University Lab ekes past upset-minded Kamehameha-Maui

Brien Ing | SL

It was far from pretty, but the Jr. Bows are still dancing.

An off-balance Todd McKinney found a waiting Koa Laboy on the left block with a pass with less than a second left in regulation to lift University Lab to a heart-pulsing 42-41 over upset-minded Kamehameha-Maui in the opening round of the HHSAA Division I boys basketball state championships.

"The play was to have Alika (Ahu) go all the way, but I saw Kenna (Quitan) and he gave me the ball and I drove in and Koa was wide open," said McKinney. "I dumped it right to him and he made the layup."

Back-to-back buzzer beaters was not the script that the Jr. Bows were expecting, but a season of close games and frantic finishes in the ILH definitely prepared them for the moment.

"We knew that coming up here to their home gym they were going to bring it," said Laboy of the Warriors. "Nothing would be easy tonight. I think that all the past games, that last Kamehameha game that we won and the Iolani one that was a buzzer beater our coaches said this season has made us battle tested."

Even with lead in hand and next to no time remaining, there was still work to be done to ensure the victory, and on the final play of the game, Waikiki-Caldeira launched a football-style pass to 3/4 court hoping to hit Cody Gardanier for a potential game-winner, but Alika Ahu was able to track the ball's path and knock it away as time expired.

"We were just planning on just switching everything, and then I saw the ball was in the air for a long time, so I had enough time to go and tip it before he (Gardanier) could catch it and maybe get a shot off," said Ahu.

The game was uncharacteristic of University Lab, as they shot just 1 of 11 from three and just over 28 percent from the field in the game, and moreover, shot just 3 of 12 in the final quarter and managed only a single basket in the final five minutes of regulation, though thankfully that ended up being the game winner.

One bright spot was free throws in the final frame, where the Jr. Bows did make a crucial 6 of 7 free throws compared to 9 of 17 over the first three quarters of play.

A good measure of that futility has to be credited to the Warriors' attacking style on both ends but especially on defense, as they matched up almost player for player with the Jr. Bows and did a particularly good job of limiting Trey Ambrozich to just 2 of 14 shooting, though he did knock down 9 of 10 from the line.

The game saw 6 ties and 13 lead changes. Kamehameha-Maui scored the first six points out the gate, but University Lab battled back in the quarter, scoring five straight points to close out the quarter with the game tied at 13-all.

The third quarter saw the lead teeter back and forth, and the Jr. Bows get 1 of 2 free throws from Laboy to inch back in the lead, then got two more makes from the foul line from Trey Ambrozich after Kolten Waikiki-Caldeira was called for a technical foul to close out the quarter.

The Warriors continued to hang around in the fourth, trimming the lead to a pair on a Imaikalani Kramer bucket with 3:55 to go, and the getting to within a point on a Gardanier make with 2:32 to go.

Waikiki-Caldeira put the home team back ahead with a layup with 1:05 in regulation, but Ambrozich was fouled at the other end made both of his attempts to squeeze the Jr. Bows ahead with 36 ticks.

On the ensuing play, Gardanier was able to create enough space to get a shot off just inside the key and swished it, getting fouled in the process, his game-high 19th point on the evening.

"He's a great player, he's got length, he can drive, he can shoot, it was very challenging to guard him," said Ahu of Gardanier. "I think that we just as a team contributed, played help side defense."

The result was a 41-40 lead for the home team, but the foul shot after the make went back iron and was rebounded by Ahu, leading to a University Lab timeout with 9.5 to go, where the eventual game winning shot came on a scramble drill.

Up next for the Jr. Bows is a matchup with OIA champion Kailua in the quarterfinals Wednesday at McKinley.