Prime-time viewing is rarely this entertaining, even with several scares for Moanalua fans.
They saw their team rally from a 10-point deficit to force overtime, then withstand a remarkable comeback by Waiakea before pulling out an 85-80 double-overtime win Tuesday night in the quarterfinals of Na Menehune Holiday Classic.
A frenzied crowd of about 400 watched at Moanalua’s gym. It was only fitting that the game went to extra periods after it began more than 50 minutes behind schedule.
“I’m sorry we turned this tournament into a Midnight Madness,” Moanalua coach Greg Tacon said.
Tacon didn’t need to apologize after his team and Waiakea’s provided the most exciting game of the tourney so far. Chris Hammond, who sat out last year as a junior, played his usual tough defense (six steals) and scored a career-high 20 points. He was clutch at the foul line (12-for-14) on a night when Moanalua was just 25-for-44 as a team.
“He really wants to learn. He has the length, the speed and he’s able to finish,” Tacon said.
Dillon Turk added 15 points and eight rebounds, while Daib Starks and Shane Ratledge chipped in 11 points each for No. 8 Moanalua (10-6 overall).
Senior guard Rylan Kawazoe was hot from the perimeter and finished with 17 points to lead coach Paul Lee’s Waiakea squad. The Warriors went the entire fourth quarter without scoring a basket after Hammond switched to cover Kawazoe, who scored all his points in the first three stanzas.
“We just gotta play defense. Defense wins games,” Hammond said.
Sophomore Dillon Rellez added 15 points for unranked Waiakea, while another sophomore, Lucas St. George, had 13 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Junior Owen Sandstrom also scored 13 points.
Moanalua used 15 players as early as the opening quarter, and its depth proved to be an advantage late in the game. At 77-all in the second overtime after Rellez drove for a basket, Moanalua took command. Eliet Donley hustled for a putback before a technical foul was called against Lee.
“They said I was too loud yelling that there was a push-off,” Lee said. “They didn’t give me a warning or anything. There were just a lot of calls against us that weren’t called on the other team.”
Four Warriors ended up fouling out and Lee preferred not to comment any further.
Hammond hit both technical free throws and Ratledge muscled in another tough shot on the low post to give Moanalua an 83-77 lead with 1 minute left. After turning the ball over — Waiakea had 24 turnovers in all — the Warriors opted not to foul, hoping the 35-second shot clock would be an edge. But Starks rebounded his own miss from the perimeter, and Ratledge hit a free throw with 11.6 seconds left for an 84-77 lead.
Rellez kept it interesting by stroking a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 84-80, but the tired Warriors couldn’t foul any Na Menehune until there was just three-tenths of a second left. A free throw by Kahanu Puulei-Auld finally completed the scoring.
It was a disappointing finish for Waiakea, which was sound on both ends of the floor against Moanalua’s halfcourt man and fullcourt pressure defenses until the pivotal fourth quarter.
Free throws by Sandstrom opened the Warriors’ lead to 52-42 early in the fourth, but Moanalua regrouped.
“We were a little down because they were shooting so well,” Tacon said. “We said, ‘They’re gonna miss sooner or later.’ Then we got a couple of easy buckets.”
Transition baskets helped Moanalua cut the lead to four, and they were down 62-59 in the final minute when Ratledge drove into the paint and muscled in a basket that did a toilet-bowl spin before dropping.
Fouled on the play, he rattled in a free throw to tie the game at 62-all with 18 seconds to go.
Tuesday’s other scores
McKinley 50, Punahou II 46
Roosevelt 49, Island Pacific 27
Castle 56, ‘Iolani II 45
Kalani 44, Kaiser 34
Maryknoll 60, Mililani 40
Moanalua 85, Waiakea 80, 2OT
Academy of the Pacific 52, University 41
