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Just like that, the Kamehameha Warriors are atop the Interscholastic League of Honolulu boys basketball standings.
Christmas Togiai scored 18 points, including three free throws in the final 22 seconds, as No. 2 Kamehameha outlasted No. 3 Damien 61-56 on Thursday night at Kekuhaupio Gymnasium.
Togiai shot 5-for-6 at the foul line in the first half, struggled some in the second half, then sank the three clutch free throws in four attempts during the final stretch.
“That’s Chris. He’ll make them when they really count. He has that winning, competitive mentality. I’ve got confidence in him, our whole team has got confidence in him to make those free throws when it counts,” Kamehameha coach Larry Park said.
Kamehameha shot 12-for-24 at the charity stripe, yet improved to 2-0 in league play while Damien slipped to 1-2. Defense was key for the Warriors and their deep bench.
“In that second quarter, we were making shots and we could get into our pressure defense, and we could extend,” Park said. “That second quarter, for me, was fun to watch. We had guys flying around, getting stops, getting turnovers and knocking shots down. That’s what we want to do.”
The Warriors opened a 38-23 lead shortly after the second half began, but the visiting Monarchs roared back and took a 43-42 lead on a 3 by Tino Atonio before the third-quarter buzzer.
Kordel Ng added 17 points and Paliku Kamaka added 11, including two key 3-pointers down the stretch.
“Our coaches always tell me, even if I’m missing a lot, they tell me to keep shooting no matter what,” said Kamaka, who was 3-for-7 from the arc.
Bryce Forbes hustled for 16 points and 18 rebounds to lead Damien (10-8 overall). Jake Holtz scored 14 before fouling out and Atonio scored 11 of his 14 in the third quarter to fuel a big Monarchs comeback. The 6-foot-5 junior splashed all three of his 3-point tries during the third-quarter run, but did not score in the final quarter.
Forbes was whistled for a violation after stepping over the foul line as he made a free throw in the final minute. That would have cut the score to 55-53. It was one of a number of calls against Damien that had coach Alvin Stephenson steamed. Another was a seemingly clean block by Holtz on Kamehameha center Bailey Lee that was called a foul.
Moments later, Holtz was called for a charge on a fast-break layup, his fifth personal. Meanwhile, Kamaka provided the cushion for the Warriors, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers to open the Warriors’ lead to 58-52 in the final minutes.
“It’s really tough when these refs pick on us. We’ve got refs that take things personal. If people watch the game, they see there’s a target on us,” Stephenson said. “I’m very satisfied with how we played, but this game, and the Punahou game (on Tuesday) was even worse. It’s hard to tell 16-year-olds.”
One huge factor was turnovers. Kamehameha had six in the opening quarter, but committed just two more giveaways for the rest of the night. Meanwhile, Damien committed 21 turnovers against Kamehameha’s constant man-to-man pressure and shot 12-for-21 at the foul line.
“A very smart, experienced coach told me, in the end, everything will even out,” Park said. “So I just focus on keeping my players composed and doing what they’re supposed to do. We can only control what we can control.”
Kamehameha will host Punahou on Tuesday. Damien will visit Saint Louis on Tuesday.
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