Isaiah Sugiura scored 15 points, including a key go-ahead 3 late in the fourth quarter, as No. 5 Moanalua rallied to force overtime and then pulled out a 56-49 win over No. 8 Kailua for the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I boys basketball championship.
A raucous crowd at McKinley Student Council Gym saw Moanalua (20-6 overall) capture the league crown for the first time since 2011, when Greg Tacon guided Na Menehune to back-to-back titles. His assistant coach then was Byron Mello, the current head coach.
“It’s very gratifying. Our ultimate goal is to win the states. I told the kids, I think it’s important to win our league. It shows you can grind it out over a long time. It’s a terrific thing,” Mello said.
DiAeris McRaven had 12 points, nine rebounds and two blocks, and Geremy Robinson had 12 points and five boards in a battle of offensive juggernauts that turned into a defensive duel. Elijah McGruder was key with nine points and 10 rebounds, including seven on the offensive glass, for Na Menehune.
“It’s great. These guys are great,” said Sugiura, who splashed a key 3-pointer to give Moanalua a 44-43 lead late in the fourth quarter. “We come to practice and try to get better every day. We work so hard.”
With the game tied at 45, Kailua had the ball with one minute left in regulation, but couldn’t execute in the final seconds and wound up inbounding from halfcourt with 2.4 seconds left. Everett Torres-Kahapea (20 points) missed a shot from midcourt as time expired.
McRaven powered in the post for the first score in overtime, and Robinson drove for the next bucket as Moanalua opened a 49-45 lead. Robinson sank two foul shots to keep Moanalua ahead by four, and after a missed 3 by Kailua, he drove fullcourt and fed the 6-foot-5 McRaven for a two-handed slam and a 53-47 lead with 33 seconds remaining.
Torres-Kahapea answered almost immediately with a 17-foot fadeaway from the right corner, but the Surfriders got no closer. Robinson and Sugiura hit foul shots as Moanalua claimed the crown.
Isaiah Hopson, Kailua’s 6-6 post, was ultra-hot at the start, scoring eight points in the opening quarter and eight more in the second, including a 3. He finished with 19 points and eight rebounds. Torres-Kahapea limped to the bench with 7:36 left in the second quarter with an ankle injury, but returned in the second half.
“There are no secrets, we know each other inside and out,” Mello said. “(Kailua coach Wally Marciel) had a great game plan and they tried to slow us down. We made some free throws down in the end, made some shots and we were very fortunate.”
