Foothill tops Kapolei for Lopes title

There was nothing little about Foothill center Torrance Littles.

The 6-foot-6 sophomore had 15 points, nine rebounds and three blocks as Foothill (Nev.) fought off Kapolei 59-47 to capture the championship of the St. Francis Merv Lopes Hoops Classic on Saturday night.

"He’s our youngest player, but he didn’t play like it tonight. He’s a quiet kid, but can’t mistake anything about him because of that. He loves to compete," coach Kevin Soares said.

A boisterous crowd of about 300 watched at Manoa Valley Recreation Center.

"It’s a little bittersweet because one of our players is from here and he didn’t get to play much," Soares said of guard Brannon Cresanto, who reinjured a knee during the quarterfinals. "I’m real sad he didn’t get the opportunity to play in his hometown, so we wanted to win this for him."

Littles came through on a night when standout guard Elijah Smith, the tournament’s most valuable player, struggled with foul trouble. Smith finished scoreless on four shot attempts, but deep-range bomber Austin Starr led the way with 26 points.

Guard Jalen Shepard came through with nine points and a solid backcourt game despite heavy pressure from Kapolei.

"We’ve got some kids who played crucial in the summer, and they stepped up again," Soares added.

Starr was 6-for-17 from the 3-point arc, and 22 turnovers by the Falcons allowed Kapolei to stay in the game.

Christopher Dillard led Kapolei, ranked No. 10 in the Star-Advertiser Top 10, with 17 points. Joshua Wills added 14 and Curtis Tavares added 10. The ‘Canes played without head coach Gary Ellison, who stayed home with an illness.

"It’s not about winning or losing, it’s about how you show up, so I’m proud of the boys and so is Coach Ellison," assistant coach Kenneth Tangjin said. "(Littles) was tough. We had to box him out and we knew he’d still block shots. He’s a heckuva player. He’ll be playing D-I college ball somewhere."

The Hurricanes trailed

38-25 early in the third quarter, but chipped away while sitting in a 2-3 matchup zone, and then later, a tight man-to-man.

A midrange bank shot by Joshua Wills brought the ‘Canes within 48-43 with 4:05 remaining. From there, as it was all game long, it was a physical duel resembling a rugby match more than a game of hoops.

Kapolei got within 51-47 on a foul shot by Wills with 1:46 left, but Shepard hit two foul shots as Foothill closed the game with an 8-2 run. The Hurricanes didn’t help matters by missing four free throws and shooting 3-for-10 from the field during the final eight minutes.

All in all, it was a title well earned by Foothill (9-3), which won four games in four days. Kapolei (8-7) had a good run as well despite playing without starting posts Elijah Gipson (concussion) and Zachary Reeves (nose) all week.