Kailua locks up OIA D1 East’s top seed with 51-39 win over Kaiser

Visiting Kaiser stringed together runs in waves, but it was Kailua that was riding high after Tuesday night.

The Surfriders celebrated senior night in style with a 51-39 win over the Cougars in an OIA East matchup at Harry Murai Gymnasium.

With the victory, Kailua (20-4 overall, 9-0 league) secured the OIA East’s No. 1 seed in the upcoming Division I playoffs.

“We’re amazing when we play together really well and we trust each other,” said senior guard Skyler Unten. “It’s huge, being No. 1 is the best.”

Unten did a little bit of everything and scored eight of his team-high 11 points after halftime to help the Surfriders weather a Kaiser 10-0 run to start the second half. He earned HSRN’s ‘VIP of the Game’ award, which is presented by Fun Factory Games.

“Well we just needed scores and I was the one,” said Unten. “I just took it upon myself to score and make plays.”

The Cougars took an early 5-0 lead to start the game before Kailua started to get into the flow of things. Kaiser held a 10-6 lead before the Surfriders went on a 13-0 run that spanned the first and second quarters.

Unten’s 3-pointer in transition forced the Cougars to call timeout down 19-10 with 6:31 remaining in the first half. The second quarter would belong to Kailua, outscoring Kaiser, 17 to 4.

“Push the ball, get the rebound and just push,” Unten said of the second quarter surge. “We’re so good in fast break (opportunities), so that’s what we want to do.”

A trio of players finished in double figures to pace the Cougars (12-8, 6-2). Emmanuel Tiritas had 12 points, Norris Birdsong scored 11 on three made 3-pointers and William Dunbar scored all of his 10 points in the second half.