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Kordel Ng sure knows how to celebrate his birthday.
The Kamehameha senior poured in 20 points and blocked two shots, and classmate Christmas Togiai had 23 points and 16 rebounds as the No. 1-ranked Warriors held on for a 49-43 win over No. 3 Punahou on Friday night.
Kamehameha protected its lead atop the Interscholastic League of Honolulu standings at 7-0 (20-5 overall). Coach Larry Park’s squad improved to 6-0 in road games and will visit No. 2 Maryknoll on Saturday.
“Mainly, it’s about playing defense and getting stops,” Togiai said. “We were confident enough in our ability to get buckets when we needed them.”
Ng chipped in three assists and three boards and later recalled a similar memory of victory on his birthday a year ago. While he and older brother Kameron were still at St. Francis, the Saints pulled out a wild 84-81 overtime win over, yes, Punahou.
“Last year, on my birthday, Kameron made the game-winner, so I think that one was a little better,” Ng said.
Jordan Hepting, a 6-foot-9 junior, led Punahou (14-10, 4-4) with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Yoshi Kobayashi added 10 points and Ryder Hsiung tallied nine points and eight boards. In a game that was a toss-up in the final minutes, Kamehameha had cleaner execution.
“Jordan did what he could do. Kordel and Christmas are tough. We tried to limit them to tough shots,” Punahou coach Darren Matsuda said. “We had a couple of turnovers at the end that hurt.”
Togiai and Ng accounted for all 16 of Kamehameha’s field goals (on a combined 34 attempts) against Punahou’s tough man-to-man defense. The rest of the Warriors shot 0-for-16 from the field. Kamehameha was just 2-for-15 as a team from the 3-point arc, but shot a reasonable 63% from the charity stripe (15-for-24). They also battled well on the boards. Center Bailey Lee and guard Preston Ponteras hustled for seven caroms apiece.
Punahou shot 4-for-16 from the arc (25%) and was 5-for-10 from the foul line. They also struggled in a 49-47 loss to Damien earlier in the week, shooting 2-for-20 from 3. Prior to that, the Buffanblu were 11-for-18 from the arc in a win over Saint Louis. Hepting’s development and a rugged defense are reasons for optimism, however.
“Maryknoll and Kamehameha are tough to chase down at this point. We’re just trying to get better and try new things,” Matsuda said.
Before a raucous crowd of about 1,000 at Hemmeter Fieldhouse, Punahou refused to back down in one of the most physical, fast-paced games of the season. Punahou had trailed by four, but Kobayashi splashed an NBA-distance wing 3, then stole the ball and fed Peyton Macapulay for a layup to give the Buffanblu a 37-36 lead with 5:40 left. The lead then changed hands five times as Kamehameha got key buckets from Ng and Togiai.
Down 41-40, the visitors went on an 8-0 run to seize control. Much of it came at the foul line, though with some brouhaha. With Kamehameha up 43-41, Lee went to the free-throw line with 55 seconds to play. He sank the first attempt and missed the second, but a spectator in the section filled to the gills with Punahou students sounded a loud air horn.
After a Punahou official surveyed the bleachers for the air horn and officials conferred for a few minutes, Lee got another chance at the free throw and swished it for a 45-41 Kamehameha lead. Braden Defries came off the bench and hit three free throws in the fourth quarter, including one with 36 seconds left to stretch the margin to five points.
Punahou struggled at the foul line down the stretch. Hepting missed the front of two 1-and-1s.
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STATS
>> Kamehameha (20-5, 7-0) 11 12 11 15 — 49
>> Punahou (14-10, 4-4) 8 16 8 11 — 43
KS: Kordel Ng 20, Preston Ponteras 1, Braden Defries 3, Paliku Kamaka 0, Christmas Togiai 23, EJ Kapihe 0, Xavier Lever 0, Bailey Lee 2.
PUN: Yoshi Kobayashi 10, Peyton Macapulay 6, Kanoa Kalahiki 0, Kai Nafarrete 0, Noah Kameehonua 2, Grant Nakanishi 0, Ryder Hsiung 9, Alexandru Iosivas 0, Jordan Deshawn Hepting 16.
3-point goals: Kamehameha 2 (Ng, Togiai), Punahou 4 (Kobayashi 2, Hsiung 2).
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