A potential offensive blockbuster turned into a defensive duel, which suited Cole Arceneaux just fine.
The senior guard teamed with Tamatoa Falatea to blanket St. Francis super scorer Kameron Ng as No. 1 Punahou fought off the No. 5 Saints 59-52 in the championship game of the Punahou Invitational on Saturday night.
“It was a good pressure game that was good for us,” Punahou coach Darren Matsuda said. “It wasn’t a perfect game. St. Francis is a great team, but we had stretches where we managed to play Punahou basketball.”
An energized crowd of about 1,000 saw the Buffanblu escape with its second victory over the Division II Saints in a nine-day span. Punahou won the St. Francis tourney by beating the Saints in the final, taking command both times in the third quarter.
By then, Arceneaux and Falatea had already made the talented Ng expend an enormous amount of energy. Ng had 31 points in the Saints’ upset of Sequoia (Calif.) in the quarterfinals. This time, Ng had 12 points on 2-for-10 shooting in the first half. He finished the game with 20 points on 3-for-23 shooting from the field, buoyed by 13-for-16 action at the free-throw line.
“I practiced all the shots I missed, so it’s frustrating,” said Ng, who was named to the all-tournament team along with younger brother Kordell.
Four games in four nights took a toll on every team, especially a smaller squad like St. Francis, the defending D-II state champion. Punahou’s deep bench provided plenty of rest time for starters, including Zayne Chong, who led Punahou (16-1) with 16 points and added four rebounds. Arceneaux tallied 10 points, including 4-for-4 shooting at the foul line in the final quarter.
“If I can keep Kam under 20 points, I feel like I won,” Arceneaux said. “Working out with him in the summer, playing against a lot of tough guards like him on the mainland helps a lot. He’s so crafty. I consider him the best guard in the state when it comes to handles and scoring.”
Kaulana Makaula added seven rebounds for the Buffanblu, who open ILH Division I play Thursday. St. Francis (16-3), which ousted No. 2 Maryknoll in the tourney semifinals, will play in ILH D-II again. There will be no more matchups with D-I powerhouses.
The first three periods played out much like they did nine nights earlier in the final of St. Francis’ tournament. Punahou led 25-22 at halftime on Saturday, then used its depth to stretch the lead. Falatea was clutch, with his second trey of the game plus a 2-point bucket as the home team opened its lead to 43-31. The physicality of the third quarter, with the bigger Buffanblu muscling the Saints all over the court — three collisions at and away from the ball with no call against Punahou — enraged Saints fans.
But it was more than that. Chong, Arceneaux, Makaula, Cole Mausolf — they defended with Falatea and Hunter Hosoda with a vengeance. That kept a lid on Kameron Ng, who was met by a crowd almost every time he attacked the rim.
Still, the Saints were within 43-39 after Manoa Kuali‘i-Moe’s three-point play with 6:13 left. Punahou then outscored St. Francis 14-9 over the next five minutes, getting a layup by Makaula at the end of a falling-dominoes battle by both teams for a loose ball. That bucket gave Punahou a 57-48 lead with less than a minute left.
Punahou Boys Invitational
At Hemmeter Fieldhouse
15th place
Punahou II 72, Sequim (Wash.) 58
13th place
Hilo 65, Mid-Pacific 62
11th place
Damien 52, Kamehameha II 44, OT
Ninth place
Kamehameha-Hawaii 62, South Anchorage (Alaska) 55
Seventh place
Sequoia (Redwood City, Calif.) 82, Hawaii Baptist 67
Fifth place
Corona Del Mar (Costa Mesa, Calif.) 67, Leigh (San Jose, Calif.) 45
Third place
Tesoro (Rancho Margarita, Calif.) 57, Maryknoll 39
Final
Punahou 59, St. Francis 52
OIA East
Boys Varsity
Kalaheo 32, McKinley 27
Roosevelt 53, Kaiser 48
Kalani 51, Kailua 42
Leading scorers—Kalh: Caleb Corpening 10. McK: Frank Camacho 11, Caleb Corpening 10. Roos: Micah Visoria 16, Jared Elwin 10, Lio Ilalio 10. Kais: Cyrus Singelman 13, Hunter Dias 12. Kaln: Brandon Chung 13, Max Pepe 10. Kail: Everett Torres-Kahapea 17, Nainoa Peters 10.
Boys JV
Kailua 44, Kalani 31
Kaiser def. Roosevelt
OIA West
Boys Varsity
Kapolei 67, Waianae 26
Leilehua 42, Mililani 34
Aiea 41, Pearl City 30
Campbell 58, Radford 44
Waipahu 50, Nanakuli 42
Leading scorers—Kap: Zoar Nedd 16, Jalen Miller 10. Wain: Blaze Kahikiha 6, Ezra Barnes 6. Lei: Tashaun Wright 10, Liam Fitzgerald 11. Mil: Jace Patsel 9. Aiea: Elvis Garramone 14. PC: Ryan Yamamoto 9. Camp: Mitchell Williams 20, Andrew Mersburgh 15, Henry Nixon 11. Rad: Jaylen Williams 12, E.J. Navarro 11. Waip: Felicer Barut 24, Kainoa Kapela 11. Nan: Jayden Wyatt 23.
Boys JV
Kapolei 56, Waianae 13
Leilehua 55, Mililani 52
Aiea 76, Pearl City 37
Campbell 48, Radford 20
Nanakuli 38, Waipahu 30
MIL
Girls Varsity
Seabury Hall 44, Lanai 32. Leading scorers—SH: Anaulei Tu’ivai 25, Ameera Waterford 11. Lan: Arriana Maltezo 11, Celina Romero 10.
BIIF
Girls Varsity
Kamehameha-Hawaii 52, Hawaii Prep 17. Leading scorers—KH: Saydee Aganus 17, Dominique Pacheco 14. HPA: Coco Shafer 7.
