Kailua applies ‘D’ to deny Seabury Hall, gain final

Kirk Ronolo Jr.’s 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer gave Kailua its first lead against Seabury Hall on Friday.

The Surfriders never gave it back thanks to a stingy defensive performance in the second half.

After Ronolo sent Kailua into the locker room with a 26-24 lead, the Surfriders allowed just one point over the first 11 minutes of the second half on their way to a 49-36 win in the Division II semifinals of the Hawaiian Airlines/HHSAA Boys Basketball Championships at Kaimuki.

Kailua, the OIA White champion, will face top-seeded Saint Francis for the Division II championship at 5 p.m. today at Blaisdell Arena.

"They’re very excited. From where they were last season to now and you’re playing for the championship on Saturday," first-year Kailua coach Wally Marciel said. "They bought into the system and they’ve been working hard for the last 31/2 months and it shows."

Ronolo scored a game-high 23 points, but took greater satisfaction in the Surfriders’ effort on defense.

After Seabury Hall took a 22-15 lead in the second quarter, Ronolo powered the Surfriders’ comeback, and his catch-and-shoot 3-pointer with a second left in the half gave Kailua the lead and momentum.

"It was a big shot, but that defense in the second and third quarter was even bigger," Ronolo said. "If it wasn’t for our defense, that shot would have meant nothing.

"We turned it up on ‘D’ and we’re happy to be there (in the final)."

Seabury Hall hit five 3-pointers in the first half and led 22-15 in the second quarter.

Kailua went to a 1-2-2 zone to better cover the perimeter, and the Spartans struggled to get the ball to drop in the second half.

"They hit a whole bunch of 3s in the first half. They were running that high pick and we made an adjustment and went to our 1-2-2 zone, played wide for their 3-point shooters. They didn’t hit and we got rebounds," Marciel said.

Seabury Hall went a little more than 12 minutes into the second half before scoring from the field. By that time, Kailua had opened up a 45-29 lead and was well on its way to the championship game.

"I think we executed well, the kids did what we asked, but we couldn’t get the ball in the bucket," Seabury Hall coach Louis Turbeville said.

"We had good looks, things we normally would have made, but that’s just the way it goes sometimes."

Kailua will make its third appearance in the Division II title game. The Surfriders won the championship in 2009, then lost to Pahoa in the 2010 final.

"I was there my freshman year and we didn’t get it," said Ronolo, now a senior for the Surfriders. "Now I’m hoping to get one.

"We can do it with this team. We know we can do it."