HHSAA Boys Basketball
Hawaii Prep, Seabury Hall march on, will face off for Division II crown


ScoringLive staff
February 20, 2025, 11:17pm

  

Thu, Feb 20, 2025 @ Kaimuki

Hawaii Prep

61

Aiea

51

Final 1 2 3 4  
Hawaii Prep (13-3, 21-8) 7 12182461
Aiea (8-4, 17-9) 12 18 10 1151
Noah Park 25 pts  3 3pm  4/6 FTs
Micah Yamasaki 16 pts  3 3pm  3/3 FTs
Noah Park 10 tot  4 off  6 def
Vander Eberhard 6 tot  2 off  4 def


On a night when Ka Makani needed someone to step up big, it was the smallest guy on the court who stood tall.

Hawaii Prep rallied from an 11 point first half deficit to turn the tables on Aiea en route to a 61-51 win in the first semifinal of the HHSAA Division II boys basketball championships at Kaimuki High School.

Leading the way was sophomore Micah Yamasaki, who poured in a career-high 16 points for Ka Makani, highlighted by a huge three pointer from the right corner that he swished in and drew the foul, completing a four point play that gave his team the lead for good.

"From the beginning this was always our goal," said Yamasaki. "Its a surreal feeling, going to the championship game tomorrow with this team. We're like family, so this is a dream come true for us."

Down 40-37 heading into the fourth, it was Yamasaki who broke the scoring seal at the 6:55 mark of the period with a layup that trimmed the deficit to just a pair. A pairs of blocks by Vander Eberhard on the ensuing Aiea possession led to an eventual change of possession, and ultimately the ball finding its way back into Yamasaki's hands again, who dialed it up from distance.

"It was a play to get it in to our bigs but when things don't go our way we kind of have to read off of it. There's always a counter to everything, so we looked for the next (available option)," said Yamasaki of how the ball ended up in his hands for the go-ahead basket that put Ka Makani in the lead at 43-41.

Aiea rallied to get back to within a deuce on a Noah Park layup, giving him a game-high 25 points, but that would be as close the Na Alii would get to within down the stretch as Yamasaki's second three of the period swished through to push the margin to five before Hawaii Prep calmly sank 7 of 8 free throws to ice the win.

Defense was the difference maker in the contest, as Hawaii Prep registered more steals (12 to 5) and blocks (5 to 1) than Aiea. Neither team shot the ball exceptionally well, with Na Alii hitting just 36.5% and Ka Makani just a touch better at 40%.

"Us guards up front we're really aggressive," said Yamasaki. "So having those big bodies (Eberhard and Cam Root) in there, and a few others off the bench, it really helps us on the backside. We're putting so much pressure so we really need that extra help."

The size advantage for Hawaii Prep wasn't quite as evident in the rebounding column, as Ka Makani held just a plus-four advantage in that department, but the impact of the HPA bigs was perhaps more evident in the foul count, as Na Alii committed 23 fouls compared to just 13 for Ka Makani.

Three Aiea starters fouled out, Taylor Moku, Shealand Kazama and Jeremiah Hill.

In contrast to Hawaii Prep's second half rally, it was Seabury who weathered a furious third quarter comeback by Kohala en route to a 59-49 win, exacting a bit of revenge for a loss in last season's title game, and punching a ticket to the championshp game for the second year in a row in the process.

"It's going to feel great to get back there (to the title game)," said Sebastian Peterson, who scored 20 points tonight as a follow up to the 32 he dropped yesterday against Kaiser.

"After last year's (loss) we've worked so hard this whole year building up to this moment. We gotta go out and win it for our seniors and everyone on Maui."

A game that saw Seabury take control early and maintain a fairly comfortable margin through 2 1/2 quarters saw the two-time defending champion Cowboys show their mettle, and in particular Layden Kauka, who scored ten straight points in the final 2:36 of the third quarter to will his team back in it.

"Kohala is an amazing team, well coached, amazing players and even better people," said Seabury Hall's Bromo Dorn, who poured in 27 points and played all 32 minutes of the contest.

With Dorn and Peterson doing most of the scoring, it was easy to overlook the role that sophomore reserve Nobu Shing made in the win.

"This year he took a big step up, he's a key part in this run," said Dorn. "He's a great passer and great defender too."

Shing assumed the majority of the ball handling down the stretch and was tasked with defending Isaac Salvador-Libron. Two big free throws in the final moments by Shing helped all but shut the door on a Kohala comeback, as well.

Keahi Sjostrand had a relative quiet night, at least offensively, scoring just five points, though he did hit a huge three at the midway point of the fourth that pushed the lead back to double figures. His larger contributions came in the form of a game-high eight rebounds and the defense he played, first on Jayden Hook, who was llimited to just two points, and later on Kauka.

"He's the best rebounder on our team and when I got into foul trouble he stepped up and he played hard," said Dorn of Sjostrand. "Layden is really hard to guard but he stepped up."

The Spartans and Ka Makani have already played each other once this season, a 62-58 win in favor of Seabury on December 12.




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