The championship game of the Waiakea/Kea'au Boys Basketball Tournament gave local basketball fans a lot to look forward to, as Pahoa battled to a 51-49 win over Kamehameha-Hawaii at the Waiakea High School Gymnasium. Even though these two teams play in separate divisions, they will face each other twice this season as part of the league's East-West format, beginning December 22nd.

The game also reminded us of who makes up the "new guard" in Big Island basketball. Schools like St. Joseph and Hilo thrived in the past, and within the last decade, the Vikings rivalry with Waiakea has been the hot button topic for local hoops followers. Within the last four years or so, the two squads playing for the tournament title have also been vying for state championships, with the Daggers winning a Division II championship two seasons ago.

Right at the tip, it seemed clear that the deeper, more talented Warriors were setting the game's tempo with their aggressive offensive production, led by playmaker Lanaki Apele, who went 2-7 from the field in the first frame while looking to distribute the basketball. Pahoa struggled to hang onto the basketball during that same stretch, turning over the basketball five times in the first quarter while trying to figure out the different defensive looks Kamehameha-Hawaii was giving them.

The Daggers started to cut into the deficit in the second quarter, finding their confidence by attacking the basket in their half-court offensive and using it to set up open jump shots or opportunities to shoot free throws. Devin Freitas-Gonsalves and Nick Fisher combined for eight points in this quarter, which served as their offensive launching pad. They nearly single-handedly kept the Daggers in the game during the middle two quarters, combining for 22 of the team's 27 points in that time span. Freitas-Gonsalves was especially impressive. The game's high scorer with 22 points got a little luck to draw the Daggers even early in the third quarter when he banked in a three pointer from the right wing.

The Warriors got better as the game went on. Apele, who finished with eight points, changed his style of play in the second half, turning him from a shooter to distributor, making nifty no-look passes and drawing defenders in front of him, allowing for easy chances in the paint for his teammates.

In the end, however, this game went down to one specific intangible: free throws. In the fourth quarter, the Warriors were barely over fifty percent from the foul line, shooting 5-9. For the game, the Warriors shot 43 percent from the charity stripe, shooting 9-21.

The Daggers will jump right into the Hilo High Holiday Prep Classic next week with an opening round battle with Division I state runner-up Iolani at 8 pm on Thursday. Kamehameha-Hawaii is preparing for several Oahu tournaments, starting with the Iolani Classic when they open up against Bishop O'Dowd HS, and wrapping up with the Merv Lopes Tournament.