Maddox Pung scored 15 of his 30 points in the third quarter as No. 5 Kailua stifled Moanalua 67-56 Monday night in the Division I semifinals of the OIA boys basketball playoffs.
“Moanalua is a great team. They started three freshmen today. They kind of remind me of my freshman year when I was starting,” Pung said.
The top seed from the East, Kailua (23-4 overall) will play the Leilehua-Mililani winner Wednesday. The Surfriders are a difficult cover, using their length and constant activity in the paint to generate better shots inside and on the perimeter. They were 2-for-13 from the arc, but relied heavily on their height advantage to shoot 27-for-50 inside the 3-point line. More than half of their rebounds were on the offensive glass. Dylan Kunz, a 6-foot-4 junior, had five offensive caroms as his evolution from 3-point gunner to all-around weapon continues.
Skyler Unten added 10 points and a team-high eight boards while Sebastian Ledda also had 10 points, shooting 5-for-6 from the field and providing strength in the key on both ends.
Pung finished 13-for-21 from the field and 4-for-4 from the foul line, adding two blocks.
“We realized we can’t just rely on one guy. It needs to be a team game, and that’s what we learned in the past years when we didn’t win,” said Pung, a 6-3 junior. “Dylan is a great offensive rebounder. That’s something he worked on. He plays a vital role. He asked to come off the bench this year, a very unselfish player.”
Kailua coach Walter Marciel still gives his shooters their shot, but their ability to work for the better shot and crash the boards is a big factor this season.
“Maddox can play inside-out. That’s what’s special about him. He can shoot the 3, then go inside and hit a floater,” Marciel said.
Kunz and Ledda were dynamic in the paint, and Kunz still knocked down a 24-footer during a second-half run.
“Kunz’s game coming off the bench with that energy, he really wants it. He changed from just shooting 3s to attacking the bucket, getting rebounds. He’s probably one of our top rebounders now,” Marciel said. “He’s incredible.”
Freshman point guard Chazen Dabalos-Vereze led Moanalua (15-8) with 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the field. Senior guard Tramir Ladipo tallied 15 points. Senior Brent Campbell chipped in eight points, and freshman Nichika Tsang added seven points.
“That point guard, my god, he’s going to be a player. He’s only a freshman. He had a great game,” Marciel said. “We knew they were quick and we would have size over them. We have a tight group. Our guys really want to get this.”
Moanalua’s tough man-to-man defense never backed off.
“The biggest thing is these young guys, they don’t quit. We’ve had games the whole season we’ve gotten down 10 and could’ve folded, but we never folded. It’s a good precedence for these guys in the future. Getting the experience and having the will to keep playing,” Na Menehune coach Brandon Dumlao said. “Kailua has a lot of maturity. They’ve been playing really, really well these past couple of weeks.”
A polite audience at McKinley Student Council Gymnasium saw a young Moanalua squad try to stay close, rallying from a 15-point deficit to six in the third quarter. After Sefo Noga sank two foul shots, Na Menehune trailed 42-36.
Kailua was extremely active on the offensive glass, turning second chances into easy points. Kunz and Ledda were busy all night crashing, collecting and dishing. Pung shot 6-for-9 from the field and 3-for-3 from the free-throw line in the third, and after Kunz splashed a 3 and Tyler Parker hustled for an offensive board and fed Pung for a layup, Kailua led 54-40 going into the fourth quarter.
The Surfriders went on a 7-3 run to begin the fourth, extending their lead to 61-43 on a runner by Pung.
Kailua made it a decisive win, unlike a 54-48 victory over Na Menehune on Dec. 30. In both matchups, Kailua opened a 15-point gap, but this time, the Surfriders didn’t settle for 3-point shots.
