Ryan Kaleikini and Micah Kahumoku combined for all 10 of University High’s points in the final quarter as the Junior Rainbows broke a tie for a 35-27 win over Kaimuki.

The win was UHS’ second in two games at McKinley’s Black and Gold Classic. The Jr. ‘Bows are 3-0 in preseason.

Anthony Canencia, a senior point guard, finished with just two points but was instrumental as the Junior ‘Bows’ floor leader. Kaimuki battled toe-to-toe with the taller posts of UHS and had the game tied at 25-all after three quarters.

Eric Leung found Kaleikini and Kahumoku running the fast break. Canencia then found Kahumoku for a layup and UHS led 31-25 with just three minutes to play.

Kahumoku added another bucket moments later as the Junior ‘Bows opened a 10-point lead.

With the two bigs running the floor, UHS had the edge while the Bulldogs went 0-for-8 from the field in the final eight minutes. Kaimuki also shot just 1-for-5 from the foul line in the second half.

J.R. Betiru had seven points for Kaimuki. Christian Ono and Jerry Betiru added six apiece.

Kahumoku, a baseball player, is playing varsity basketball for the first time. He finished with 12 points and Kaleikini had 10. Last year’s team finished second in the ILH (D-II) and lost in the opening round of the state tournament.

"We’ve just got to work on our turnovers a little bit. We’re going to do our best to win a championship. Going to states (in Division II) is our goal," Canencia said.

UHS coach Walt Quitan is just glad to see Canencia healthy. The senior missed his first two seasons with football-related injuries. He skipped football as a junior, but started at quarterback for Pac-Five this fall.

"We found a way to make some plays at the end," Quitan said, noting that several players are currently out with injuries or academic probation. "Even last night, we’ve struggled, but we stepped up in the fourth quarter."

At UHS, a small school with a small roster, quality depth is a major plus.

"Micah’s a real athletic kid. We had him the program as a seventh- or eighth-grader for a couple of days, but he decided to focus on baseball. He’s a talented kid," Quitan said.

Kaimuki dropped to 0-5 overall as an almost brand-new nucleus finds its groove. All but one loss has been by a single-digit margin.

"Our offensive play was a plus, but we made turnovers, missed layups, missed free throws," Kaimuki coach Brandon Young said. "We’re working on our chemistry. We’ll have four guys running a play and one guy doing something else. We’ve got to get everybody on the same page."