O’shen Cazimero poured in 23 points as Kohala outlasted Roosevelt in a thriller, 51-48, to make history, capturing its first Division II boys basketball state championship at Stan Sheriff Center.
Kohala reached the final in the inaugural D-II tourney of 2007, but had not returned until Friday night.
Coach Kihei Kapeliela was an assistant to Don Fernandez for 12 years before becoming head coach this season. The game was extremely physical in the early and late stages, but Kapeliela and his counterpart, Roosevelt’s Steve Hathaway, managed to live with the contact. Kapeliela let his run-and-gun squad do just that.
>> PHOTOS: Kohala vs. Roosevelt
“Today, my team just wanted me to score. Every time I drove, I dished out. I relied on my teammates. Some of them knocked it down. Some of them, it didn’t, but it’s OK. I took it to the hole, got free throws, but mostly our defense was key,” said Cazimero, a 5-foot-9 sophomore with an explosive first step.
Like many of his teammates, Cazimero has a father, Reeve, who was a part of Kohala basketball tradition going back three decades.
“This is such a huge thing. It’s emotional because it’s history. It’s the first time we’ve made it this far. We still have two more years left and we still have chances to get it again.”
Kohala’s 5-foot-11 post defender, Molonai Emeliano, had 12 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. He faced Kaulana Koki and Kayman Lewis often in the paint, giving up 5 to 6 inches.
“We’ve been working hard for this since preseason and it feels good right now,” said Emeliano. “Even though I’m only 5-11, I’m the biggest guy on the team. I have to be the control tower, communicating with everybody so we’re always on the same page.”
Kohala (17-3) was the runner-up in the Big Island Interscholastic Federation and was hoping for a rematch with league champion Hawaii Prep, but Ka Makani fell to Roosevelt in the semifinals.
Roosevelt, the OIA champion, was true to form. The young lineup had ups and downs, but finished with a fury. Kohala led 48-42 after a basket by Jeffrey Francisco and free throws by Cazimero with 1:51 left.
Roosevelt’s 6-0 run, capped by foul shots from Kody Seguancia, tied it at 48 with 47.8 seconds left.
Kohala regained the lead on a free throw by Cazimero with 34 seconds left, and then Roosevelt ran out of makes. Drake Watanabe missed two free throws that rattled in and out with 26.5 ticks left. His 3 with 3.2 seconds left missed, and Emeliano sank two foul shots with 1.3 seconds left.
Roosevelt’s Hail Mary shot from 75 feet away missed at the horn.
Watanabe, a southpaw sophomore like Cazimero, finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and two steals in a duel with his teammate from summer travel team. Logan Quinlan had 12 points, five boards and six steals.
“Drake lit up a lot of teams throughout the season and our goal was to stop him,” said Emeliano, who was a consistently effective help-side defender.
Roosevelt had never advanced past the quarterfinals of the state tournament since 2000, when it placed third.
Though Hathaway warned his team about trying to run and gun with the Cowboys, they did anyway for most of the first quarter. Kohala zoomed to a 15-6 lead behind 3-pointers by Elijah Antonio and Cazimero. Moses Emeliano’s layup on a fast-break feed from Francisco gave the BIIF runners-up a nine-point cushion with 1:45 left in the first quarter.
Roosevelt regrouped and cut the lead to three entering the second quarter. Seguancia’s and-1 three-point play tied it at 23 and the lead changed hands until Cazimero scored on a tough drive and double-pump layup before the halftime buzzer.
Kohala led at the break, 28-27.
The Cowboys went on an 8-2 run to begin the second half as Roosevelt went cold — 1-for-7 — from the field.
Cazimero scored four points during the run and had 19 as Kohala opened a 36-29 lead with 3:18 to go in the third stanza.
Watanabe’s explosive forays into the paint were met often by help-side defense from Molonai Emeliano. Kohala led 38-30 entering the fourth quarter.
Roosevelt extended its defensive range and cut the lead to 44-40 on a steal and layup by Watanabe with 3:19 to go.
As they did in the first several minutes of the game, officials swallowed their whistles and allowed full contact at midcourt. Roosevelt took advantage. Quinlan tackled Cazimero, and Watanabe’s layup cut the lead to two.
Each team shot 39 percent from the field. Roosevelt was 2-for-13 from the arc and committed just 11 turnovers to 17 by Kohala. The Rough Riders also outrebounded the Cowboys 37-34.
Kohala shot 13-for-16 (81 percent) from the foul line. Roosevelt was 10-for-17 (59 percent).
This is the first time since 2015 that the D-II crown was claimed by a non-ILH team.
Hawaii Prep 51, McKinley 39
Javan Perez scored 14 points and Umikoa Kealoha added 10 as Ka Makani took third place. K.J. Walker and Tre Walker added six each for HPA (16-3), the BIIF champion.
Aaron Kwon tallied 11 points and 13 rebounds for OIA runner-up McKinley (16-14). Roman Serrano added 10 points.
Kauai 52, Seabury Hall 49
Jim Ehia had 18 points, four assists and four steals to lead the Red Raiders in the D-II fifth-place game. Keane Tibon added 13 points and eight rebounds, and Ricky Malu Ralston had 10 points and 14 boards for Kauai (14-3), champion of the KIF.
Masyn Johnson led MIL champion Seabury Hall (14-4) with 20 points and added seven rebounds.
