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Brandon Ching | ScoringLiveFebruary 26, 2022, 6:01am
Fri, Feb 25, 2022 @ Moanalua
SALT LAKE—It was an ugly game, but coach Dan Hale will take it.
Top seeded Saint Louis got a scare from fourth seeded Baldwin but prevailed, 40-32, in the Heide & Cook/HHSAA Division I Boys Basketball State Championship semifinals at Moanalua.
"Tournament play will not always be pretty. When you play a team like that, who's just so big and skilled. It wasn't pretty because their defense was tremendous. We found a way, but that game could've gone either way," Hale said.
With its top two scorers struggling from the field, AJ Bianco put the Crusaders on his back and finished with a team-high 14 points on 50 percent shooting (5 of 10) from the field. Aiva Arquette scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds and defensive stopper Cole Schmidt had a season-high seven points.
Saint Louis beat Baldwin, 58-42, in the Jim Alegre Invitational at Radford, but both teams grew exponentially throughout the season.
"We played them in the preseason and everybody's better. They're well-coached and do what do well. It's not something you see everyday. When you're used to getting a mismatch here or there, with them, you're scrambling. You make one mistake and they're so skilled, they're laying it up on you. I give them a lot of credit, that's a very good team," Hale said.
The Crusaders trailed, 24-23 to open the fourth quarter, but Bianco reclaimed the lead with a shot in the paint. Arquette found Schmidt on the backdoor to make it, 27-24 with 4:45 remaining.
"Cole was ready. This is a very unselfish team and whether you're a facilitator or scorer, guys are ready to take that role and those were huge baskets," Hale said.
Arquette stole the ball from Hudson Yarbrough and dunked in transition to wake up the Crusaders and their crowd to force a timeout from Baldwin at the 4:14 mark.
"That was tremendous. The fact we came up with those balls, that was the difference. In a game like this you have to make the play and they made a couple big plays down the stretch and that's what we needed," Hale said.
Akaka poured in a team-high 14 points and hit a jump shot, but Bianco found Schmidt on the backside and was fouled as he made the shot. Schmidt's free throw extended the lead, 32-26. Yarbrough hit a jumper, but the Crusaders would hit four of their next six free throw attempts to go up, 36-28.
Avery Pauole got the Bears within six with 46 seconds remaining, but the Crusaders went 4 for 8 from the charity stripe the rest of the way. Brody Reformina hit Baldwin's last field goal with 18 seconds left.
"Q (Quintin Akaka) was cramping up. His quads, Achilles, and calves were shutting down. It's not an excuse. Whoever is in, has to make plays. We turned over the ball, we let easy ones get away. But I'm so proud of this group. We fought through so much adversity and I cannot enough about this group. I'm so proud I got to coach these bunch of kids," Baldwin coach Cody Tesoro said.
The Crusaders struggled from the field shooting 14 of 45 (31.1 percent) for the game and was 1 of 11 on 3-pointers.
Baldwin's front court consisting of Pauole (6-foot-6), Hudson Yarbrough (6-foot-7), and Akaka (6-foot-7) made it difficult for the Crusaders to convert baskets.
"Some college teams don't have that kind of size and it's a luxury to have," Tesoro said. "They're leaders and they're are workhorses and lead by example."
"They're so tall, they drop off and get in your face when you try to take the shot," Hale said.
Saint Louis racked up 11 steals, Arquette and Bianco with three each and forced 24 Baldwin turnovers.
"We got a couple steals in the end and we were hanging in there. We got a couple key steals down the stretch that was really the difference because it could've gone either way for a while," Hale said.
Saint Louis built up a 9-2 lead after Arquette's baseline floater, but Quintan Akana willed the Bears to get back within three. Jordan Posiula's turn around gave the Crusaders an 11-6 edge going into the second.
The Bears outscored the Crusaders, 8 to 2 in the second quarter. Shoncin Revuelto made the team's only field goal as Saint Louis went ice cold and was 1 for 10 from the field. Akaka hit a jumper and Yarbrough hit a runner for a 14-13 lead that held up going into halftime.
"I'm glad we got to show that Maui boys can play. We're tough. We scrap and play to the end. We try to do it the best we can and do it the right way," Tesoro said.
Saint Louis opened up the third quarter on a 6-0 run by redeeming Baldwin turnovers. Akaka brought the Bears within three and Kobe Gonzales added a steal and layup in transition to bring Baldwin within one. Gonzales added two more off a Crusader turnover, but Bianco reclaimed the lead with a turnaround hook shot. Yarbrough drove in the lane to give Baldwin a 24-23 advantage heading into the final quarter.
The Bears edged the Crusaders on the glass, 27 to 23.
Baldwin finished 16 of 30 (53.3 percent) overall from the field.
Hudson Yarbrough, who scored 22 against Kailua in the quarterfinals, finished with eight points.
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