Kamehameha's Jaycob Smith puts up a jumper over a Saint Francis defender. Sylvia Lee | SL

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Saint Francis' Keola Kealoha drives past a Kamehameha defender. Sylvia Lee | SL

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Kamehameha's Noa Kinimaka heads to the basket for a layup against Saint Francis. Sylvia Lee | SL

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Sat, Dec 28, 2013 @

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Kamehameha

54

Saint Francis

45

F/OT	1	2	3	4	OT
Kamehameha (6-6, 18-10)	14	11	10	8	11	54
Saint Francis (9-2, 18-13)	10	17	10	6	2	45

• Points
• Rebounds
• Assists

M. Nuumanaia 17 pts  3 3pm  2/2 FTs

N. Kinimaka 16 pts  2 3pm  8/10 FTs

K. Kealoha 7 tot

J. Smith 7 tot

R. Mamiya 4 ast

A. Freitas 4 ast

MANOA -- A tightly contested game was easily decided in the extra frame.

Kamehameha, ranked No. 8 in the ScoringLive/OC16 Boys Basketball Power Rankings, outscored Saint Francis by nine in overtime to stun the Saints, 54-45. The Warriors move on into the championship game of the 8th annual Saint Francis/Merv Lopes Hoops Classic.

Alakai'i Freitas was instrumental for the Warriors in the extra period, getting the scoring going with a put back off a missed shot. On the next possession, Fretias dished it to Elijah Leslie for the deuce. To top it all off, the 6-foot-2 senior knocked down two free throws at the line to push the lead up to six with less than 90 seconds remaining in overtime.

“We worked hard and we practiced (these) situations, just got to fight back,” said Freitas who finished with nine points. “Coach always preaches no matter how you’re doing in the game you just got to go out there and fight and try to get back in it.”

The Saints were short-handed in the extra period, having to play without leading scorer Matthew Nuumanaia for a good amount of time. Nuumanaia needed to come out of the game after getting shaken up with 3:27 remaining in overtime. Nuumanaia's absence really hampered the Saints offensively, unable to manufacture a bucket till there was only 19.2 seconds remaining in overtime.

“We’re happy to keep playing,” Kamehameha coach Greg Tacon said on advancing into the championship round.

Kayson Smith-Bejgrowicz also provided big minutes for the Warriors, finishing with 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

“He’s just being active,” Tacon said on Smith-Bejgrowicz performance off the bench. “He’s a great athlete who gets off the ground and moves around a lot, being beneficiary of being the right guy at the right spot.”

It was a back-and-forth start to the first quarter, with the Saint Francis’ Keola Kealoha dealing three straight assists to help the Saints tie the game at 8 apiece. The Warriors immediately answered with a Noa Kinimaka 3-point shot that started a 8-2 run that extended into the second quarter. Kinimaka led the team in scoring with 16 points.

The Saints responded with a run of their own, going eight straight to take the lead on a Ranan Mamiya steal and finish. Like the first quarter, Kinimaka stopped the Saints’ momentum with a 3-point shot that reclaimed the lead. However, Mamiya and Nuumanaia roared back with triples of their own to help give the Saints a 27-25 lead at the end of the first half.

 “(Saint Francis really shot the ball well in the first half,” said Tacon. “(Nuumanaia) was five feet behind the arc, what can you do. We aren’t going to guard him out there; we’re more worried about the basket. Stuff like that happens.”

Kamehameha matched the Saints’ third quarter scoring and did enough to force the game into overtime. They were able to do this despite having Fatu Sua-Godinet foul out with 3:15 remaining in regulation. Saint Francis had a chance to avoid overtime, but Mamiya turned it over on a wild with 6.5 left in the fourth quarter. The Warriors would take advantage of the extra period and were able to come away with the victory.

Nuumanaia led the Saints with 17 points, four points and four blocks in the loss. Mamiya added ten points and three steals.

The Warriors will face Santa Margarita (Calif.) in the Saint Francis/Merv Lopes Hoops Classic’s final game on Dec. 30, which will be streamed on scoringlive.com.