Lahainaluna burns Kalaheo inside out

Methodical, surgical and precise.

The Lahainaluna Lunas got 14 points and 13 rebounds from Cyrus Kama and dominated the paint for a surprisingly easy 57-27 victory over Kalaheo in Division I opening-round play of the Hawaiian Airlines/HHSAA Boys Basketball State Championships at McKinley Student Council Gymnasium.

Kama, a 6-foot-4 junior, was just one part of a balanced effort. Jose Madera, a 6-5 junior, scored a game-high 16 points as the Lunas dominated the boards 44-13.

Lahainaluna (14-7), the MIL runner-up, will play top-seeded ‘Iolani on Thursday in a 7 p.m. matchup at McKinley.

"It worked out pretty good tonight. We studied film on (Kupaa Harrison). He’s a great player and we studied him all week," Kama said of Kalaheo’s best interior defender.

In an era of stretch 4s and 5s, Lahainaluna’s big men have mastered post play within their unique offense.

"Coach (John Dudley) doesn’t let us shoot 3s, so we listen to Coach. That’s not our game. We stick inside," Kama said.

Madera was the recipient of many entry passes from Kama.

"This is our game. We have good post coaches," said Madera, who was

7-for-13 from the field, including an air ball on a rare 3-point shot.

In some ways, the Lunas are very similar to the patient, inside-out ‘Iolani Raiders. They shot 47 percent from the field (23-for-49) against the Mustangs.

"We’ll go back to the hotel room, study video and get ready for ‘Iolani," Kama said. "We played against them in preseason. We lost by 10 and it was physical underneath. Both teams got better, so we’ll see tomorrow night."

Dudley’s team was patient offensively, running his version of a flex and weave hybrid offense. Guard Marvin Sidon, a junior, had five assists and led an attack that had just 10 turnovers against Kalaheo’s mix of zone and man defenses.

It was a rough go of it for defending state champion Kalaheo, which lost most of its scoring and rebounding to graduation. Still, the Mustangs had a strong OIA season before losing in the semifinals.

Then leading scorer Harrison injured an ankle in the OIA third-place game against Moanalua and sat out of practice all week. He managed to score three points, grab four boards and dish four assists. Alec MacLeod and Kekai Smith led the Mustangs (25-8) with nine points apiece for coach Alika Smith’s young squad.

The game went back and forth for a quarter. Kalaheo trailed 10-8 going into the second quarter, but by then, Harrison had retweaked his injured ankle. Lahainaluna took control in the second quarter. Madera, using a nice mix of shimmy and up-and-under moves on the low post, scored nine of his 11 first-half points in the second quarter. He scored five points in a row during a 15-2 run. After he drove and scored on a three-point play, the Lunas led 25-10 and switched from man defense to a sticky 2-3 zone.

Kalaheo got no closer than 13 the rest of the way.

Dudley was pleased. He didn’t start coaching varsity basketball until 2007 at Seabury Hall. With his son graduated from high school, he came out of retirement to lead the program at Lahainaluna four years ago.

"I’m fortunate I’ve got great assistants. We’ve got young kids, only two seniors, and when you have a signature win over a great program and great coach in Alika Smith, it’s good not only for our varsity, but our junior varsity and our menehune program," he said. "It’s the same thing with Todd Rickard’s (Lahainaluna girls) program. The younger ones see and believe in what you’re doing."

Calvin Chapital added 13 points for the Lunas, including two treys.

"Our guards have learned that if they’re patient and run what we want to run, they’ll get their points," he said. "Hopefully, we can do that tomorrow. ‘Iolani is the program, so to speak. Dean (Shimamoto) does an incredible job with those guys."

Before moving to Maui, Dudley’s son played at Saint Louis for Darryl Gabriel.

"I didn’t coach there, but I sat behind the bench and picked up a lot of things in four years," Dudley said.

KALAHEO–Zachary Marrotte 2, Alexander MacLeod 9, Kupaa Harrison 3, Kekai Smith 9, LaDara Barnes 0, Peter Santiago 0, Micah Koyama-Holeso 0, Dario Del Castillo 4, Thomas Focht 0, Kela Thomas 0, Andrew Hernandez 0, Kennedy Quinn 0, Christian Graham 0, Abel Kanehe 0.

LAHAINALUNA–Marvin Sidon 3, Calvin Chapital 13, Penisimani Taufa 7. Cyrus Kama 14, Jose Madera 16, Nicolas Vierra 0, Brandon Agapay 0, Joshua Corpuz 1, Kalalani Kaaikala 2, Lauren Corpuz 0, Zac Carlton 1, Scott Isaac Medeiros-Tangitailoa 0, Willem Thorebeck 0.

3-point goals–Kalaheo 2 (MacLeod 2). Lahainaluna 3 (Chapital 2, Sidon).

Campbell 46, Leilehua 35

Senior guard Gilbert Dayanan pumped in 15 points and the cagey Sabers limited the Mules to 22 percent shooting from the field to advance. Dayanan, who has played exceptionally well in the postseason, was 8-for-8 at the free-throw line and also hauled in a team-high nine rebounds. He had nine points in the first half as Campbell took a 21-15 lead.

Joseph Gauty led Leilehua with 14 points. Torenzo Vereen added 11 points and a game-high 10 boards.

Campbell (18-10), the OIA Red runner-up, will meet fourth-seeded Konawaena on Thursday in a 5 p.m. quarterfinal at McKinley. Leilehua (14-12) will drop to the consolation bracket.

LEILEHUA–Kainoa Aleviado 2, AJ Gainwell 0, Koa Kauhi 2, Pomai Cozo 4, Torenzo Vereen 11, Chanse Ramirez 0, Joseph Gouty 14, Kevin Brown 0, Elijah Calzo 0, Dyllan Amond 0, Bryan Mason 2.

CAMPBELL–Jomar Gapusan 0, Isaac Hurd 6, Joshua Forte 0, Gilbert Dayanan 15, Melvin Bergado 4, Michael Merchant 0, Jayce Bantolina 5, Lamart Dudley 8, Kainoa Perry 2, Alex Layi 6.

3-point goals–Leilehua 2 (Gouty 2). Campbell 1 (Dayanan).