Mattos’ Double-Double Pushes Waiakea Past Honoka’a

Calvin Mattos’ understanding of the game of basketball is well beyond his years.

That’s a compliment for a sophomore whose maturity has earned the respect of his teammates and coaches. It also underscores how good he could potentially be in his junior and senior seasons.

On Wednesday night, Mattos did everything he could to get his team out to a positive start. He also was the guiding influence when the Honoka’a Dragons furiously rallied back into the game in the fourth quarter.

Waiakea snapped a two-game losing streak with a 91-79 victory at the Honoka’a Armory over the Dragons, spoiling the home team’s senior night in front of a packed crowd.

“Over the last four games, he’s been really big for us. He just dominates games,” said his coach, Paul Lee. “Sometimes, I want him to keep being more aggressive. When Calvin rolls and plays like that, our team is so much better.”

Mattos finished three steals shy of a triple-double. He had 30 points, 11 rebounds, and seven steals. He also dished out four assists.

Confidence was flowing early for Mattos and his Waiakea teammates. Just 25 seconds into the game, he drained a three-pointer from the right side to put his team on top to open. Waiakea hit its first five shots of the game and foreced Honoka’a to use a timeout less than two minutes into the opening stanza, already trailing 10-2.

When asked how confident he was feeling when he drained that three, Mattos said that “it was high. If you every hit a three-pointer on the first shot of the game, it always feels good.”

His night was truly just beginning at that point. He shot 13-for-16 from the field and a perfect 3-for-3 from the free throw line.

“Our goal is trying to pass and cut, get us guards driving, getting our points, and running the fast break,” Mattos explained. “That’s how I got most of my points, on the fast break. That’s what was working for me.”

Waiakea (16-8 overall, 7-3 BIIF) got up to a 13-2 lead, but the Dragons got right back into the game, scoring the next seven points. Shyrome Batin led the comeback charge, scoring four points during the run. He would add a lot more later in the quarter, hitting a pair of three point shots to lead to a 12-point first quarter.

Batin finished with a team-high 26 points, but after that first quarter, Mattos did a better job of holding down his production.

“It was hard. He is a good player,” Mattos said of his counterpart. “He’s hard to stop, but I always try to guard the best player on the other team, so it’s a better challenge for me.”

Mattos wasn’t on his own in earning the victory. Sophomore Wes Amuimuia scored seven of his 10 points in the second quarter to help the Warriors push out a 10-point halftime lead.

“What I like about him is that on offense, he’s not shy to take the shot,” Lee explained of Amuimuia, who shot 3-for-6 from the floor. “He’s really confident shooting the ball, and he did a really good job when he was in there for a while.”

Cody Kojima hit his first two three-point shots of the game in the first quarter, but did his most important work in the fourth quarter at the free throw line. He hit all six of his foul shots in the period and all eight for the game, leading to a 16 point night.

Two other Waiakea players reached double-figures. Noah Ferreira scored 12 points and Louie Ondo added 10.

Honoka’a (8-18, 3-7) was plagued by turnovers, committing 26 for the game. That didn’t keep them from making a late charge, though. Ferreira hit a three pointer to put Waiakea ahead 67-50 just a few seconds into the final period, but Batin came right back with a hoop-and-harm inside to quickly get the game back to 14 points just 27 seconds into the period. It started a 10-0 run that cut the score down to 67-60.

The Dragons would continue to creep closer, but Kojima’s free throw shooting and Mattos’ fast break baskets helped to put the game away.

Jonathan Charbonneau scored 17 points for Honoka’a, with 14 coming in the final quarter. Kevin Falk added 14 points and Micah Lorenzo followed with 10.

Both teams are fighting for playoff positioning. Waiakea sits a game behind Kamehameha-Hawai’i in the BIIF Division I standings. Three games remain in the regular season, and there is still no guarantee that the Warriors have locked in a playoff spot, since Konawaena and Kealakehe are two games back with 5-5 marks.

In Division II, Honoka’a is fighting for survival with the final spot in the four-team playoff race. Thanks to St. Joseph’s loss at Kealakehe, both teams remain even at 3-7. If the two remain tied at the end of the season, a tie-breaking game will be necessary to determine the final seed in the postseason tournament.

Waiakea 27 17 20 27 – 91

Honoka’a 21 13 16 29 – 79

Wednesday’s BIIF scoreboard

Waiakea 91, Honoka’a 79

Pahoa 46, Konawaena 40

Kealakehe 46, St. Joseph 36

Kamehameha-Hawai’i 71, Ka’u 34

Hawai’i Preparatory Academy 56, Hilo 43

Kohala 74, Kea’au 40