Fourth quarter surge powers Nanakuli past Kalaheo

Greg Yamamoto | SL

The Golden Hawks are quarterfinals bound.

Nanakuli used a 24-9 scoring advantage in the final quarter of play to pull away from Kalaheo, 63-47, in the opening round of the OIA Division I boys basketball playoffs.

At the half, it was actually the Mustangs who led 27-23, but the Golden Hawks took a one-point lead in the third and then raced to victory down the stretch.

Vainuupo Fanuaea had a game-high 20 points and hit 5 of 7 free throws, Nainoa Thompson added 14 points and Ezekiel Donnel had 10 points, including 8 points in the fourth to lead the way for Nanakuli.

Kalaheo, which saw its season end at 4-7 in league play, got 14 points from Hunter Darnell in the loss. Bruno Ferri came off the bench to score 11, including a trio of three pointers.

Up next for Nanakuli is a matchup with West top seed Leilehua, who beat the Golden Hawks 72-44 during the regular season. Winners in the quarters secure berths into the state tournament.