Thu, Jan 15, 2015 @ Campbell

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Waianae

38

Campbell

55

Final	1	2	3	4
Waianae (4-6, 4-15)	19	6	7	6	38
Campbell (11-2, 19-8)	12	14	15	14	55

M. Merchant 16 pts  1 3pm  7/7 FTs

N. Namulauti 15 pts  3 3pm  0/0 FTs

EWA BEACH - After surrendering 19 points in the first quarter, Campbell allowed 19 in the next three to turn back Waianae, 55-38, Thursday at the Sabers' gym.

The Sabers remained undefeated in the Oahu Interscholastic Association Western Division at 4-0, while the Seariders fell to 1-2.

Michael Merchant led a trio of double-digit scorers with 16 points for Campbell. Bigs Lamart Dudley and David Marrero added 15 and 11 points, respectively.

Natano Namulauti scored all 12 of his first-half points in the first quarter to ignited the Seariders, who took a 19-12 lead into the second quarter. Waianae still led 25-21 halfway through the second period before the Sabers closed it with a 5-0 run to take a 26-25 lead into the break.

The Sabers used a 9-0 run late in the third quarter that was stopped by Namalauti's 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the period with the Sabers ahead, 41-32; it would be his only points in the second half. The Sabers finished off the Seariders by holding them to no field goals in the fourth.

The Seariders had hot 50 percent from the field in the first half, but ended the game at 36 percent.

"They turned up the intensity on defense," Waianae coach John Simbahon said. "They started pressuring our guards a little bit more."

"I don't know if was the cameras or the band and all the excitement got to them," Campbell Wyatt Tau said of his team's slow start. "But we settled down after the first quarter; they're not going to score that much any more. They scored 19 in the first quarter and 19 in the rest of the quarters.

"I told them they did a better job, but they cannot do that against better teams."

Moreover, the Sabers were without 6-foot forward Jayce Bantolina, who was nursing an ankle injury from a showcase football game last week in California.

"Once they get everybody together, they'll be a better team," Simbahon said.

The Sabers got strong defensive play from 6-8 post David Marrero, a transfer from Washington state. He had 11 rebounds and blocked a shot. He and Dudley even exchanged assists in the second half.

"They feed off each other," Tau said of Marrero and Dudley. "They pass to each other every time they get the ball."

Marrero, a senior, attended Aliamanu Middle before his family moved to the Mainland. He returned to Hawaii last year because of his father's job. He said his older brother Chris Feyjoo-Sanchez played for Moanalua in 2008. He said playing in the tournament in Las Vegas during the winter break helped his play and was a confidence-booster for the Sabers in general.

"Pretty much everyone we played was my height," Marrero said.

The Seariders leaned heavily on their guards. Manulauti led his team with 15 points and Ikaika Trueman-Reed had 10 points and six rebounds.

Waianae's bigs Justice Jardine, Losi Mauga and Sione Taukoto combined for seven points and three rebounds for the Seariders.

"Right now, our bigs are … new guys," Simbahon said. "Actually, all three never played before; they're all football players."