For one night, the St. Francis Saints competed with the big boys and pulled out a victory.
Kameron Ng scored 21 points, hitting nine of 10 free throws in the fourth quarter, as No. 5 St. Francis stunned No. 2 Maryknoll 55-48 in the semifinals of the Punahou Invitational on Friday night at Hemmeter Fieldhouse.
The Division II Saints (16-2) had battled the Interscholastic League of Honolulu’s other D-I powerhouses, Punahou and Kamehameha, in close games before losing during preseason tournaments. St. Francis was dependent on Ng, a junior guard, but this time, the Saints had no choice but to spread the wealth when he picked up his third foul and sat on the bench with 7:19 left in the second quarter.
“It’s the best game we’ve played all year,” St. Francis coach Ron Durant said. “I challenged our guys in our pre-game talk at the school. We have yet to have all five (starters) contribute at the same time.”
Ng added three assists and had just one turnover.
“I just felt kind of helpless (on the bench), but I told my teammates to keep attacking. We got to the bucket easily,” he said. “It feels good to get this win. Hopefully, we have a good game against Punahou or Tesoro.” (Punahou beat Tesoro 44-41 in the other semifinal.)
With Ng on the bench, a two-point Maryknoll margin turned into a 22-13 lead for the Spartans after Makoto Kamata splashed a 3 and Jaylen Cain worked in the paint for a bucket and a free throw.
Instead of crumbling, the Saints found their rhythm with Kordell Ng, Kameron’s younger brother, operating at the point. He drove for a lefty layup, and then the Saints got a 3-pointer from Jett Tanuvasa and two from Bryce Nishida, who also hit two foul shots during the run. After Manoa Kuali‘i-Moe scored inside on a three-point play, Maryknoll’s lead was down to 30-29 late in the first half.
Kameron Ng returned to the floor in the second half and tied the game at 32 with an open 3, and his free throws tied the game at 34 and 36 before Nishida stroked a straightaway 3 to give the Saints a 39-36 lead. They never trailed again.
Maryknoll shot 53 percent from the field (10-for-19) in the first half against man-to-man defense, but against a 2-3 zone in the second half, they struggled. The Spartans shot 24 percent (6-for-25), including 1-for-11 from the 3-point arc.
Tanuvasa’s second 3 of the game beat the buzzer at the end of the third quarter, and the Saints led 44-39.
Using the same recipe that led to a win over a big Sequoia (Calif.) team in the quarterfinals, St. Francis spread the court in the fourth quarter. Maryknoll was within 46-43 after Kamata stole the ball from Kameron Ng and fed Marcus Tobin for a layup with 2:08 remaining.
Ng then sank four free throws in a row, and Cain, who had all 11 of his points in the first half, fouled out. Isiah Gelacio hit a mid-range jumper to cut the lead to 52-48 with 29.7 seconds left, but again, Ng sank two foul shots. Maryknoll didn’t score again.
PRESEASON TOURNAMENTS
Punahou Boys Basketball Invitational
Varsity boys
Mid-Pacific 73, Punahou II 53
Hilo 51, Sequim (Wash.) 50
Corona Del Mar (Newport Beach, Calif.) 75,
Sequoia (Redwood City, Calif.) 61
Leigh (San Jose, Calif.) 84, Hawaii Baptist 63
KS-Hawaii 55, Damien 47
South Anchorage (Alaska) 57, Kamehameha II 45
St. Francis 55, Maryknoll 48
Punahou 44, Tesoro 41 (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.)
Today
Punahou II vs. Sequim (Wash.), 9:30 a.m.
Mid-Pacific vs. Hilo, 11 a.m.
Damien vs. Kamehameha II, 12:30 p.m.
Sequoia (Redwood City, Calif.) vs. Hawaii Baptist, 2 p.m.
South Anchorage (Alaska) vs. KS-Hawaii, 3:30 p.m.
Corona Del Mar (Newport Beach, Calif.) vs. Leigh (San Jose, Calif.), 5 p.m.
Tesoro (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) vs. Maryknoll, 6:30 p.m.
St. Francis vs. Punahou, 8 p.m.
OIA EAST
Varsity girls
Kahuku 70, Castle 40
Roosevelt 43, McKinley 38
Kaimuki 58, Farrington 39
Moanalua 39, Kaiser 27
Leading scorers—Kah: Sisilia Kaufusi 32, Leiah Naeata 12, Meleane Tonga 10. Cast: Sheri Alvarado 12, Briarra Nakihei 16. Roos: Haven Gabriel 15. McK: Nicole Venzon 10. Kaim: Kaelyn Espinda 20, Sonia Palik 13. Farr: Allani Talapu 9.
Junior varsity girls
Castle 38, Kahuku 34
Moanalua 52, Kaiser 31
Roosevelt 36, McKinley 28
Farrington 51, Kaimuki 31
OIA WEST
Varsity girls
Radford 46, Waialua 16
Campbell 36, Nanakuli 34
Kapolei 53, Pearl City 15
Mililani 62, Aiea 23
Leading scorers—Rad: Salara Dill 14, Maika Wojtal 10. Wail: Trinity Ozoa 4, Tausala Moeaveave 4. Camp: Gieanni Balino 10. Nan: Kalei Cates 12, Kanani Diamond 10. Kapo: Alexis Correa 17, Ashlyn Velasco 12. PC: Jasmine Calderon 5. Mil: Dahlis Sablay 20, Kalena Gibson 13, Cheyenne Ardona 10. Aiea: Angelica Moli 8.
Junior varsity girls
Campbell 40, Nanakuli 35
Kapolei 36, Pearl City 30
BIIF
Varsity girls
Honokaa 29, KS-Hawaii 28
Leading scorers—Hon: Bella Fernandez 8. KSH: Nique Pacheco 11.
MIL
Varsity girls
Seabury 52, Lanai 18
Leading scorers—Sea: Anaulei Tuivai 32, Ameera Waterford 11. Lan: Brandi-Lee Medeiros 4.
