HONOLULU – Aloha Senior Night is always a special occasion for the home team.
On Monday, the Silverswords nearly had heartbreak in their final home game of the 2023-24 season, watching a 16-point second-half lead nearly evaporate into the Kalaepohaku night before making the plays they desperately needed to escape with a 69-66 win over Biola University at McCabe Gymnasium.
Ross Reeves (Orem, Utah/Snow College/Orem HS) had a game-high 31 points, hitting 10-of-20 shots including six 3-pointers, while pulling in seven rebounds as the Silverswords won their second straight Pacific West Conference game for the first time this season.
Senior
Isaac Amaral-Artharee (Portland, Ore./Central Catholic), playing his final home game, added 17 points and five assists including hitting two clutch free throws with four seconds left which forced the Biola to play for a tie at the buzzer.
Others playing their final game at McCabe Gym included
Scott Ator (Murphy, Texas/College of the Sequoias/Wylie HS), who had five rebounds and a block,
Chris Bready (Milwaukee, Wis./New Mexico Military Institute/Waukesha West HS) with three points and two rebounds, and
Wyatt Lowell (Gilbert, Ariz./University of Portland/William Fields HS) with eight points and five boards.
The 'Swords, who have a knack all season with games coming down to the wire, improved to 9-16 overall and moved out of the conference cellar at 5-12 in the PacWest. Monday was their 10th conference game decided by four points or less (3-7 in such games) and their seventh determined on the final possession (3-4 record).
Chaminade's slim chance of earning a conference tournament berth remained alive, although a loss over their next three games or an Azusa Pacific win over its next five will end eliminate them from the chase.
Biola, which lost all three games on its Hawai'i trip, fell to 14-10 and 9-7 in the PacWest.
The Eagles led for all but 49 seconds of the first half, with their biggest lead at 29-23 with minutes left before the break. A 9-1 run capped by a Reeves layup gave the Silverswords a lead at 32-30 but Biola managed to get a layup at the buzzer to force a 32-all tie.
The 'Swords used runs of 15-5 early and 10-4 midway through the second half capped by Reeves' three-point play, to build what presumably would be a decisive 65-49 lead with 8:32 left to play.
However, it proved to be the final field goal for the 'Swords as someone seemed to put a proverbial lid on the home basket. Chaminade went the next eight minutes without a score, going 0-for-9 from the field, as Biola went on a 15-0 run which finally ended with Reeves hitting two free throws with 30 seconds left, putting the 'Swords up 67-64.
Casey Cappo then got a layup with eight seconds left to draw BU to within a single point. Amaral-Artharee, who had a critical turnover which led to Biola's game-winner in the first meeting on New Year's Day, redeemed himself with two clutch free throws with four seconds left, giving Chaminade a 69-66 lead.
Cappo, who had a team-leading 22 points for Biola, couldn't get his 25th as his desperation 3-point runner at the buzzer hit all glass and allowed the 'Swords to survive.
Chaminade shot 40.7 percent with 10 triples, 32 rebounds, 14 assists and just seven turnovers. Biola shot 43.6 in the game with six 3s, 39 boards, and an equal number of assists and turnovers (11).
The difference proved to be at the charity stripe with the 'Swords, the No. 4 free throw percentage team in Division II at 79.2 percent, hit all 11. Biola was just 12-of-20 from the free throw line.
After the game, Amaral-Artharee, Ator, Bready and Lowell were honored.
Amaral-Artharee, who is coming to an end of a six-year career with the 'Swords thanks to a redshirt freshman and COVID years, is the most accomplished of the bunch. With 1,685 career points, he is third all-time in scoring and is closing in on the late Will Pounds for second on the list with 1,710. Amaral-Artharee is also second in 3-pointers with 231. With 122 games played, he is just the fourth player in school history with over 120 games but the first after 1985. Amaral-Artharee is also second in minutes played (3,693) and third with 94 career starts.
In his two years, Ator has 71 career blocked shots, putting him ninth all-time, just one behind Jerome Jerichow in eighth.
Bready has 232 points and 110 rebounds in his two years as a Silversword and Lowell in his lone CUH career has posted 147 points, 68 rebounds, 20 assists and 11 blocks.
The Silverswords will end their season on the road starting Saturday at Westmont College. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. Hawai'i time.
