Kamehameha stomps Kailua

The Interscholastic League of Honolulu regular season is creeping closer.

The Kamehameha Warriors look like they’re hitting their midseason stride. The Warriors used a balanced attack and nonstop fastbreak to overcome a rugged Kailua Surfriders squad 46-26 on Saturday night in the opening round of the Punahou Invitational.

The numbers seem modest enough. Kaeler Kahana led the Warriors with 10 points while Victorino-Kato and Saint Gelacio added eight each, and post Kobe Young tallied seven points. It was the machinery that hummed from the opening tip, using quick ball movement, unselfishness and precision against a physical, smothering Kailua zone defense. When Kamehameha ran the floor, it was a matter of time before their speedy lineups — five in, five out in the first half — wore down the bigger Surfriders.

“The main thing for us, we’ve got kids who can shoot, and we’ve got good decision-making. So far, so good,” Warriors coach Greg Tacon said. “With the size Kailua has, they can change the pace and make you play their game, but we were able to run and play at our speed.”

Zack Marrotte, a transfer from Kalaheo, led Kailua with nine points. Christian Mejia, a 6-foot-4 junior, had seven of his game-high 10 rebounds in the first quarter. He added four points.

The Surfriders had just returned from a trip to Salem, Ore., on Sunday — they won two of three games and reached the finals of the Capital City Tournament — and were jet-lagged just a bit.

“We missed a whole bunch of layups at the beginning. If we make those, that would’ve changed the whole game,” Kailua coach Walter Marciel said.

Marciel had his Surfriders controlling the pace early on. But Jayden Zarriello hit a 3-pointer and scored on a transition layup to help Kamehameha open a 7-2 lead late in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Kahana was a key sparkplug again, scoring on a fastbreak layup and then a 10-foot bank shot on a pass from Saint Gelacio.

After Cade Pedro, a 6-5 reserve center, hit a mid-range jumper and Gelacio turned a steal into a layup, it was 15-4 Kamehameha. By the time the run was done, the Warriors had outscored the Surfriders 15-3 and the lead was 22-7 late in the second quarter.

By halftime, the Warriors led 28-11 after forcing 11 turnovers by Kailua. Kamehameha shot 9-for-11 from the field in the second quarter.

Just about the only thing Kamehameha didn’t do well: 6-for-14 at the free-throw line.

Kamehameha will meet Moanalua in Monday’s quarterfinal round. Moanalua is where Tacon coached just prior to coming to Kamehameha.

In other opening-round games, Kaiser defeated Punahou II 52-35, Maryknoll overwhelmed a depleted Kahuku squad 79-37, ‘Iolani outlasted Kalaheo 48-40, Wu Han (China) edged Farrington 56-54, Moanalua nudged past Cleveland (Ore.) 43-40, and El Segundo got past a scrappy McKinley squad 43-31. Punahou led Kalani in the final game, 39-20, at halftime.