Setting a school record is like a coin for Kashus Daley.
There are two sides to this specific accomplishment, which Daley learned after making a record 10 3-pointers (in 14 attempts) to finish with 34 points in a win over McKinley last week.
On one side, Daley is in the school record book, possibly for a long time. On the other, every team on the schedule knows about the play-making guard.
Open 3-point shots are a thing of the past for Daley, who was in distribution mode in Kahuku’s 76-43 runaway win over Farrington on Thursday night at Richard Kitamura Fieldhouse. Daley finished with eight points, including 2-for-3 from the arc, with six assists and three steals .
“Sometimes a coach will yell ‘Help’ on my side,” Daley said. “They’re playing me tighter.”
Ronin Naihe was very active with 25 points and seven rebounds, while senior point guard Tiki Akina-Watson tallied 19 points and nine assists. With Farrington defenders shading toward Daley’s side of the court, Akina-Watson got open and swished three of his six 3-point tries.
Naihe has been very consistent as a near double-double producer, but watching Daley’s performance last week is still fresh in his memory.
“It was crazy because he hit his first six (3-point attempts) in the first quarter, I think. We were like, what the heck? We were getting him the ball throughout the game,” Naihe said.
This time, it was Akina-Watson with the hot hand.
“It was our defense. We were getting turnovers with our defense,” he said. “We’ve been working on our defense a lot after we got back from our trip to Utah.”
Kahuku played three games, losing to Orem, Timpview and Westlake in early December.
“We learned how good we have to get,” Naihe said. “They’re so talented.”
“It sets a higher standard for us to get to, to become a better team,” Akina-Watson said.
Noah Feinga, a 6-5 sophomore, chipped in eight points and five boards.
Kahuku is 6-1 in OIA East play (13-8 overall) with four games remaining. Kalani visits Kahuku on Tuesday. The top two finishers in the OIA East will earn first-round byes in the Division I playoffs. Kailua (7-0) leads the East, followed by Kahuku and Moanalua (4-3). Longtime coach Brandyn Akana is at ease with his team’s balanced offense and usually tenacious defense.
“Just let it flow. Shooters, you can’t force it. That game against McKinley, he was feeling it. Ten 3-pointers, that’s Steph Curry-ish,” Akana said.
Farrington resumes play at McKinley on Saturday. Everest Rodriguez had 13 points and five assists, while Chansen Liulama-Smith added 10 points. Azaiyus Tomas, a 6-2 junior, tallied eight points and seven rebounds. John Retuta chipped in seven points. The Govs missed point guard AJ Yabut, who limped off the court in the second quarter with a knee injury.
“Kahuku is long and quick, aggressive. They played well. They’re well coached, they’re disciplined. They do all the right things, so hat’s off to them,” Farrington coach Sol Batoon said. “Our kids are inexperienced and young, so we struggle a little bit.
The Governors were close for four minutes. A steal and and-1 bucket by Naihe sparked a 6-0 run for Kahuku. After Tiki Akina-Watson fed Naihe for a 3, the visitors led 14-6.
Kahuku led 21-13 to begin the fourth quarter and embarked on an 18-0 blitzkrieg on the home team. Most of it came off halfcourt man-to-man defense, but Kahuku also ramped up fullcourt pressure. After reserve guard Kaimi Dowling tipped an inbounds pass and leaped high to save the ball from going out of bounds, his pass found reserve forward Rivers Evans for a slam dunk, the first by the visitors in the game.
After Daley deflected a Farrington pass and found Naihe for a breakaway dunk, Big Red led 39-13. Akina-Watson, Justus Daley and Kashus Daley rained 3-pointers. Kahuku led 66-34 after three quarters, benefiting from 15 Governors turnovers.
In the junior varsity game, Kahuku outlasted Farrington 72-57.
Farrington’s varsity dropped to 1-5 in league play (6-11 overall) and plays at McKinley on Saturday.
“We’ve got to get that one. It’s a must-win for us,” Batoon said, referring to the D-II playoffs.
