Chase for the Championship
Kauai and Saint Francis to duel in D2 semis


ScoringLive staff
February 15, 2018, 4:02am

 


MANOA — The Snapple/HHSAA Division II Boys Basketball State Championships returns to the Saint Francis School gym Thursday night for semifinals action and it will be the homecourt team trotting out in hopes of returning to the D2 title game.

Top-seeded Interscholastic League of Honolulu Division II champions Saint Francis defeated Oahu Interscholastic Association runner-ups Roosevelt, 62-51, and the Kauai Red Raiders edged out Hawaii Prep, 53-50, to advance to Thursday's night semis. It is the third-straight year the Saints have made it to the state semifinals round.

Tip-off between the Saints and Red Raiders is set for 7 p.m. at Saint Francis with the other semifinal game between Kalani and Damien to precede the contest.

Kauai 53, Hawaii Prep 50

It took a final-second 3-pointer to take down the Big Island Interscholastic Federation D2 champs.

Ka Makani led the entire first half after jumping out a 9-0 lead, but it was Kauai's Gunnar Burkman draining a shot from beyond the arc with four seconds remaining to propel the Red Raiders to edge out fourth-seeded Hawaii Prep.

The Red Raiders cut the deficit to just one one point twice before taking the lead for the first time at the 4:46 mark in the third quarter on CJ Cromartie's three-point play to go up 30-28. Cromartie hit a trio of three-point plays as well as two two-point field goals in the second half to score 13 of his game-leading 19 total points in coming off the bench.

Kauai extended its lead to as much as nine points early in the final period, but Hawaii Prep went on an 11-3 run to cut it back down to a one-point differential with just over three minutes left. Ka Makani's Michael Huges and Michael Hanano hit back-to-back shots to take a 49-48 lead with under two minutes left.

Kelsen-Jaye Walker hit 1 of 2 free throws to give HPA a two-point lead with 65 ticks remaining. After a timeout, Cromartie nailed a jumper to tie it up at 50 and after a Javan Perez miss, Burkman drained his game-winning 3-pointer to advance the Red Raiders to the semifinals round.

Kauai improves to 11-4 and will play Saint Francis on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Saints' home court.

Hawaii Prep falls to 13-5 and drops to the consolation bracket where they'll play Roosevelt at 7 p.m. Note that Wednesday's doubleheader scheduled to be played at Kaimuki were moved to Iolani due to wet conditions.

Roosevelt 51, Saint Francis 62

In the doubleheader nightcap at Saint Francis, it was the top-seeded home team Saints prevailing over Roosevelt with an 11-point win to advance to the semifinals for the third consecutive year.

The ILH D2 champs led the entire contest with their lead extending as far as 16 points in the final period.

Junior Kameron Ng had a monster game, shooting 11 of 27 with a perfect 14 for 14 from the charity stripe for 38 total points in leading the Saints. 

Despite never having the lead, the Rough Riders quickly cut into a 13-point deficit and closed out the third quarter on a 10-0 run to make it just a three point game going final the final period. But Saint Francis outscored Roosevelt, 22-10, to leap back out to a 15-point lead with just one minute reamining in the game and eventually closed it out for the victory.

Roosevelt falls to 14-9 and plays Hawaii Prep in the consolation bracket.

Saint Francis will play Kauai with the winner taking on the victor between Kalani and Damien for the D2 state title.




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