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It wasn’t Aidan Wong’s best start, but he came through late, sinking two key free throws to give ‘Iolani the lead with 22.3 seconds to play as the No. 2 Raiders rallied for a 53-50 win over No. 8 Kamehameha on Saturday night.
‘Iolani trailed by 10 points in the first half as the smaller Warriors outhustled and outscrapped the visitors. But with a five-point lead in the final minutes, Kamehameha could not hold on against ‘Iolani’s 2-3 zone and man-to-man defenses.
‘Iolani improved to 3-3 in ILH play (15-9 overall), snapping Kamehameha’s three-game win streak. Kamehameha dropped to 3-3 (13-12 overall). Senior guard Akila Indalecio led the Raiders with 17 points, including 11 in the third quarter. Center Kaimana Lau Kong added 11 points, while Wong and Casey Lyons tallied nine.
Wong, one of ‘Iolani’s starting guards, sat most of the second half with foul trouble. He rattled in the front side of a 1-and-1 free throw, then swished the second for a 51-50 ‘Iolani lead.
“I tried to pick up where I left us and help us get a win,” Wong said. “I can’t even lie. I was nervous. I had to calm myself down. I knew I was going to hit those.”
Kaina Watson’s 12-foot baseline jumper was contested and the Raiders rebounded. Indalecio swished his 1-and-1 foul shots with 3.9 seconds left for a 53-50 Raiders lead.
Wong stole Kainoa Wade’s long inbounds pass and was fouled with 2.9 seconds to play. After Wong missed, Togiai rebounded and launched a slightly contested shot from roughly 70 feet that missed at the buzzer.
“Just gritty. The last two games, one of the things we struggled with was effort and energy. Today, these guys dealt with a ton of adversity,” ‘Iolani coach Ryan Hirata said. “I’m just so proud of every single one of these guys, the work they put in and the belief they have in our program. A good old saying is if you treat basketball right, it’s going to treat you right.”
Indalecio’s role has expanded since Taniela Taliauli suffered a knee injury at the ‘Iolani Classic.
“We had to dig deeper. We didn’t have anything left in the tank, but Coach always tries to motivate us and that energy got us going,” Indalecio said.
With the score knotted at 17, the Warriors went on an 11-1 run in the second quarter.
After a roof by Wade on Lau Kong, Watson splashed a 3-pointer and Xander Aquino sank a foul shot, the Warriors led 28-18 late in the first half.
The Raiders got within 40-33 on a straightaway 3 by Indalecio. After he drilled a corner 3 and was fouled, his four-point play brought ‘Iolani within 40-37.
Jackson Dempster’s putback cut it to 40-39, but the Warriors closed the third quarter with a 6-2 mini-run. Aquino’s 24-foot trey at the buzzer made it a 46-41 edge for Kamehameha.
Wade picked up his fourth foul with 7:32 remaining, but the 6-8 sophomore remained in the game. The Raiders got within 50-49 after a steal and layup by Indalecio with 2:20 to go.
Zion Donnell missed the front side of a 1-and-1 with 1:20 left, but Christian Togiai hustled for the offensive rebound. A Kamehameha turnover gave the Raiders the ball, and Wong went to the line for a 1-and-1 with 22.3 seconds remaining.
‘Iolani will play at Maryknoll on Tuesday, at Mid-Pacific on Thursday, then host Saint Louis on Saturday.
Kamehameha will host Saint Louis on Tuesday, travel to Maryknoll on Thursday and play Punahou on Saturday.
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