Kailua outlasts Waianae in OT, 54-47

Kailua's Makana Robeson dives into the lane against Waianae. Robeson scored 17 points to lead Kailua in the win. CJ Caraang | SL

KAILUA — Free basketball on a Thursday night, why not.

The Kailua Surfriders fended off a scrappy Waianae team in overtime, 54-47, to close out the first day of the fifth annual Surfrider Holiday Classic at Harry Murai Gymnasium.

Makana Robeson scored 17 points and Christian Mejia added 11 more with 13 rebounds, four assists, four steals and a block to lead the Surfriders in the win. Everett Torres-Kahapea also finished in double figures for Kailua, scoring eight of his 11 points from the free throw line in the overtime period.

The Seariders were led by Douglas Mitchell, who had 16 points and five rebounds. Manu Taukolo added nine points, three assists and four steals, Blaze Kahikina had seven points and Jared Elizares had six points, five assists and two steals to round out Waianae's key contributors.

Both teams had at least 20 turnovers before the night was over, but in the end, it was Kailua advancing into the winner's bracket. The Surfriders will take on defending champion Iolani in the tournament's semifinal round.

"Waianae is a good team," said Waianae coach Wally Marciel. "They play hard, their defense has improved tremendously and they're a good team. We have to be able to handle more pressure and the ball. We made some bad passes, we didn't do very well with shots tonight, but that's what preseason is all about."

The contest ultimately came down to depth as Mitchell, Taukolo and Kahikina all fouled out of the game. Unfamiliarity in a man-to-man defense contributed to the Seariders' high volume of fouls.

"We're not used to playing the man, we was always a zone defense team," said Waianae coach John Simbahon. "We have up 54 points, but I think defensively we'll be alright. Just need to make some small minor adjustments to our man defense."

With varsity returners Torres-Kahapea struggling from the field (1-for-12 shooting) and Zachary Marrotte battling foul trouble the whole game, Robeson filled the void. The 6-foot junior shot 6-for-11 from the field with two made triples to have his best game of his varsity career so far.

"That's what we need," Marciel said on Robeson stepping up. "It's not every night that Everett Torres-Kahapea is going to hit shots. There are going to be nights when he's going to be cold and tonight was one. That's an opportunity for someone to step up and go take that place and I think Makana Robeson did a great job for us tonight."

Robeson may have used up all of his fuel before the end of regulation however. He drew a 3-point shooting foul on Mitchell — which fouled Mitchell out — with 3.8 seconds left on the clock with the score tied at 42. Robeson missed all three attempts, and after a possession by both teams in the remaining ticks, the game was headed to overtime.

After a bad shooting performance from the field, Torres-Kahapea shouldered the load in the overtime period and was a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe after regulation. The Seariders couldn't keep up with most of their key players on the bench with five fouls, and Kailua was able to hold on for the win.

Reach Michael Lasquero at [email protected].