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Malu Cleveland had 12 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists as Kaimuki broke away for a 55-37 win over Waipahu to capture the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division II boys basketball championship on Wednesday.
Sophomore Jeremiah White scored 13 points and Kesykil Renton tallied 10 as the Bulldogs captured their first league crown since 2007, when they won the D-I title.
“What an amazing feeling. The kids played with their hearts,” Kaimuki coach Greydon Espinda said. “Waipahu broke our press and we had to adjust. All our games playing Division I teams helped us.”
Kaimuki’s seniors were especially grateful.
“We’ve been fighting ever since preseason. It was there from day one. We knew we had a mission to complete,” said senior guard Rashawn Fritz-Betiru, who had five points, five rebounds and four steals. “It feels different. It feels special.”
Matthew Olaivar had scored 14 points, and Ashton Rivera tallied 12 and eight rebounds for Waipahu, the top seed in the OIA West. Like Kaimuki, the Marauders begin play in the D-II state tournament next week.
“Really, oh my gosh, I can’t explain how much I love our team. They need to know they belong here,” Waipahu coach Randy Sagon said. “Tonight, the ball didn’t fall in the basket and we had uncharacteristic turnovers. Kaimuki is a good squad with a good coach. I love coach Greydon. They have good height and length. We would love to meet them again for the state championship.”
A big key for Kaimuki: Cleveland did not foul out. The high-flying shot blocker had only two fouls and provided elite defense in the paint and heady play on the fast break to close the win out.
“Today, it was important to focus and ignore the noise. We calmed down around the ending of the second quarter,” the 6-foot-1 senior said.
Kaimuki began to peak late in the regular season, posting five consecutive wins, including victories over D-I Moanalua and Kaiser. After overpowering Waialua, 63-39, in the D-II semifinal round, they met the Marauders, who had knocked out Kalani.
The opening quarter was a flurry of turnovers as each team used tight on-ball pressure.
“We were at another gear. We needed to execute,” Espinda said.
Down 10-7 late in the first quarter, Kaimuki went on a 16-4 run for the rest of the first half. It was still 15-12 with 2:07 to go before halftime when the Bulldogs’ halfcourt traps swung the momentum.
Renton scored inside on a pass from Fritz-Betiru, and White turned a steal into a feed to Fritz-Betiru for another quick bucket. After A steal by Daysen Lupica led to a layup by Cleveland seconds before the buzzer, Kaimuki had a 23-12 halftime lead.
Kaimuki kept its defensive pressure on and opened its lead to 14 points in the third quarter. A steal and pass by Cleveland to White opened the margin to 35-21 entering the final stanza.
Kaimuki opened the fourth quarter with a 6-2 mini-run and led 41-24 after another steal and feed by Lupica to White. Waipahu then scored six points in a row on free throws by Adonys Hill and Jacob Galisa, and tough drive to the basket by Olaivar.
The Bulldogs closed the game with a 14-3 run.
Waipahu finished with 23 turnovers. Kaimuki had 27 giveaways.
Kaimuki won OIA D-II titles in 1993 and 2006, but has not won a D-II state championship.
The Bulldogs won D-I state titles in ’93 and ’07.
Waipahu last won an OIA boys basketball title in 1980. The Marauders also won championships in ’79 and ’63.
Source: Star
