and packing it inside, and we had a tough time putting the ball through the hoop.
“(Seabury) is a talented group. They have a little more seniority on us, which you could feel at times with their confidence. But I thought our kids battled. We’re just not quite there yet offensively.”
Dorn finished with a game-high 20 points to go along with seven rebounds and three steals. He was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Peterson added 17 points, seven boards and two steals. The star pair were the only Spartans that scored in double figures.
Seabury ends this season on a 14-game win streak, averaging 73.3 points per game overall while allowing 28.9. Dorn finished as one of the top scorers in the state — averaging 25.5 points per game. Peterson averaged 16.1.
Eberhard was Ka Makani’s only double-digit scorer with 11. He also logged four rebounds and two blocks. The star finished the year averaging 16 points per game, including a season-high 26 against Honoka‘a on Jan. 13.
Wawner praised the young, 6-foot-7 swingman’s impact on the group this season — citing that the sky’s the limit in terms of his potential. Eberhard attended middle school at HPA, and spent his freshman season at Christ the King in Queens, N.Y., before returning to the red and white in 2024-25.
“He’s a talented kid with a ton of potential,” Wawner said. “He works hard and wants to beat that potential. He’s a joy to coach — super talented, and he anchored us. His presence allowed us to do other things and allowed his teammates to shine, because he gets so much attention on offense.”
Eberhard’s teammates — Root and junior guard Kingdon Simmons — combined for 13.
The red and white finished the year averaging 58.6 points per game while allowing 38.6. They finished second in BIIF Division II — a run that included a 12-game win streak from late December to early February.
En route to the state title game, HPA beat Kauai 59-49 in Wednesday’s quarterfinals and Aiea 61-51 in Thursday’s semifinal.
While the end result wasn’t what Ka Makani wanted, Wawner said the team is holding its head high — recognizing the youth and potential the group has. HPA has just four seniors that are set to graduate this spring, with many of their core players still remaining in underclassmen studies. With the team’s youth playing to its advantage, coupled with the heartbreak of losing on the big stage, Wawner believes the boys will be motivated coming into the 2025-26 season.
“These kids love basketball and they love each other,” he said. “They’re hungry, and I think there’s a bright future. And it’s part of the journey. We want to teach them that hard work is important, and that you have to put in as much as you can, open up your heart, be vulnerable and get back after it.”
Wawner additionally praised the competition across BIIF Division II this season, noting that the overall play is as strong as it’s ever been.
“When BIIF teams come to state, they’re going to be ready because of the competition they faced on the Big Island,” he said. “We come over with some scratches and scars, but it actually prepares us to have some success over (in the state tournament). Honoka‘a and Kohala have had some amazing runs. All these teams that we’re playing, we battle. And it’s going to stay that way.”
Kohala places third in DII
Kohala’s attempt at a third straight Division II state championship was cut short in Thursday’s state semifinal against eventual champion Seabury Hall at Kaimuki High School. The Cowboys fell 59-49 in a rematch of last season’s DII state title game, in which Kohala won a 49-45 thriller.
Trailing 16-14 after a quarter, the Spartans elevated their defensive play — holding the defending champion Cowboys to just five points in the last eight minutes of the first half.
Kohala responded out of halftime with a 17-point third quarter spearheaded by guards Layden Kauka and Isaac Salvador-Libron.
With the game close entering the fourth, Seabury closed with a 20-point quarter to ultimately get its vengeance on Kohala from 2023-24. But with 1:18 to go, Salvador-Libron sank a 3-pointer from the left wing to cut the deficit to 53-49.
In the ensuing possession, Salvador-Libron swiped the ball from guard Sebastian Peterson and started racing back in transition. Peterson almost immediately returned the favor — poking the ball loose near the Spartans’ 3-point line, which led to Salvador-Libron diving to the floor to regain possession. Peterson then stood over Salvador-Libron trying to rip the ball out of his hands. Once Peterson got the ball back, Kauka wrapped him up from nearby to stop the play — assuming that it would be a jump ball between Salvador-Libron and Peterson. Instead, Kauka was called for the reach-in foul, leading to two Seabury free throws.
The referee call appeared controversial, as everyone in the gym seemed to believe it was initially a jump-ball. Cowboys coach Kihei Kapeliela thought Kauka shouldn’t have been called for the foul, and believed the moment halted their late-game momentum.
“It was a great hustle play by Isaac (Salvador-Libron),” he said. “He dove for the ball, and was lying flat on his stomach. He had an arm locked on it. (Peterson) was bent over him and (Salvador-Libron) didn’t have the momentum to pull the ball away.”
Kapeliela also explained that he tried to call timeout when he saw Salvador-Libron have brief possession of the ball during the tussle, but his request was not seen in time.
“That would have been our ball,” he said. “That jump ball would have been our ball. We had some time left.”
The following final minute consisted of the Spartans making five more free throws, and the Cowboys failed to put the ball in the hoop again.
Bromo Dorn led Seabury with 27 points, eight rebounds and three steals. Peterson added 20 points, seven boards and six assists. Kohala was led by Salvador-Libron and Kauka, who combined for 41 of its 49 points.
Kauka was dealing with an ankle injury that was suffered in the Cowboys’ 50-22 quarterfinal win over Damien on Wednesday. Kapeliela told the paper that Kauka’s ankle was “maybe 50%” during the battle against the Spartans. Still, Kauka poured in 20 points in a valiant effort.
“He tried to do as much as he could on one leg,” Kapeliela said. “He still played well, but we would have liked to see him at 100%.”
Seabury went on to win the DII title, while Kohala was diverted to the third-place game against Aiea on Friday, in which it won 61-48. Kauka scored 24 points, while senior teammate Jayden Hook added 19 with seven boards. Taylor Moku and Shealand Kazama were Na Alii’s only double-digit scorers, combining for 22.
“We were down after the Seabury game, but we wanted to make sure we ended the year on a high note,” Kapeliela explained. “We wanted them to play hard in the third-place game for their families and the people who traveled to see us play all season.
“We came out a little flat in the first half (against Aiea), but we tried to remind them at halftime of who and what they’re playing for. And they came out with way more energy in the second half, and we were able to put them away after about three quarters.”
Despite falling short of a three-peat, the Cowboys have much to be proud of in their 19-8 season. The black and gold won another BIIF DII crown, beating HPA 38-29 in the island championship on Feb. 12. Kohala finished 12-2 in conference play, averaging 56.6 points per game while allowing 43.8.
Hook and Salvador-Libron — two critical pieces from the Cowboys’ last two state titles — will be graduating this spring, but the future remains bright for the North Hawai‘i powerhouse. Key contributors Kauka, Dillon Oandasan and Royden Tabiolo are only juniors, and Kohala has promising young talent that is continuing to develop — such a lengthy sophomore big man Liam Howard.
While Kohala isn’t sure if Kauka will return to the Cowboys for his senior season, Kapeliela believes the wound of falling short this time around may motivate the star to return and help bring Kohala back to state glory.
“This one hurt him,” Kapeliela said. “So I think he feels like he wants to come back and show everybody what we missed out on this year.”
Kapeliela also said that the team will be more motivated than ever to get back to the state-title stage next season.
“They’ve all lived it and seen it, they know what it takes to be on the big stage. I was talking to some of them, and they are ready to put in work … even starting today. They’re on a mission.”
KSH falls in DI consolation
After falling short to eventual state champion Punahou in the Division I state quarterfinals earlier in the week, Kamehameha Schools-Hawai‘i lost 52-46 in Thursday’s fifth-place consolation semifinals to Kailua.
The Warriors got off to a 13-8 start after a quarter, but the Surfriders punched back with a 21-point outburst in the final eight minutes of the half. Kailua then locked in defensively, holding KSH to 14 points over the last two quarters of regulation.
Maddox Pung led Kailua with 15 points and seven boards, while teammate Skyler Unten added 11 points and 10 rebounds. The Warriors were led by Kiai Yasso, who scored a team-high 15 points. Yasso finished 2024-25 averaging 15.5 points per game. Teammate Kawohi Huihui added 14, while Clay Ching had 13.
KSH finished the year at 20-5 overall and 15-1 in the BIIF — winning the BIIF DI title over Konawaena on Feb. 12 by a score of 71-54. The Warriors averaged 66.3 points per game overall while allowing 44.7. Their highest point in the season came from late December to mid-February, where they won 14 straight games. KSH scored 70-or-more points nine times.
The Surfriders went on to win the fifth-place championship against Leilehua on Friday in a 69-68 thriller. They ended 2024-25 with a 26-5 overall record.
All-Tournament teams
Division I
• Caelan Fernando, Saint Louis
• Tate Takamiya, Punahou
• Trey Ambrozich, University
• Pupu Sepulona, Saint Louis
• Ronin Naihe, Kahuku
• Most Outstanding Player: Zion White
Division II
• Layden Kauka, Kohala
• Sebastian Peterson, Seabury
• Vander Eberhard, Hawaii Prep
• Shealand Kazama, Aiea
• Jayden Hook, Kohala
• Most Outstanding Player: Bromo Dorn, Seabury
