Kailua outlasts Kalani on Senior Night to post sixth straight win

Greg Yamamoto | SL

On Senior Night, it was only fitting that the biggest shot of the evening come from Lacey Fraticelli.

Fraticelli, the lone representative of the Class of 2023 on the Kailua roster, hit a clutch three pointer from the top of the key off a pass from Kiani Hoolulu to give the home team a critical four point advantage with 1:47 left in regulation, and the Surfriders' defense did the rest in a 49-43 win.

"The shots fell at the right time," said Kailua head coach Mandy Llamedo. "With the girls we have on our roster, sometimes you don't know who's going to hit and I love that Lacey had her moment."

"I mean that was really big, but it wasn't the game winner," said Fraticelli. "Every point counted. It was rough but we just stuck together and I'm just grateful for that."

Myah Galdeira led Kailua with 16 points and four rebounds, and Hoolulu added 13 more points to go along with four rebounds, five assists and five steals.

"They've had learn all season how to adjust to each other because usually in that role you have one," said Llamedo. "I've had talks with both of them to try and think about the advantage they have when are out there togehter and working together. It's developed over the season and they're finding it at the right time."

The play of that duo was crucial in helping overcome a double-double performance by Kalani's Alina Stephenson, who had 18 points and 19 rebounds, both game-highs.

"Hats off to her," said Llamedo of Stephenson. "She gave us a hard time down there and we've got to respect her for that."

A 23-18 lead for Kailua at the half was quickly erased by Kalani, who raced out of the second half gate with seven quick points capped off by a three by Raine Chinen to take the lead, and held that advantage for much of the third quarter and well into the fourth.

The Surfriders continued to hang around, and with the Falcons clinging to the lead by just a single point until the 2:27 mark, Hoolulu hit a mid-range shot to put the home team in front, an advantage they would not relinquish.

On the ensuing possession, Hoolulu found Fraticelli on a bail out pass after a little bit of stumble driving into the paint, and actually appeared to twist an ankle in the process, but the shot from Fraticelli swished through for a four point lead.

From there, Kailua definitely racheted up the defensive intensity, in particular on the Kalani ball handlers, and that strategy paid off, forcing a steal and a turnover on consecutive possessions.

"We're really tough defensively when we want to be," said Llamedo. "With a roster this small, we've got to pick and choose our battles and they kind of waited to turn up, but they turned it up when we needed it the most."

Stephenson hit a pair of free throws with 41 seconds left to trim the lead back to a pair, but Kailua knocked down four of seven free throws down the stretch to put the game out of reach, though two attempts called off by lane violations could have extended the margin further.

As the final seconds ticked away, central to the celebration was definitely Fraticelli.

"I know they were really excited going into this one, especially for Lacey," said Llamedo. "They are all really close and they've built a good bond and I think that carries over to the floor for us."

The win also helped the Surfriders clinch the fourth seed of the East.

"We are where we wanted to be though (seeding-wise) and where we set the goal to be," said Llamedo. "It was a well-earned win and I'm happy for the girls."

Both teams will participate in the upcoming OIA Division I playoffs, starting Jan. 19.