The maturation and evolution of the Kaiser Cougars are bringing joy to East Honolulu.
The wins don’t hurt either. Chance Kalaugher powered his way to 28 points and eight rebounds, and Keoua Mahiko poured in 23 points as the unseeded Cougars ran away from fourth-seeded Waiakea 77-61 on Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the OC-16/HHSAA Boys Basketball Division I State Championships.
Kalaugher, a 6-foot-5 senior, shot 11-for-18 from the field and 5-for-8 at the free-throw line. Michael Miske added six assists and sparked a tough defensive effort by Kaiser with six steals and four rebounds.
The Cougars shot 57 percent from the field (29-for-51) and limited Waiakea to 38 percent (20-for-53).
Calvin Mattos had 17 points and nine rebounds, guard Noah Ferreira tallied 16 points, and Kahinu Alapai had 12 points and 10 boards for the Warriors.
“We got a little intimidated by their size after a couple of early blocks,” Waiakea coach Paul Lee said. “They must’ve had 20 offensive rebounds and we had a lot of turnovers.”
Kaiser hustled for eight offensive boards while the Warriors committed 19 turnovers against a sticky halfcourt zone.
A robust crowd of about 800 at McKinley Student Council Gymnasium saw Kaiser use patience and discipline — Kalaugher stayed out of serious foul trouble — for a second night in a row. The Cougars are usually a run-and-gun outfit, but this turn toward wiser decisions seem born out of a 20-point loss to Kalaheo in the OIA final last week.
Now the Cougars are in the semifinals and will meet top-seeded ‘Iolani tonight at Stan Sheriff Center.
“We’ve finally got some continuity and flow in our offense. Getting stops and run-outs gets us a lot of momentum,” Kaiser coach Branden Kawazoe said after beating his alma mater.
His father, Brian, was boisterous near the top of the bleachers. Still a Hilo resident, Kawazoe’s dad cheered his heart out — for Kaiser.
“He still chews me out sometimes,” Kawazoe said. “And I’m a grown man.”
He could afford to chuckle after Kaiser’s 2-3 zone defense withstood some long-range precision by the Big Island Interscholastic Federation champions.
Ferreira and Mattos knocked down early 3-point shots, and after Kenneth Bugado sank two foul shots, the Warriors led 12-10 late in the first quarter.
Kaiser’s shot selection was superb, though, against Waiakea’s 2-3 zone. Mahiko sparked a 13-0 run by the Cougars. After Kamu Scheer hit a 15-footer from the left wing, Kaiser had a 23-12 lead.
Waiakea cut the lead to 23-18 after Ferreira scored on a steal, but Kaiser went on a 12-0 run to open a 17-point lead late in the second quarter. Reserve guard Isaiah Akiona swished a wing 3 and Kalaugher scored on a fast break layup, and then raced upcourt on the next fast break for a pass from Jalen Pinks for a slam dunk.
Waiakea used fullcourt pressure to wear down the Cougars, who ran a tight rotation in the second half. The Warriors cut the lead to 61-51 on Louie Ondo’s trey, but Kaiser extended the lead back to 18 in the final minute.
