Waialua tops Waipahu to tighten up race in OIA West D2 standings

Brian Bautista | SL

James Zara scored 18 points and Seth Stanek added 11 in Waialua's 57-48 win over Waipahu in its regular season finale.

The Bulldogs led 26-19 at halftime, but saw the lead trim to just three after the third quarter before outscoring the Mauraders 20-12 in the fourth en route to a double digit margin of victory.

In that final quarter, it was Zara who came up big, scoring 8 of his 18 down the stretch, along with Logan Pactol, who score all eight of his points in the fourth.

John Valdriz and Matthew Olaivar combined for 20 of Waipahu's 47 in the loss, and shot a combined 8 of 9 from the free three throw line as well.

All three teams mathematically have already earned playoff berths, but the Bulldogs' third victory of year was a big one, as it tightened up the race for first place in the OIA Division II West standings.

Waipahu could have clinched the division by beating Waialua, but now the division's top spot is still up for grabs, though the Mauraders still hold the inside track.

A win on Thursday over Waianae still wins the division for Waiaphu, but a victory by the Seariders over the Marauders will level all three teams at 3-7, forcing a three way tie for the top seed out of the West in the OIA Division II playoffs.