By Paul Honda
Editor
HondaReport.com
Friday, Feb. 13, 2004

KAILUA—A classic matchup of size versus athleticism boiled down to a key ingredient: a 5-foot-6 point guard.

Kekoa Onaga threaded through Leilehua’s normally leakproof man-to-man defense at will in the second half, leading Kaimuki to a 58-36 win Friday night at Kalaheo High School gym.

The 10th-ranked Bulldogs advanced to the semifinals of the O’ahu Interscholastic Association boys’ basketball playoffs. More importantly, Kaimuki (10-3 OIA, 18-6 overall) earned a state tournament berth.

Leilehua closed the season 8-4 in league play (19-5 overall).

“They stuck to their gameplan. Number 13, what a player,” Leilehua head coach Keith Spencer said of Onaga. “He broke our defense down. We didn’t rotate properly.”

Jimmy Miyasaka led Kaimuki scorers with 16 points, while Tony Fa’asoa came off the bench to score 13—all on drive-and-dish feeds from Onaga and putbacks.

“These kids went through so much this year,” Kaimuki head coach Stephen Lee said. “I’m so proud of them.”

Onaga finished with 10 points and five assists, and with a lot of help from Isaiah Ano, Kaimuki handled the Mule defense with relative consistency.

Onaga also came through with his perimeter shooting, nailing a pair of 3-pointers to begin the fourth quarter. “Nothing seems to bother him,” Lee said. “He’s confident.”

Angelo Massey led Leilehua with 13 points.

The Mules didn’t shoot much differently from the field than Kaimuki. Leilehua made 15 of 42 attempts (36 percent) while Kaimuki was 17 of 42 (40 percent). Efficiency was a huge difference at the line and on the arc.

Kaimuki sank 20 of 24 tries from the free-throw line (83 percent). Leilehua was only 2-of-9 (22 percent). The Bulldogs also made shot 43 percent (3-of-7) from the 3-point line. Leilehua struggled at 19 percent (4-of-19).

“We had our shots, we didn’t hit ‘em,” Spencer said. “And we normally do.”

The Bulldogs almost dared Leilehua to hit the 3-pointer, coming out in a 2-3 zone. Massey scored five quick points, including a trey from the left wing, as Leilehua took an early 9-5 lead.

“They were frustrated,” Lee said of his team. “When we came out and we were trailing, I thought, ‘These guys are athletes.’”

Massey, a 6-3 senior, also switched over in mid-stream to cover Miyasaka after the Kaimuki senior scored on a drive for a three-point play.

Kaimuki sat back in the zone and trailed 13-12 going into the second quarter. Nick Milan scored six of his eight points in the opening stanza.

Leilehua switched to a 1-2-2 zone when the second quarter began, which slowed Kaimuki’s attack. Down 19-16, Kaimuki finished the half with an 8-0 run, shutting out Leilehua in the final 2:40.

Dexter Tautofi banged the offensive glass for a follow shot, Ano drained a trey from the left wing, and Miyasaka took a feed from Onaga and swished a 3-pointer from the right wing with two seconds left in the half.

Kaimuki led at the break, 24-19. Leilehua shot 1-of-10 from the 3-point line in the first half and attempted just one foul shot. The Mules also had nine turnovers against virtually no pressure.

Kaimuki had seven giveaways by halftime.

Leilehua unveiled a fullcourt press to start the third quarter, but Kaimuki withstood the pressure. Fa’asoa, who entered the game when Tautofi got into foul trouble, scored six points as the Bulldogs scored against the press and 1-2-2 zone.

“I knew they’d start cheating for steals,” Lee said. Kaimuki’s patience and ball movement were also vital.

A technical foul against Antonio Hall following a foul call under the basket helped Kaimuki. After Fa’asoa hit two foul shots, Miyasaka swished the two technical shots.

The 10-3 run lifted Kaimuki to a 34-24 lead with 2:08 to play in the third.

The Mules cut the lead to 34-27 going into the final quarter.

Onaga then drained back-to-back 3-pointers. Ano found him open on the left wing, and Miyasaka drove and dished to Onaga at the top of the key. Onaga’s big 3-pointers turned a seven-point lead into a 40-27 cushion with 6:03 to play in the contest.

“When he shot those, I was like, ‘Oh… good shot,’” Lee said.

Leilehua got no closer than 12 the rest of the way. Kaimuki closed out the game with a 16-2 run.

It was a notable experience for Kaimuki in several ways. Leilehua beat Kaimuki in preseason, and the Bulldogs were concerned about Nanakuli, their opening-round foe Thursday. There was virtually no time to prepare for Leilehua.

“We didn’t look past Nanakuli,” Lee said. “What got you here is what you need to do.”

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