Kamehameha inches past Maryknoll, will face University Lab for state berth Wednesday

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Cyrus Tasi didn't plan on being the hero, but he definitely was ready when the moment called.

Kamehameha got one step closer to earning the ILH's final berth to the HHSAA Division I state tournament with a heart stopping 48-45 win over Maryknoll.

A driving Makai Barr dished the ball to Tasi for the go-ahead basket with just two seconds left in regulation, and the 6-foot-5 senior made both the basket and the ensuing free throw after being fouled on the play.

"I already knew that they were gonna come help on me and I just I like to think I'm an unselfish player, so I just hit Cyrus. I just trusted in my teammates," said Barr of the play.

"Anytime Makai does something, I have to do the opposite of. I'm just playing my position and all the coaching and Makai pasing the ball," Tasi added.

The ensuing inbounds found its way into the hands of the Spartans' Nixis Yamaguchi, but his shot from about three quarter court came well after the buzzer, and the celebration began for Kamehameha.

Yamauchi, who poured in a game-high 30 points in the loss, was nothing short of spectacular, especially in the fourth, where he scored 13 points in the final quarter alone.

"We ultimately knew he was gonna get his buckets," said Barr of Yamauchi. "So we just had to limit him. He carried his team back and fortunately we just came up on top."

Kamehameha led 11-6 at the end of the first quarter, as Nahiku Nahale-a lofted a buzzer beating triple from the right wing, and kept the margin at five at the half, thanks in part to another triple by Nahale-a at the 3:25 mark of the second, a timely hit just as the Spartans closed to with a point.

"There's been times throughout this season where he hasn't had his best games, but we always put our trust in him," said Barr of Nahale-a. "Last year he was one of our leaders and he's like (one of) my day ones. I trust him, I'm going to give him the ball, and I know that he's gonna do good things with it."

Lead in hand going into the second half of play, the Warriors did not relent in the energy department. Around the four minute mark, the Warriors hustle extended a possession to nearly 90 seconds of game clock and ended with two Nahale-a free throws, and a tipped pass by a leaping Shyne Salvador deflected back to the Maryknoll inbounder, resulting in a lost possession. Another play at the 3:30 mark of the fourth saw a blocked shot by Salvador lead to another costly unforced turnover.

"We knew we had to be the more physical team, so with that mentality, we just got a bunch of dogs and know that if we need tojust execute the (plays) and do our stuff, and that's what we did tonight," said Nahale-a.

Nahale-a, who finished with a team-high 17 points, hit another clutch scoop shot with 1:38 left in regulation, and following 1 of 2 free throws by Yamaguchi, a follow-up basket by Barr seemed to put the Warriors in control up four with 1:07 to go.

Yamauchi hit two key baskets in a 56 second span, thanks in part to two missed free throws by the Warriors, to tie the game up, setting up the game's frantic finish.

The Warriors' current streak stands at two games, the first time Kamehameha has strung together consecutive wins in the ILH all season. One more win, against a University Lab squad that beat them by just a single point just five days ago, and Kamehamameha will be state bound.

"I feel like we had a little bit of bumps during our regular season, but like Coach Ron (Durant) harps on, these are the games that matter, so all we got to do is just win and go to the states," said Nahale-a.