KS-Hawaii drops No. 5 Punahou

One week can make all the difference.

Sixth-ranked Kamehameha-Hawaii made a turnaround at the free-throw line, hitting 27 foul shots for a stunning 63-54 win over No. 5 Punahou last night in the semifinals of the St. Francis/Merv Lopes Hoops Classic.

A vocal crowd of about 500 at Manoa Valley Recreation Center saw the Buffanblu stumble against the Warriors’ fullcourt and halfcourt traps. Over the course of the second and third quarters, the Buffanblu committed 14 turnovers and were outscored 26-11 despite a significant size advantage in the paint.

KS-Hawaii’s backcourt of Shaun Kagawa and Lanaki Apele were the driving forces to a balanced attack. Kagawa, a sophomore, had 14 points — 11 in the second half. Apele was sidelined with early foul trouble, but came back to handle the ball efficiently against Punahou’s on-ball pressure. He finished with 15 points, including 9-for-10 shooting at the charity stripe in the final quarter.

Kamehameha-Hawaii, 12-1 overall, avenged its lone loss. The Warriors fell to the Buffanblu 52-46 last week at the Punahou Invitational. That night, KS-Hawaii shot 7-for-19 from the line. This time, the Warriors shot 75 percent (27-for-36), including an impressive 17-for-20 in the fourth stanza.

"We wanted it more today," Apele said. "We put a lot of practice into shooting the past week."

Kagawa, in particular, is playing far more confidently since last week.

"I felt good. We’re just having fun," said Kagawa, who hit some difficult, hang-time layups against Punahou’s trees. "Our defense creates our offense."

At one point, Punahou was 3-for-17 at the line and finished 7-for-22. It was the biggest difference in the game.

Jayce Carvalho, a crafty 6-foot-3 pivot, tallied 14 points, eight boards and three assists as the hub of KS-Hawaii’s press-breaking offense.

Malik Johnson had 12 points, 11 rebounds and four assists for Punahou (15-4 overall). Center DeForest Buckner, one of three Buffanblu to foul out, had 12 points, three boards and five blocks. Lowell Tong added 10 points for Punahou, which finished with 19 turnovers and shot 41 percent (21-for-51).

Kailua 48, Kamehameha II 45

In the other semifinal, Rhys Nakakura and Kila Zuttemeister scored 11 points each as the Surfriders escaped with a win. Kailua led 27-17 at the half, but saw it dwindle to one point after a torrent of turnovers and iffy shot selection.

Kailua will meet KS-Hawaii in tonight’s final.