Jimmy Nunuha III scored 19 points, going 7-for-10 at the foul line in the final quarter, as Saint Louis outlasted Kahuku 56-53 on Friday at the ILH-OIA Challenge.
Saint Louis finished the tourney with a 2-1 mark, edging Kalani in its other victory and losing a close game to Farrington on Thursday. The Crusaders are now 5-1 in preseason, using tenacious halfcourt and fullcourt pressure. A strong backcourt of Nunuha, Haka Johnson and Kevin Marks — all juniors — has been key against high-pressure defenses like Kahuku’s.
"We’ve had those three since their freshman year," Saint Louis coach Keith Spencer said. "They’re making progress."
Kahuku could say the same. Coach Darren Johnson’s squad started the tournament ragged and out of sync but showed drastic improvement against Kamehameha and Saint Louis. The Red Raiders’ freshman guards, in particular, showed a lot of promise.
Samuta Avea, a 6-foot-3 guard, led Kahuku with 17 points. Sophomore Hirkley Latu hustled for 13 points, eight rebounds and two steals. Another ninth-grader, Keanu Akina, scored all nine of his points in the final quarter as Kahuku rallied from a nine-point deficit with less than two minutes left. The Red Raiders got within three at 53-50 after Akina hit a runner from the elbow. His ensuing free throw came with 44 seconds left.
Saint Louis hit just four of 10 foul shots from that point. Kahuku got a 3-pointer from the corner by Soli Afalava to make it 55-53 with 7.9 seconds left. Johnson, who finished with 12 points and three steals, hit one of two free throws for a three-point lead with 7.2 ticks left.
Kahuku ran an inbounds play to get Akina open for a 3 in the corner, but his shot at the buzzer was short.
"Any time you get a win, it’s positive," Spencer said. "The thing is we didn’t hit our free throws down the stretch. We hit the free throws, we extend our lead. We didn’t do that, but that’s why we have preseason, we put people in position, see how they react to that. We’ll get better."
The Crusaders trailed for much of the first half, coming out flat at the start. As he did throughout the tourney, Spencer made use of his bench, using bigs Fred Ulu-Perry and Spencer Johnson and getting valuable minutes from Jedidiah Latu and Wallen Te‘o.
Junior guard Kolten Nacimento came through with eight points in reserve.
"I’m trying to use my bench right now. I’ve got some quick guards. During the season, you might need those guys. That’s what I’m trying to find out right now, who can come off the bench," Spencer said.
