HondaReport.com - Boys' Basketball: Trojans withstand valiant Tigers, 57-54

Boys' Basketball: Trojans withstand valiant Tigers, 57-54

It took grit and composure for Mililani to post another win, but what else is new? For the Trojans, knocking off the OIA's Cinderella team was no forgettable feat.

KAILUA—It takes a lot of gumption to be 22-1. Just ask the Mililani Trojans.

With a key scorer on the bench with an injury, the fourth-ranked Trojans completed a major rally to fight off McKinley, 57-54, Wednesday night in the semifinals of the O’ahu Interscholastic Association boys’ basketball playoffs.

Mililani (12-1 OIA) will battle defending league champion Kalaheo (12-1) for the OIA title Friday night. Tip-off at McKinley High School Student Council Gymnasium will be at about 8 p.m., following the third-place game.

Tenth-ranked McKinley (9-5) will face Kaimuki (10-4 OIA, 18-7 overall) for third place. All four teams have already sealed state tournament berths.

The Trojans managed to rally despite the loss of Puna Neumann, who sustained an injury to his right hand after a collision under the basket. “When Puna got hurt, I was thinking, ‘This is a big loss.’ We just had to play through it,” said Alex Patykula, who led all scorers with 22 points.

Scott Neumann, who scored six points in the final quarter to help the Trojans secure the win, was also concerned. “I kind of got scared,” he said of his brother’s injury. “But I knew we could come back.”

The Trojans used a tenacious full-court press against a tiring Tiger squad in the fourth quarter to spark the comeback. In the end, however, Mililani owes quite a bit to its senior forward, Patykula.

The 6-footer scored 12 of his 22 points in the final quarter. Eight of those points came during a 17-2 run than rallied Mililani from a 41-30 deficit.

Scott Neumann, who subbed into the game to replace his brother, drove and hit a bank shot to give Mililani the lead for good, 45-43, with 3:53 left. It was one of Mililani’s few buckets off penetration.

“We mostly take outside shots. Coach said we needed to drive,” Neumann said.

It could be a glimpse of what the Trojans will see Friday, and also during the state tournament. “It wasn’t our day, shooting, but I had a feeling I’d make some shots,” Patykula said, referring to his big fourth quarter. “McKinley plays good defense overall.”

McKinley, rotating seven players all game long, scored just six points during a six-minute span of the fourth quarter. The Tigers stayed within one point thanks to Robert Holder, who scored eight of his 18 points in the last stanza, and Josh Valdez.

Valdez nailed a 3-pointer from the top to keep McKinley’s hopes alive late in the contest. However, Patykula sank four free throws in a row, and Scott Neumann sank two more to keep the Trojans ahead despite the loss of Neumann.

He left the game with 4:28 left—moments before Patykula tied the contest at 43 with a trey. Still, Mililani persevered. McKinley cut the lead to one on four different occasions in the final 1:24. Holder’s driving basket cut the lead to 55-54 with 14 seconds remaining.

Mililani, however, broke McKinley’s full-court press and put the game away with a breakaway layup in the final seconds.

That gave the Tigers, who were out of time outs, a final opportunity. Holder raced upcourt and launched a 3-point try from 22 feet out, but missed as the buzzer sounded.

Abel Werner finished with 17 points in McKinley’s gallant effort. The Tigers took the Trojans—who played man defense—to the hoop off the dribble for most of the night, but their lack of depth made an impact during Mililani’s amazing second-half rally.

It was, perhaps, Mililani’s penchant for drama—and extremely close games—that served it well. “The pressure—we’ve already been in that situation a lot,” Patykula said. “I’d rather have a lead, though.”

The Tigers, the sixth—and last—seed out of the OIA East, showed no fear of the Trojans from the start. They led early, 10-5, before Mililani woke up in usual fashion.

Always better, it seems, in a close game, the Trojans went ahead, 15-14, on Puna Neumann’s pull-up jumper from the foul line. McKinley, however, finished the first half with a 6-0 run, including a tough jump shot by Holder with four seconds to go. The Tigers led, 24-21, at the break.

McKinley, sitting in a 2-3 zone, saw Mililani shoot blanks from the perimeter for most of the game. That allowed the Tigers to open the lead midway through the third quarter. Valdez drilled a trey from the left wing to help his team open a six-point lead, 30-24.

Werner sank a 21-footer for three more points as McKinley started a 9-2 run late in the third quarter. Holder hit four foul shots in a row, and after the 5-foot-9 Werner powered his way to two points in the low post, McKinley led 41-30 with 7:47 to play.

Then the Tigers seemed to run out of gas, and Mililani unveiled its press, which paved the way to victory.

“This is big for us,” Scott Neumann said. “I always knew we could reach the title game.”