In the span of three days, the powerhouses of the OIA are catching up with the titans of the ILH.
Seventh-ranked Leilehua came through with clutch offense and the shot-blocking prowess of 6-foot-5 sophomore Ui Muti for a 58-55 win over No. 3 Punahou in the final of the Kaimuki Invitational.
“I believe that and the Kahuku game last night. Kahuku really brought it out of us last night. Any time you play Kahuku, you have to show some toughness and heart. That’s the kind of game our guys needed,” Mules coach Chad Townsend said, referring to a 79-69 overtime win in the semifinals on Friday. “Even ‘Iolani earlier in the season. We played Punahou earlier, too. A lot of those teams pushed us hard and forced our guys to get better.”
Townsend noted that it is preseason and Punahou wasn’t at full strength. Both teams pressed full court from the start, and Punahou’s halfcourt defense was tough. Leilehua’s halfcourt offense struggled early, but improved by the second half.
Zelston Militante led the Mules (6-2) with 14 points. Ashtin Martinson added 13, Willie Cooper tallied eight and Muti was a major factor in the second half. The sophomore finished with six points, but controlled the defensive glass and blocked three shots in a row during one possession in the final minutes.
“I would have to see this is one of his most complete games he’s ever played for us. He’s growing, yeah. He’s coming along fine,” Townsend said. “It’s his first year of playing varsity basketball. He’s coming along fine.”
Dillon Kellner led Punahou (7-1) with 13 points and Tucker Lam had 11.
The game was physical and fast from the start. Leilehua turned the tables on Punahou, scoring in transition off made baskets. The Buffanblu responded by taking a 27-25 lead into the halftime break.
Punahou opened the lead to 33-27, but Leilehua battled back and took a 43-41 lead going into the final quarter. The Mules were ahead, 52-51, when Militante made two free throws, and Pule Atualevao added two more with 1:30 remaining for a 56-51 lead.
Noah Macapulay’s floater brought Punahou within 56-53 with 1:05 to go. After a turnover by Militante, Punahou had a chance to tie, but missed a 3-pointer. A steal by Ayndra Uperesa-Thomas gave the Buffanblu another chance, but Macapulay’s pass to Uperesa-Thomas went out of bounds.
Militante fed Atualevao for a layup with 22 seconds left, expanding the lead back to five points. Uperesa-Thomas hustled for a putback, cutting the lead to 58-55 with 6.5 seconds to play.
Leilehua was then whistled for a five-second violation, giving Punahou one last chance. Muti went for a steal on the inbounds pass from the left corner and missed, setting up Jon Yoshimoto for a wide-open corner 3, but his shot missed at the buzzer.
No. 10 Kahuku 66, Kaimuki 33
Kahler Vendiola scored 16 points and Ben Holakeituai added 11 in the third-place game. Leonard Ah You chipped in nine points for Kahuku (5-1).
Jeremiah White led the Bulldogs with 16 points.
Kapolei 51, Saint Louis I-AA 49
Anthony Dunn scored 13 points and Brennan Wastell added 11 for the Hurricanes in the fifth-place game.
Mid-Pacific 50, McKinley 16
> Tyson Norr scored 21 points and Riley Miura chipped in 10 as the Owls took the seventh-place game. Pale Petelo led the Tigers with six points.
