Robinson scores 25 to lead Moanalua past Kalaheo, into OIA basketball title game

Geremy Robinson scored 25 points as No. 9 Moanalua stunned No. 3 Kalaheo 59-51 on Monday in the semifinals of the Oahu Interscholastic Association boys basketball playoffs.

Moanalua (17-9) will meet Kahuku on Wednesday for the crown, again at McKinley Student Council Gym.

Bryant Abalos had a crucial role off the bench, scoring all eight of his points in the fourth quarter while Robinson sat with four personal fouls. Point guard Tyler Ybay helped Na Menehune fend off a strong Kalaheo rally by sinking four consecutive free throws in the final 27.4 seconds.

“Tyler is a competitor. He’s tough. When he got fouled hard and was down, I knew he’d get up and make those free throws,” Moanalua coach Michael Johnson said. “He’s one of our guys who are the heart and soul of this team. He’s got the defensive tenacity and he’s cool and calm on offense.”

DiAeris McRaven had six points, eight rebounds and two blocks for Moanalua, which lost at Kalaheo 37-33 during the regular season.

Andrew Jones, a junior post, led Kalaheo (21-9) with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Luke Pardini added 11 points and seven rebounds, and Kanoa Smith had 10 points and four assists.

The Mustangs played without 6-foot-4 senior Bobby Thompson, who injured his left wrist last week in a playoff win over Kapolei. Thompson said he is out for five to six weeks, more time than is left in the season.

“The feeling was there’s still hope. We weren’t at 100%, but we have a great bench,” said Jones, a 6-4 junior.

Without Thompson, a wing scorer who rebounded and defended in the paint, Kalaheo struggled early. Attacking the rim at every opportunity, Robinson was on fire with 11 points in the first quarter as Moanalua opened an 18-9 lead. After Robinson hit a wing 3 and Nainoa Kauhola came up with a steal and a 3-pointer, Na Menehune had their biggest lead of the first half, 30-14, with 3:25 left before intermission.

Robinson had 20 points by the break on 8-for-10 shooting, including a bucket before the buzzer for a 33-20 halftime lead.

Kalaheo found more chemistry in the third quarter, going on a 15-8 run behind Jones, who scored eight points. After pulling within 43-37 at the end of the third period, the Mustangs got a follow shot by Jones — he had nine offensive rebounds — to get within 43-39 with 7:15 remaining.

Robinson sat down early in the fourth with his fourth foul, but Abalos stepped up, often getting out on the break early and getting feeds from Ybay.

Smith drove for a tough layup to bring Kalaheo within 55-51 with 57.5 seconds to go, but Ybay came up with a steal moments later and was fouled hard on a layup. After gathering himself off the ground, he sank two foul shots for a 57-51 lead with 27.4 seconds left.

Ybay added two more free throws with 9.5 seconds left to seal the win.