HONOLULU – A competitive race turned into a runaway after halftime.

The Farrington Governors outscored the Campbell Sabers 42-20 in the second half to win the Oahu Interscholastic Association Red Division title, 68-49, at McKinley’s Student Council Gymnasium Thursday night. This is the Governors’ first title in the Red Division, their fourth overall.

“It’s sweet, very sweet for these guys. I am so happy,” exclaimed Farrington coach Allan Silva. “I’ve won titles before, but for some of these guys, first title ever.” 

Farrington, No. 3 in the ScoringLive/OC16 Boys Basketball Power Rankings, has also earned the league’s seeded berth and first round bye in the Hawaiian Airlines/HHSAA Division I Boys Basketball Championships, which starts on Feb. 18.

“That’s nice,” remarked Silva. “It gives us some time to see who’s there. We just got to polish up what we did in the second half and take it to the next level.” 

Leading the Governors' scoring attack was senior guard Isaiah Visoria, who poured in a season-high 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting. Visoria also chipped in four rebounds, an assist and a steal. 

“I just wanted to do everything I can to help my team win – trying to get everyone involved,” said Visoria. “Every fast break we had, I tried to push it and score (and) be aggressive.”

Complementing Visoria was his backcourt mate Isaiah Smith, who scored 16 of his 18 total points in the second half. He was also the most efficient player on the court, never missing a two-point attempt and going 7-for-9 from the field.

Another key factor in the Governors' win was the defensive presence of Jacob McEnroe. Although he didn’t have his best offensive night, McEnroe was rock solid in the paint, gathering eight rebounds and four blocked shots.

“My defense was big because my offense wasn’t really strong today,” said McEnroe. I couldn’t really do anything so I had to find some positive way to help me keep motivated, and that was the one thing that helped me. It felt real great because they wouldn’t come to my side after.”

The Sabers’ 3-point field goal percentage clearly reflects the effect that McEnroe had on the Campbell offense. Instead of driving to the rim, Campbell would settle for more and more jump shots as the game progressed. The result was a dismal 3-for-22 performance from behind the arc.

 “That was key,” Silva said about McEnroe’s defense. “I don’t care if he gets 20 points or two points – but when he plays defense, we always do well.”

Farrington held a 20-13 lead after the first quarter, but trailed 29-26 at the half. A trip to the locker room allowed the Governors to tweak their offense to fit the Sabers’ defensive schemes.

The tandem of Visoria and Smith was the catalyst in the Governors’ big second half. By using their quickness, the two Farrington guards exploited the Sabers’ zone defense and got to the rim for some easy buckets.

“We made an adjustment in our offense, the guys did really well in it. They saw the options and they hit it and that’s why we took that lead,” explained Silva. 

“We finally found their weakness and was able to play our own game,” added Smith. “We saw the zones opened up and we just took a chance.”

The Governors were able outscore the Sabers by 18 in the third quarter to take a 44-39 lead heading into the final period of regulation. Smith did the most offensively in the third, knocking down three straight triples to give him nine points in the quarter.

“When I hit the first one, (I said) ‘lets’ go, I’m feeling it,” said Smith. “I just felt confident and was open.” 

Campbell could never really recover from the change in strategy and the Governors were able to come out with a 68-49 victory.

“They put everything together in the second half, big time,” said Silva. “We were down by three points in the second half; if you want it, go get it. This is your title if you want it. Defense was going to be the key and they stepped up in big time.” 

Silva also credits reserve guard Marc Dudalao for the win, electing to play him in extended minutes.

“Marc Dudalao came in (and) he stepped it up tonight,” said Silva. “Marc was doing well so we let him ride.”

Despite coming up short in their quest for their first ever OIA title, the Sabers will join Farrington as one of the six OIA teams to participate in the 12-team state tournament.

Leading the Sabers in the loss was Gilbert Dayanan who scored 19 points with nine rebounds. Lamart Dudley also chipped in with 10 points on 100 percent shooting.