Where have they been all this season? The Kamehameha Maui boys basketball team played their best game of the season in the first round of the Maui Interscholastic League Division I tournament tonight at Baldwin High School.

They defeated the Maui High Sabers 46-26 led by a team of seniors and underclassmen that played together like seasoned veterans.

The Warriors took the lead early on, scoring 5 points in their first two possessions, and ended the first quarter in the lead 10-6.

The Sabers put up a good fight coming out of halftime and made a couple of quick plays, bringing the Warriors’ lead down to 8 points from the pre-halftime lead of 12, but that was as close as Maui High ever got for the remainder of the game.

The seniors led their team to victory, especially sweet after a painful loss to the Sabers in overtime, January 28.

Tonight, the killer combination of Hinano DeLima and Jayden Hedge put up multiple baskets in every quarter of the game. Kawika Kong and Kamalei Medeiros were aggressive on defense and rebounds, and Bronson Kehano handled the ball like a pro to move it down the court and set up the plays.

Working as a team, underclassmen like sophomores Luke Batoon and Kolby Ah Sau had their share of assists and baskets as well.

Gone were the sloppy passes that allowed opponents multiple steals from the Warriors throughout the season, as the Warriors turned the tables on the Sabers and converted their own steals into points on the scoreboard.

Satisfied with a job well done, Head Coach Chad Kalehuawehe put a team of 5 underclassmen out to finish off the final minute and a half. Revealing a promising future for this team, they went on to put up a few points of their own to top off the 20-point win.

The Warrior boys will play Lahainaluna High School tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. at the Baldwin High School gym.

The winners of that game will play the winners of tomorrow night’s 7:30 game, either Na Ali’i or the Bears, for the division championship on Friday, Feb. 4.