Fri, Jan 27, 2017 @ Leilehua

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Kapolei

58

Leilehua

42

Final	1	2	3	4
Kapolei (12-1, 19-7)	14	11	15	18	58
Leilehua (10-3, 15-11)	12	8	11	11	42

Liam Fitzgerald 8 pts  1 3pm  1/2 FTs

Ja'Shon Carter 23 pts  5/9 FTs

Kapolei's Ja'Shon Carter puts up a shot in the lane against Leilehua. Sylvia Lee | SL

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Kapolei's Ja'Shon Carter puts up a shot in the lane against Leilehua. Sylvia Lee | SL

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WAHIAWA – Ja'Shon Carter scored a game-high 23 points and No. 9 Kapolei downed No. 10 Leilehua, 58-42, Friday night to clinch the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I Western Division boys' basketball title.

The game was called with 12.8 seconds left when multiple disputes happened in the stands while Carter was at the free-throw line with 15 seconds left. The referee brought the coaches together during an officials' timeout and it was agreed upon to end the game with time remaining.

"They wanted to make sure that safety was biggest issue," Leilehua coach Russell Fitzgerald said. "And for 12 seconds for one team to make another basket or free throws, it wasn't worth it.""

The Hurricanes (10-0), who won their first division crown since 2013 and third overall, and the Mules (9-1), who had won the previous two division titles, will draw byes in the opening round of the 12-team OIA tournament.

"It's a good thing for us," Kapolei coach Gary Ellison said of winning on the road. "Hostile crowd and everything. Leilehua was cheering for them and everything. It was a good game."

Kapolei won the game with defense, creating a number of turnovers. The Hurricanes had 10 steals, scoring off three of them.

"That was our game plan, trying to create turnovers, get steals and get down the court as quick as we could," Ellison said.

The Mules, who kept the game close for the first half, hurt themselves with 7-of-18 shooting from the free-throw line. Kapolei was 15 of 23.

"Tonight, it wasn't scheme," Fitzgerald said. "They were much better at the free-throw line."

The Hurricanes blew out in front 9-2, but the Mules' Jaymond Agdianoy scored all seven of his points in a 10-2 run that helped tie the game at 12. But Carter's dribble drive before the end of the period gave Kapolei a 14-12 lead.

Kapolei turned over the ball four times to start the second period, allowing Leilehua to take a 16-14 lead with 5:36 on the clock. But the Hurricanes regained their composure to take a 25-20 lead into the break.

Kapolei increased its lead to 27-22 early in the third before Liam Fitzgerald's 3-pointer pulled the Mules to within 2. Later, Fitzgerald made 1 of 2 free throws with 5:41 to pull the Mules to within 1, but Kapolei closed the period with a 7-3 run to make it 34-29 after three.

Carter then took over the fourth, scoring eight points to help the Hurricanes open a double-digit lead at 47-36. Kapolei increased its lead with 5-of-6 free-throw shooting in the closing 46 seconds before the game was called.

"He stepped it up," Ellison said of Carter. "He played really well tonight.

It was a tough night for the Mules, who were celebrating senior night. None of Mules reached double-digit scoring. Liam Fitzgerald led with 8 points, while Teshaun Wright and Agdinaoy each had 7.

Isaiah Higa had 10 points for Kapolei.

Despite the loss, it was the kind of competition the Mules sorely needed, Fitzgerald said. They went 1-4 against top-10 teams, such as Lahainaluna, Punahou, Kamehameha, Iolani and Punahou (Kamehaemeha was the only win).

"We needed this kind of game because we got this kind of intensity in preseason playing five ILH teams," Coach Fitzgerald said. "All of our losses were to ranked Lahainaluna, ranked Punahou, ranked Iolani, ranked Maryknoll and one of the better D2 teams in the state in Honokaa… when we got to the OIA, we slowed ourselves down. We gotta stay sharp."