Bowling ends season with win over Kekaulike
Photo by Kainalu Steward
Team captain Russell Nagamine completes his signature finish in the seasonʻs final game against King Kekaulike on Thursday, Oct. 23, at the Maui Bowling Center. Both teams won, 3-0, and the girls finished in second, while the boys finished in third.
October 25, 2014
The girls bowling team ended their second Maui Interscholastic Season in second place (18-4) just behind Baldwin’s powerhouse first-place team (19-3).
Both boys and girls teams played King Kekaulike, and both won, 3-0, Thursday afternoon against King Kekaulike at the Maui Bowling Center in Wailuku.
“We did really well, beyond my expectations. Both teams did the best they could,” head coach Rodney Carillo said.
It was a tough start for the girls, as the game one results showed a close score of 559 for the Warriors and 500 for Nā Aliʻi.
“A lot of us were struggling in the beginning, but we pulled ourselves together towards the end. I wish it could have gone differently, but we had fun. I always want my girls to have fun,” said senior Destinee Murray, team captain.
The girls stepped up their game in the second round, led by senior Temoani Keahiʻs 150 pins, and eventually beat King Kekaulike, 646 – 502, after also winning the third match.
Other players who prevailed that afternoon included Chrystal Cardoza, with a 141 in game one, and sophomore Anela Brittain with a 166 in game three. Overall, the Warriors swept Nā Aliʻi, winning all three games (559-500, 646-502, 625-518).
On the other side of the alley the boys team (third for the season) also swept, posting scores of 698, 664, and 685 against King Kekaulike’s 434, 523, and 543.
“We were confident that we were going to win today so we didn’t consider this match was going to be much trouble,” said junior Russell Nagamine, team captain.
Sophomore David-John Fernandez and junior Lukela Kanae led game one with a 164, while freshman Brenden Fernandez led in game two with a 160, and junior Russell Nagamine led in the final game with 162 pins.
“I think we improved on teamwork, and reliability towards each other,” said Nagamine.
The Kamehameha Maui teams entered their second season with lots of improvement. For one, on September 6, both teams made history by breaking Baldwin’s 105-game win streak that had started in 2008.
They followed that up with another historic game on October 4, when the girls actually defeated Baldwin, 2-1, and won the match.
“This year was far better than last year and I wish it didn’t end so soon. We made history. Two years into bowling and we’ve already made our mark. I feel so honored to have been team captain this year,” Murray said.
Although it has come to an end, the Warriors are still very proud on the reflection of the season. Girls finished 6-1 with only one loss against Baldwin, and the boys finished 4-3 with two losses against Baldwin and one against Maui High.
Four bowlers, two from each team, also qualified for the state competition in Kona next weekend, Oct. 30 – Nov. 1. They are Murray, Brittan, Nagamine, and Kanae.
But, Coach Carillo is already looking forward to continued improvement next year.
“We have a lot of returnees, so it looks promising. We hope to do better and maybe win the team titles for both the boys and girls. Everyone is looking forward to next year,” he said.
