Kahuku races to OIA Red crown

This time, the Kahuku Red Raiders left no doubt.

Riding a hot start and a superlative effort from the bench, No. 6 Kahuku rolled over No. 7 Kapolei 79-60 Saturday night to capture the Oahu Interscholastic Association Red Conference title.

A crowd of about 800 watched at Jim Alegre Gymnasium.

Bronson Beatty, who returned from a football knee injury two weeks ago, came off the bench for 15 points, five assists and four rebounds to help spark Kahuku (29-9). Point guard Mason Kuali‘i-Moe had 11 points and eight assists despite foul trouble.

“I just wanted to get boards and play ‘D.’ Yesterday, we had a good practice and we worked on transition. That’s our strength,” Beatty said.

Kawehena Johnson added 14 points and Sam Ching chipped in 10.

“These kids deserve it. They’ve been through a lot these past two years,” coach Darren Johnson said. “Our bench played great and scored for us. They came up big.”

Kahuku’s bench outscored Kapolei’s reserves 29-2, preventing a collapse that could have occurred because of foul trouble for several starters. There was no drop-off in scoring or urgency.

“We handled their press better than we did Thursday, but they beat us in transition,” Kapolei coach Gary Ellison said.

Kuali‘i-Moe played with two fouls in the first half and had five assists by halftime.

“Coach trusted me,” the senior said. “We’re pushing the ball up.”

Evan Ramirez handled the ball-handling duties for stretches when Kuali‘i-Moe sat. He finished with seven points and no turnovers.

Mekeli Fiso scored all eight of his points in the opening quarter to help the Red Raiders surge ahead. With their full-court press wreaking havoc, they took a 26-9 lead early in the second quarter on Beatty’s steal and feed to reserve guard Danny Aki.

“Defense. We played better on defense,” said Fiso, who helped his team contain Kapolei’s top post player, Christopher Dillard.

“(Dillard) is a hard worker and he goes for every rebound. You just gotta make sure you box him out.”

Kapolei, which had 13 first-half turnovers, brought the lead down to seven after a 3-pointer by Joshua Wills just before intermission. The Hurricanes (28-9) cut it to 34-28 on a layup by Dillard to start the second half, but Kahuku went on a 19-7 run. That third-quarter spurt fueled a throng of Kahuku fans who made the trek, and the Red Raiders had a 53-35 lead going into the final quarter.

The Red Raiders then went on a 10-3 run to start the fourth, lifted by reserve guard Lasselle Thompson.

Near game’s end, Kuali‘i-Moe, Ching and Thompson fouled out.

Dillard had 15 points and 11 rebounds, but had just four points in the first half as Kahuku’s zone smothered the 6-foot-4 post player. Curtis Tavares finished with a team-high 18 points, and Wills added 12.

Banking on the press and a flurry of fast-break buckets, Kahuku shot 53 percent from the field (31-for-58) and outrebounded the Hurricanes 30-24.

Kapolei shot 37 percent from the field (18-for-49) and 60 percent from the foul line (18-for-30). The ’Canes had 19 turnovers.

“These guys will bounce back by tomorrow,” Ellison said. “We’ll look at film and practice. We always practice on Sundays.”

Kahuku will have an opening-round bye when the state tournament opens this week. They earned it by topping Kapolei twice in three days after losing to the Hurricanes the week before. It was Kahuku’s only loss in the double-elimination tournament.