HILO, Hawai'i – The rivalry between the Chaminade University and the University of Hawai'i Hilo men's basketball teams is one that spans nearly 50 years when both teams were club programs when the series began in 1973.
In the latest saga of the storied rivalry, the Vulcans, who won the first meeting of the season on Dec. 3, used a late 23-9 run to again come out on top with a 103-91 win Saturday at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.
Isaac Amaral-Artharee (Portland, Ore./Central Catholic) had a game-high 27 points for the Silverswords who fell to 5-8 overall and 1-5 in the Pacific West Conference.
Braden Olsen (West Linn, Ore./Gannon University/West Linn HS) tied his season-high with 20 points.
Raazhel Watkins (Concord, Calif./Sacramento State/College Park HS) added 13 on the afternoon with
Chris Bready (Milwaukee, Wis./New Mexico Military Institute/Waukesha West HS) chipping in with 10. Amaral-Artharee and Watkins both drained three 3-pointers.
Watkins pulled down six rebounds while Olsen and
Ross Reeves (Orem, Utah/Snow College/Orem HS) each dished out five assists.
The 12-point margin of defeat is the largest suffered by the 'Swords in their five conference loses this season. Their previous four PacWest losses were by a combined eight points.
Darren Williams paced UH Hilo (8-1, 4-0 PacWest) with 21 points.
Although Chaminade still leads the all-time series thanks to their dominance over the first two decades of the 21st century, Hawai'i Hilo has won eight of the last nine meetings, all under their third-year head coach Kaniela Aiona. The 103 points is also the most the Vulcans have posted in the series since putting up 119 in February 1994.
Amaral-Artharee, Olsen and Watkins accounted for all the scoring as the 'Swords opened up a 19-11 lead, capped by a Watkins triple seven minutes into the game, their largest of the game. But Chaminade went cold from the floor and was held without a field goal during a four-minute stretch which saw UH Hilo go on a 12-1 run to take the lead for good.
Down 48-42 at halftime, Olsen buried a triple to bring Chaminde to within three. However the Vulcans would answer each Silverswords score with one of their own throughout the second half. A 3-pointer by Bready would draw the 'Swords to 80-78 with 7:52 remaining but again, Chaminade went cold from the floor, making just one field goal in the final seven minutes of the contest which helped UH Hilo to pull away down the stretch, although they managed to make 11 of 12 free throws in the span.
Chaminade finished by shooting 44.6 percent from the field, making 11-of-23 from 3-point range and 22-of-28 free throws. They managed to pull down 27 rebounds with 14 assists to just eight turnovers.
UH Hilo shot 64.6 percent from the field, aided by a gaudy 21-of-27 (77.8 percent) in the second half. The Vulcans hit nine triples and 10 free throws, got 37 rebounds, 24 assists but turned the ball over 16 times.
The Silverswords return to action Monday when they host Champion Christian College in their final non-conference game of the season. Tipoff at McCabe Gymnasium is at 3 p.m.
