The script seems the same every night for the Kaimuki Bulldogs.
Battle, scrap, stay close and rain 3s until they start dropping. The Bulldogs hit 10 3-pointers, including six in the third quarter, to pull away for a 58-42 win over Kalani on Friday night at Kaimuki’s gym.
The win sealed the top seed in the Oahu Interscholastic Association East, which also gave Kaimuki (8-1) a first-round bye in the Division I playoffs. The Bulldogs were relentless defensively, limiting Kalani to 5-for-28 shooting from the arc.
“That’s a totally new defense, so sometimes we were lost. Kalani is kind of a mirror of us with great shooters,” Bulldogs coach Mona Fa‘asoa said. “They’re a great team.”
A senior-night crowd went crazy during the third when Kaelyn Espinda hit four trifectas in a row. With Sonia Palik and Sirena Titer also hitting triples, the Bulldogs went on a 19-6 run for a commanding 44-28 lead late in the third.
Two free throws by Espinda, a sophomore guard, extended the lead to 18 after three quarters. Espinda finished with a game-high 20 points, including 6-for-6 shooting at the foul line. Senior Victoria Kintz tallied 19 points, eight rebounds and four blocks. Palik finished with eight points and 12 rebounds, and Titer had eight points.
Kalani, which finished regular-season play 6-3, enters the Division II playoffs next. Kirstin Kouchi scored all 10 of her points in the fourth quarter to lead the Lady Falcons. Heidi Kishaba added nine points and Daesha Viela had eight.
“They hit the shots. You’ve got to give them credit,” Kalani coach Chi Mok said of the Bulldogs. “I don’t know if we’ll see better shooters until states.”
Kaimuki outrebounded Kalani 36-25. In all, the Bulldogs shot 10-for-24 from 3-point range, the same number of makes and attempts from deep that they had in a big road win at Kahuku earlier in the week.
For Kintz and the seniors, winning the East added to the postgame senior celebration. Each senior thanked her parents. Kintz had an extra word for Fa‘asoa, who also received certificates of recognition a moment earlier from Gov. Ige and the State Legislature.
“Auntie Mona, thank you,” Kintz said. “When I got cut from Mid-Pacific varsity (as a freshman), you gave me back my love for the game.”
Kaimuki exploded to a 10-1 lead in the opening minutes, and Kouchi got into early foul trouble. The visitors switched to a zone and rallied to take a 13-12 lead on a wing 3 by Kishaba. There were four lead changes in all during the second quarter. Titer’s corner 3 on a fast break gave Kaimuki a 23-20 lead going into the break.
Then came the avalanche of 3s by the ’Dogs.
“Our bigs were late getting out to the corners,” Mok said.
OIA East girls
Kaimuki 58, Kalani 42
At Kaimuki
Kalani (6-3) 8 12 8 14 — 42
Kaimuki (8-1) 10 13 23 12 — 58
KALANI—Kirstin Kouchi 10, Daesha Viela 8, Lilehina Oyama 2, Noelle Suzuki 0, Kaylie Espinas 2, Logan Luke 4, Heidi Kishaba 9, Sydnee Kishaba 0, Kandyce Woods 7.
KAIMUKI—Sirena Titer 9, Anastasia Vea 0, Liza Anien 0, Sonia Palik 8, Keihara Henry 0, Kaelyn Espinda 20, Peka Scott 0, Victoria Kintz 19, Alissa Chon 0, Cleopatra Lauvao 0, Mele Loo-Godinet 2.
3-point goals—Kalani 5 (Kouchi 2, Viela 2, H. Kishaba), Kaimuki 10 (Espinda 4, Titer 3, Palik 2, Kintz).
Junior varsity—Kalani 44, Kaimuki 22
McKinley 56,
Moanalua 51
At McKinley
Moanalua (4-5) 10 12 17 12 — 51
McKinley (3-6) 12 14 14 16 — 56
MOANALUA—Lei-helani Talaro 1, Kylie Casinas 6, Kelcie Leong 11, Raven Rosa-Lasco 7, Delylah Sanerivi 15, Brittany Passi 11.
MCKINLEY—Colby Lane 11, Cheenie Melgazo 7, Kloe Lum 9, Suzie Park 0, Cerina Noh 0, Joselle Ferrer 16, Alexandria Buchanan 0, Connie Cen 0, Nicole Venzon 13, Stella Martinez 0.
3-point goals—Moanalua 4 (Ferrer 2, Lum 2). McKinley 2 (Casinas, Passi).
Junior varsity—Moanalua 38, McKinley 26
Also
Kahuku 61, Castle 38
Kaiser 45, Roosevelt 36
OIA West girls
No. 7 Leilehua 29, Kapolei 25
At Kapolei
Leilehua (9-1) 9 10 6 4 — 29
Kapolei (4-6) 13 6 4 2 — 25
LEILEHUA—Karina Phifer 0, Destini Green 0, Megan Ayala 0, Joslyn Mendoza 0, Kaylen Kamelamela 2, Kayla Posiulai 0, Gabriella Johnson 0, Jemma Godbout 0, Chyel Palmer 9, Alaese McKenzie 0, Abigail Flores 12, Shaylee Todani 6.
KAPOLEI—Ashlyn Velasco 2, Ari Rathburn 0, Alexis Corea 6, Kiani Au-Gonzales 0, Lilinoe Ruiz-Cummings 0, Julia Velasco 0, Sienna Alo 6, Taelor Mesa 3, Sydney Faumina 4, Nichelle Brown 4.
3-point goals—Leilehua none. Kapolei 1 (Mesa).
Junior varsity—Kapolei 43, Leilehua 37
No. 10 Mililani 45, Waipahu 30
At Waipahu
Mililani (8-2) 11 15 10 9 — 45
Waipahu (4-6) 9 9 3 9 — 30
MILILANI—Brooke Napier 0, Teona Singletary 5, Kayla Torres 8, Taysia Canon 3, Dahlis Sablay 4, Hope Carter 0, Janae Richie 7, Kira Bernat 0, Kalena Gibson 15, Cheyenne Ardona 3, Destiny Perreira 0.
WAIPAHU—Kayla Dias-Pajente 8, Fruzee Balcobero 8, Elizabeth Kanaulu 2, CJ Tamayo 0, Teves Suan 1, Anna Penitusi 0, J’anne Stewart 6, Kaelyn Aceret 1, Nikita Kemi 4.
3-point goals—Mililani 1 (Torres). Waipahu 4 (Stewart 2, Balcobero, Dias-Pajente).
Junior varsity—Score not reported
Nanakuli 54, Aiea 50
At Aiea
Nanakuli (8-2) 19 14 11 10 — 54
Aiea (2-8) 10 18 6 16 — 50
NANAKULI—Alana Nuuanu 9, Kalei Cates 18, Kanani Diamond 14, Crucita Enos 0, Trisdyn Kalaau 5, April Alaimalo 0, Shayna Montez 6, Kitona Ahsui 2.
AIEA—Tammy Thieu 0, Chantelle Shimabukuro 2, Jaslyn Madriaga-Aguigui 0, Kailly Paulo 10, Tia Ueoka 4, Vien Crisostomo 11, Kelsie Shibata 0, Angelica Moli 21, Ufi Ale 2.
3-point goals—Nanakuli 5 (Cates 2, Nuuanu 2, Kalaau). Aiea 3 (Crisostomo 3).
Junior varsity—Nanakuli 45, Aiea 20
Radford 33,
Pearl City 17
At Pearl City
Radford (8-2) 8 11 6 8 — 33
Pearl City (2-8) 3 3 2 9 — 17
RADFORD—Natalie Jackson 13, Salara Dill 6, Peyton Vincent 4, Daphnee Fagaragan 0, Aimee Chock 2, Angela Howell 8, Marika Wojtal 0, Ashlyn McGarrah 0.
PEARL CITY—Allyson Gonzaga 1, Vivian Barnes 2, Alyssa Oshita 6, Skylar Umbay 5, Raquel Gonzalez 0, Charli Ke-a 0, Shanelle Concepion 0, Joley Nakamura 3.
3-point goals—Radford 1 (Jackson). PC City none.
Junior varsity—Radford def. Pearl City
Also
Campbell 54, Waianae 31
JV—Campbell 39, Waianae 37
ILH Division I-AA girls
‘Iolani 47, Maryknoll 10
ILH Division II girls
Hawaii Baptist 57, University 18
At Hawaii Baptist
University (6-3) 7 3 1 7 — 18
Hawaii Baptist (6-2) 13 21 14 9 — 57
UHS0—Cassidy Gelacio 6, Alyssa Guillermo 1, Alex Jaeger 0, Lily Awai 2, Abby Bierwert 0, Tyra Goo Sun 6, Addie Ortiz 0, British Dawson 3, Mary Ann Mailei 0, Ti Posiulai 0.
HAWAII BAPTIST—Alexis Dang 0, Morgan Lorenzo 2, Caitlin Ching 3, Mikayla Chun 2, Ally Wada 11, Kyley Nakagawa 9, Katelyn Nakagawa 9, Haley Benn 0, Nicole Arakaki 2, Kalena Montgomery 0, Alexys Adriance 0, Kaimilani Duncklee 0, Caitlen Joy Ramos 5, Sasha Phillips 6, Juli Lau 3, Kiara Chun 5, Cydni Yoshida 0.
3-point goals—University 3 (Goo Sun 2, Gelacio). Hawaii Baptist 10 (Phillips 2, Wada 2, K. Chun, M. Chun, Lau, Ka. Nakagawa, Ky. Nakagawa, Ramos).
BIIF GIRLS
Kohala 35,
Hawaii Prep 26
At Hawaii Prep
Kohala 8 11 5 11 — 35
Hawaii Prep 2 9 10 5 — 26
Leading scorers—Koh: Brittany Shimono 13. HPA: Coco Shafer 9.
Junior varsity
Kohala 26, Hawaii Prep 19
ILH Division I boys
No. 4 Maryknoll 54, Saint Louis 49
Jaylen Cain poured in a game-high 26 points and Marcus Tobin added 11, leading the Spartans past the Crusaders.
At Maryknoll
Saint Louis (0-4) 12 11 15 11 — 49
Maryknoll (3-1) 16 11 19 8 — 54
SAINT LOUIS—Jaymason Nunuha 13, Keawe Silva 0, Lo‘i Rivera 0, Junior Wily 2, Noah Browne 1, Jalen Smith 9, Chris Sykes 4, Noa Purcell 13, Gino Quinones 0, Josh White 7.
MARYKNOLL—Isiah Gelacio 2, Daven Pila 0, Jordyn Perez 5, Makoto Kamata 0, Kekahi Tam 0, Kainoa Ferreira 3, Jaylen Cain 26, Kaulana Schmidt 7, Kalai Akaka 0, Payton Grant 0, Marcus Tobin 11.
3-point goals—Saint Louis 6 (Smith 3, Purcell 2, Nunuha). Maryknoll 4 (Cain 2, Ferreira, Schmidt).
ILH Division II boys
Damien 57,
Hawaii Baptist 49
At Hawaii Baptist
Damien (3-1) 12 12 13 20 — 57
Hawaii Baptist (3-1) 10 14 9 16 — 49
DAMIEN—Crumel Mooring 4, Dorien Penebacker 6, Jayden Peters-DeLaura 9, Kolin Galdiano 5, Noah Lorica 0, Robert Kanoa III 5, Shaun Apiki 12, Tanner Souza 10, Ed-Ryan Balbuena 0, Lindon Sevilleja 6.
HAWAII BAPTIST—Adam Kikuta 10, Micah Mitchell 25, Kellen Takatsuka 3, Max Wiemken 8, Chad Abarbanel 1, Payton Lee 0, Cole Galicinao 0, Bryson Gonzalez 1, Justin Ishida 1, Antony Lucuab 0.
3-point goals—Damien 4 (Sevilleja 2, Galdiano, Souza). Hawaii Baptist 5 (Mitchell 3, Takatsuka, Wiemken).
ILH Division III boys
Christian Academy 73, Lanakila Baptist 42
At Moanalua High
Lanakila (1-6) 11 10 5 16 — 42
Christian Aca. (6-0) 20 16 21 16 — 73
LANAKILA BAPTIST—Jeffrey Mangahis 7, Ray Pauley 2, Kenton Bautista 4, Rocnie Felipe 6, Tyler Sproat 6, Ramon Shubert 10, Joemar Corpuz 6, Andee Gary 1.
CHRISTIAN ACADEMY—Frederick Harris 16, Sky Okamura 8, Rylie Schenbeck Chang 10, Erickson Kanahele 0, Matthew Tokuda 10, Preston Ferry 0, Akaiko Akana 6, Dakota Fisher 13, Hollis Tam 3, Brayden Salas 4, Zachary Benigno 0, William Hatcher 3.
3-point goals—Lanakila Baptist 6 (Corpuz 2, Sproat 2, Bautista, Mangahis). Christian Academy 4 (Okamura 2, Harris, Hatcher).
From Thursday
Hawaiian Mission 66, Honolulu Waldorf 64, 2OT
At Hawaiian Mission
HMA (4-3) 12 11 15 17 5 6 — 66
Waldorf (3-4) 12 15 12 16 5 4 — 64
HAWAIIAN MISSION—Allan Sison 4, Joey Domingo 4, Reid Kim 15, Zachary Yamada 0, Kuahiwi Brede 0, Hayate Ishizuki 0, Robert McOwen 9, Makael French 9, Joshua Landenberger 0, Josh Willis 19, Marcus Barrios 0, DJ Woo 0, Daniel Saldevar 0, Daisuke Uchida 0, Sid Ramirez 0, Noah Bryant 11.
HONOLULU WALDORF—Yoshimi Yatoba 11, Ethan Guirgas 0, Mikey Furukawa 11, Alex Iokepa 0, Richard Wu 2, Cody Masterson 0, Frank Schmidt 22, Eli Busenbark 18.
3-point goals—HMA 2 (Matoba 2). Honolulu Waldorf 8 (Bryant 2, Kim 2, Willis 2, McOwen, Sison).
MIL Division II boys
Lanai 59, Hana 36
At Lanai
Hana 5 12 11 8 — 36
Lanai 9 11 22 17 — 59
Leading scorers—Hana: Kaula Moeai 14, Nahinu Lind 9. Lanai: John Baltero 10.
