‘Iolani outlasts Kamehameha

‘Iolani had all the answers and finally pulled away from Kamehameha for a 46-37 victory Wednesday night.

The Raiders, the state Division I runners-up a year ago, played their customary tenacious defense and sealed it by hitting eight of 12 free throws in the final 2:50.

“Defense is our calling card, it always has been and it always will be,” ‘Iolani head coach Dean Shimamoto said after the Interscholastic League of Honolulu season opener for both teams at the Warriors’ Kekuhaupio Gym. “We played well both offensively and defensively in the first half and we hit kind of a lull in the third quarter. The second half was really physical and they caught us off guard. But in the fourth quarter, we were able to fight it off and make the inside finishes.”

That third-quarter bump was caused by an aggressive Kamehameha defense that came out after the break looking much like how the Raiders operate. As a result, the Warriors trimmed a 29-19 halftime deficit to just 32-28 entering the fourth.

Twice, the Warriors cut it to two points, the last at 34-32 on Peter Hanohano-Hashimoto’s corner jumper.

But ‘Iolani quickly pulled away to get it to 37-32, thanks in part to 6-foot-9 junior center Hugh Hogland’s inside bucket on a pass from Zack Gelacio.

That’s when Helam Baldomero put his signature on the victory. The junior guard scored on a baseline drive and then went 5-for-6 from the line for a huge 44-36 lead with 1:11 to go.

In a desperate comeback attempt, Kamehameha heaved up and missed five 3-pointers. Altogether, the Warriors tried only eight shots from 3-point land all night, and that was not enough, according to head coach Greg Tacon.

“We got it to two points and missed our next shot,” Tacon said. “After that, it was an uphill climb. We like to shoot 15 to 20 3s a game. We only made one tonight. We got some easy looks in the third quarter, but ‘Iolani didn’t falter. That’s the way their program is run. They are very efficient.”

Raiders senior Robby Mann led all scorers with 14 points. Hogland added 12 and was his usual defensive menace with four blocked shots. He also altered the angle of many other Kamehameha shots with his presence and long arms in the middle.

“We were a little cold shooting in the second half, but we kept pounding it into the paint to Hugh,” Mann said.

Tacon thought Hogland was a handful.

“He’s (6-foot-9) and he weighs a ton,” Tacon said. “We thought we might be able to tire him out, but we didn’t. He forces us to concentrate on defending him and that leads to their other guys getting to the basket. He’s too good. There isn’t anybody in Hawaii who can match up with him. And he’s a terrific passer, too.”

Kaeler Kahana led the Warriors with 11 points, including a fourth-quarter trey that temporarily cut the deficit to five. Kobe Young added seven points.

“Coach told us we played pretty good,” Young said. “We matched them physically. He told us to keep our heads up and focus on the next game.”

The next game pits two 0-1 teams usually considered league powerhouses — Kamehameha at Punahou on Saturday.

“How many times has Kamehameha faced Punahou with both teams 0-1,” Tacon said. “Maybe never.”