Hawaii Basketball

After a so-so regular season where they finished 7-5 in the OIA Red Division, the highly-touted Kaimuki Bulldogs hit the “on” switch just in time to make a run in the post season. As the #4 seed going into the OIA Tournament, the Bulldogs calmly made their way through to the finals where they defeated the Kalaheo Mustangs to earn their second consecutive OIA title.

Going into the state tournament, Kaimuki was awarded the #2 seed and placed in what was probably the toughtest bracket in the tournament which featured two of the top three teams in the state, the St. Louis Crusaders and the 5-time defending State Champion Iolani Raiders. Needless to say, the Bulldogs made it through to the finals with a 2 point win over the St. Louis Crusaders and a 54-44 win over Kamehameha-Hawaii who upset Iolani the night before.

In the finals, Kaimuki faced the Punahou Buff-n-Blu in a showdown of the OIA’s best against the ILH’s best and a matchup of 4 of the state’s top players, Beau Albrechtson and Keoni Reyes for Kaimuki and Miah Ostrowski and Spencer McLachlin for Punahou. Both the teams and the players didn’t disappoint, taking a 25-all tie into the second half and 3-point game into the final quarter. In the fourth, the Bulldogs outscored the Buff-n-Blu 23-18 and won their first state championship since 1993 with a 61-53 victory.

Keone Reyes lead all scores with 21 points and Beau Albrechtson pitched in 16 points and 16 rebounds for the Bulldogs. For Punahou, Miah Ostrowski and Spencer McLachlin led the team with 14 points a piece.