The last time the Junior Rainbows of University Lab School met Hawaii Baptist, their 6-foot-2, 290-pound center was elsewhere in body, but not in spirit.
Leif Fautanu was at the Polynesian Bowl that night, engaging in high school football for one last time. He kept track of the ULS-HBA game online, slightly crestfallen when his team lost in overtime.
On Saturday, the UNLV football signee made the most of his last chance. With a state-tournament berth at stake, University pulled away with a 14-5 closing run for a 47-38 win at Klum Gym. Fautanu powered inside for 16 points and 14 rebounds, and senior classmate Josh Awai skied for 10 points and nine rebounds. The Junior ’Bows finished the game with a 37-14 edge in rebounding against the smaller Eagles.
“We emphasize defense more than offense. Defense and rebounding won us this game today,” Fautanu said. “We’ll keep grinding in practice.”
Damien had already captured the Interscholastic League of Honolulu title by winning the regular season. By winning the second-place playoff tourney, University (13-10 overall) returns to the Division II state championships for the first time since winning the state crown in 2016. Fautanu is the lone holdover from that roster.
“All the way. We always have the mind-set of going all the way,” he said.
In a rugged D-II field, the Junior ’Bows may be the most disciplined offensively.
“It’s about being patient,” ULS coach Ryan Tong said. “I’ve told the guys, if we can be patient and we can be disciplined in our shot selection, you know, we’ll be all right. Make them come to us and that was the game plan coming in, and I think we executed it well.”
In the first three quarters, the Junior ’Bows were 1-for-12 from 3-point range and 10-for-20 inside the arc. In the final, crucial quarter, they abstained from 3-point tries and scored 17 points on six field-goal attempts. They were 2-for-6 from the field and hit 13 free throws in 22 attempts in the final eight minutes.
Justin Ishida connected on four 3-pointers and finished with 12 points to pace HBA (14-13). Max Wiemken added nine points and six boards, and Ridge Wada also had nine points.
University got a follow shot by Ryder Rebibis and a strong move in the paint by Awai to open its second-quarter lead to 18-10.
HBA went to the long ball against ULS’s 2-3 matchup zone and got a four-point play by Wada on a wing 3. His free throw cut the Junior ’Bows’ lead to 34-33 with 5:22 remaining.
Tong called time out and reset his team with a closing mission. It was boa-constrictor mode from there, as guard Colby Chun attacked the rim while the ‘Bows consistently fed Fautanu on the block. HBA conceded open 3-point looks, but ULS wouldn’t bite and gradually extended the lead.
Awai’s layup made it 36-33 with 3:30 to go. Fautanu crashed the offensive glass and hit a foul shot, and Awai rebounded Fautanu’s free-throw miss to give ULS an extra possession.
In all, the Junior ’Bows grabbed 21 offensive rebounds.
Rebibis sank two free throws with 1:40 left for a 40-35 lead. With HBA ice-cold from the field, Awai hit two foul shots and Jake Flores sank one to open the margin to eight points with 59.5 seconds left. Two more charity shots by Rebibis made it a 45-35 lead with 51.8 seconds to go, ULS’s biggest lead.
The Eagles kept it close in the first half, shooting 4-for-8 from 3-point range. In the second half, they were 3-for-15 from the arc and finished with just three rebounds on the offensive glass, an unusually low number for the Eagles.
