Kaimuki remains atop OIA Division II standings with win over Waipahu

Greg Yamamoto | SL

In its final home game of the season, Kaimuki sent off eight seniors in style notching a key win over second place Waipahu, 67-55, to stay atop the standings in the OIA Division II standings.

Manduy Pham had a hot start, scoring five of the seven points that spotted the Bulldogs an early advantage over the Marauders.

"I usually come up with a slow start so those first couple of shots really gave me confidence to keep going," said Pham.

He finished with 15 points and added four rebounds, and fellow senior Dylan Sogawa added nine points and a game-high four assists.

Freshman Elijah Fritz-Betiru did a bit of everything to ensure his fourth year players weren't going to lose on Senior, leading the team with 16 points while added three boards, three blocks and an assist and a steal. He also hit a key jumper in the fourth quarter that pushed the lead back to double digits, despite battling leg cramps in the second half.

"I was just trying to get the game over with as fast as we cold so we could bring them (the reserves) in," said Fritz-Betiru.

Waipahu did its best to try and keep within striking distance, though it did trail for double digits for much of the contest.

Talon Ea scpred a game-high 20 points in the loss, but was just 1 of 7 from three. As a team, the Marauders hit just 2 of 13 from distance.

A win over Pearl City on Saturday locks up the top seed for Kaimuki, but a loss would create the possibility of a three-way tie for the top spot. Waianae, with a win over Waialua, and the winner of the Kalani-Waipahu contest would all sport 7-2 records.