Lokana Enos scored 16 points, including the go-ahead three-point play with 1:53 left in overtime, as No. 10 Kahuku stunned No. 3 Kalaheo 63-53 at the Mustangs’ gym on Wednesday night.
Kahuku improved to 5-1 in Oahu Interscholastic Association East play (10-4 overall), posting its fourth win in a row since the return of Robbie Sauvao, a 6-foot-3 senior. Sauvao finished with 14 points, Shon Reid had 12, Oscar Cheng had 11 points and 10 rebounds, and sophomore Amari Westmoreland-Vendiola chipped in 10 for the suddenly scintillating Red Raiders.
“I’m proud of the guys. Kalaheo got hot in the first half. Second half, they kind of cooled down, but they kept shooting it, which kind of helped us with the long rebounds and transition,” Kahuku coach Brandyn Akana said. “Our defense had something to do with that.”
>> PHOTOS: Kalaheo vs. Kahuku
The Red Raiders were 9-for-9 at the charity stripe in OT. For the game, Kahuku shot 15-for-19 at the line and 6-for-9 from the 3-point arc. Kalaheo finished the contest 5-for-11 at the foul line and 4-for-18 from 3-point range.
“It was great to see Kahuku basketball hit free throws at the end. That hasn’t always been the case, but this year’s team, they’re a little more mature and we were able to hit them tonight,” Akana said.
With the game tied at 50, Kalaheo got the ball back with 3:46 to go in regulation. Kahuku switched out of man-to-man defense into a 1-3-1 zone for the first time, and the Mustangs opted to hold the ball for a last shot.
“I was fine. My guys got to rest,” Akana said. “I didn’t sub much in the fourth quarter. I needed the guys out there, so I knew if we could get two to three minutes rest, at the end, it was going to be our game (in overtime).”
After a timeout with 17.9 seconds to play in regulation, Bobby Thompson lost the ball on a drive from the wing and Sauvao scooped up the loose ball. He went fullcourt and missed a contested layup with 1 second left, sparing Kalaheo for the moment.
But the momentum was with the team in red and white.
“I think when they started to stall, that let us rest,” Sauvao said. “Coach was telling us to rest up because we knew it was coming down to the wire.”
In overtime, it was all Kahuku. Cheng, a 6-9 senior, swished two free throws, and with the game tied at 52, Enos hustled for an offensive rebound on a 3-point miss by Sauvao. He was fouled and completed the three-point play.
Reid then scored on a fastbreak after a Kalaheo turnover. After Sauvao and Reid combined to knock down four foul shots, Kahuku had a 59-52 lead and won going away.
“It was our defense,” Cheng said. “We played great defense (in the second half and overtime), and they didn’t score much.”
Kalaheo had a 20-13 lead after Ryan Owens fed the ball to Andrew Jones for a bucket in the second quarter. The home team had a 32-24 lead at the half.
Thompson’s 13 points led Kalaheo, which lost its first game in league play after five wins. Owens and Jones added 10 points each. Kanoa Smith tallied nine points and Luke Pardini scored eight.
