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Michael Lasquero | ScoringLiveFebruary 9, 2023, 7:36am
Wed, Feb 8, 2023 @ Moanalua
When the brackets for Heide & Cook Division I Boys Basketball Championships were released, Saint Louis coach Dan Hale knew that his Crusaders were in for a dogfight in the quarterfinals against Kailua.
The Surfriders did just that and gave Saint Louis all it could handle Wednesday night.
The Crusaders, the reigning state champion and top-seeded team in the 12-team tourney, built a 17-point lead before staving off a spirited comeback by Kailua for a 51-48 win at Moanalua's gymnasium.
"We knew they were going to come back. That's a really good team and they got so many scorers out there. We just had to hang on," coach Hale said.
Saint Louis got double-double performances from Pupu Sepulona and Jordan Posiulai to advance to the semifinals, where it will take on Na Menehune after the first semifinal between second-seeded Campbell and Maryknoll.
Sepulona scored 20 points with 11 rebounds and Jordan Posiulai had 16 points with 13 boards to lead the Crusaders, who outrebounded the Surfriders, 38 to 21. Saint Louis' dominance on the glass was a big reason why it was able to take a 35-18 lead with 4:23 to play in the third quarter.
But like they did in their regular season matchup against Kahuku, the Surfriders did not go down quietly. Kailua closed the third period on a 11-0 run and got a corner triple from Dylan Kunz to start the fourth quarter to cut the Crusaders' lead to 35-32.
But Saint Louis weathered the storm. Even when Jordan Nunuha had to leave the game with an ankle injury, the Crusaders continued to make plays to keep Kailua at bay. Posiulai scored off a baseline-inbounds play and Keanu Meacham got loose on a backdoor cut to put the Crusaders up by seven with 4:37 left in regulation.
The Surfriders continued to scrap and got as close as two points, 48-46, with 32 seconds left in the game after a triple by Kunz, but they couldn't capitalize when Saint Louis split a pair at the free throw line and the Crusaders were able to hold on for the victory.
"That team can beat anybody and they're not going to down lightly and that's what they did," Hale said of the Surfriders. "They fought all the way to the very end. We had to make a few free throws and at the end we were fortunate to come out of that one."
Senior guard Jonny Philbrick scored 19 points with six steals to lead Kailua in the loss.
"Jonny had an awesome career, fantastic player," Kailua coach Wally Marciel said of Philbrick. "I hope he gets to go somewhere to play (collegiately). Wherever he goes, there's going to be a happy coach out there when they pick him up. A hidden gem."
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