Hayden Bayudan scored 24 points, hitting seven of eight free-throw tries down the stretch as Damien rallied for a 64-57 quarterfinal win over second-seeded Moanalua on Wednesday night.
Damien (19-14), the third-place team from the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, will meet ILH runner-up Maryknoll today in Division I semifinal play in the Snapple/HHSAA Boys Basketball Championships at Stan Sheriff Center. It wasn’t simple or easy. Damien saw a lead dissipate in the second half, and Bryce Forbes, the Monarchs’ 6-foot-7 rim protector, fouled out with 1:38 left.
“All our coaches stress that you can’t depend on four guys or one guy. Every day at practice we all just work hard, grind it out and have a good attitude, be grateful for each other,” Bayudan said.
The point guard shot 8-for-13 from the field and had seven steals. Jake Holtz finished with 15 points and two clutch foul shots in the final minutes. Bryce Forbes added 10 points, nine rebounds and two blocks.
>> Photo Gallery: Boys basketball: Damien vs. Moanalua
Moanalua’s Geremy Robinson was blanketed by box-and-one and tight man coverage all game long, but finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks. DiAeris McRaven added 16 points and seven boards. Na Menehune couldn’t take full advantage of Damien’s specialized defense, shooting just 2-for-15 from the 3-point arc.
“We competed and fought hard,” Moanalua coach Michael Johnson said. “We missed free throws and forced a little bit.”
Damien coach Alvin Stephenson went back in time, recalling when Robinson’s father, Geremy Sr., was a dynamic slasher and shooter.
“I watched a lot of film last night. The Kahuku game. The Kalaheo game. He’s a tough kid. I just had to really take myself back to when I was a player to see how I would guard him,” said Stephenson, a former HPU player. “He’s similar to his dad (Geremy Sr.). If you let these guys, they’ll take the game over and drop 40.“
Moanalua (18-10), the Oahu Interscholastic Association champion, shot just 13-for-23 at the charity stripe. Damien was 17-for-23.
“I’m going to reflect on if I did a good enough job as a coach,” said Johnson, who took the reins shortly after the regular season began. “Our guys played hard. There’s no need for us to hang our heads. We’ve got another (consolation) game tomorrow.”
A near-capacity crowd at Moanalua saw what was expected on paper. Moanalua entered the game ranked No. 3 in the Star-Advertiser Top 10 and Damien is No. 4. The visitors opened a 20-14 lead on a layup by Bayudan on a pass from Tino Atonio.
Moanalua chipped away and went ahead, 40-38, on a pass from McRaven to Bryant Abalos on a fastbreak with 4:15 to go in the third quarter.
After Nainoa Kauhola scored off a steal and Robinson hit a jumper, the home team led 44-38.
Damien rallied and got within 48-47 when a lid seemed to cover their basket. Bayudan’s layup try was roofed by Robinson, and a dunk attempt by Holtz went awry.
The Monarchs finally went ahead on two free throws by Holtz for a 49-48 lead with 4 minutes to go. After Bayudan scored off a steal and then clutched a save attempt by Moanalua’s Tyler Ybay to score on a reverse layup, Damien led 53-48 with 3:19 remaining.
From there, Moanalua got within 56-53 on free throws by Kauhola, but got no closer. Robinson scored six points in the final stanza, but the rest of the team went 0-for-8 from the field. Bayudan put the game away with his clutch work at the foul line.
Now it is Maryknoll and Damien.
“It’s going to be a battle. They know what we do, we know what they do. It’s going to come down to who wants it more,” Stephenson said. “For us, this will be a growing moment for us, to get over the hump. They beat us three times by four (points). We want to see if we can grow from it. I know Kelly Grant’s an unbelievable coach. I’m sure he’s at home right now watching film. As soon as I leave here, I’m going home, too, to watch film.”
