Boys’ Basketball:
Early drama turns into runaway as Iolani tops Kamehameha for Punahou Holiday
Classic title
Talkstory central
for the
By Paul Honda
Editor
HondaReport.com
A wobble in its walk. A chink in its
armor.
And again, the Raiders regrouped and took no prisoners. Iolani overcame an 8-0
deficit to roar past Kamehameha, 61-38, Tuesday to win the Punahou Holiday
Classic crown.
It was a resounding performance for Iolani, which sustained two losses to
powerhouse teams from the mainland during the Iolani Classic recently. The
Raiders, ranked No. 1 in the HondaReport.com Boys’ Basketball Top Ten, found
out exactly where they stand in the hierarchy of
During the Punahou tourney, Iolani struggled before handily defeating No.
3-ranked Kalaheo and fourth-ranked Kamehameha.
In other games, Punahou overwhelmed Kalaheo, 67-53, in the third-place game,
and Waiakea stymied Kea’au, 74-50, for the consolation title.
See more scores from earlier games below.
|
@ Hemmeter Fieldhouse |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
F |
|
Iolani |
09 |
21 |
24 |
07 |
61 |
|
Kamehameha |
13 |
08 |
11 |
06 |
38 |
“The tournament was great. We started off slow against all of them, and that’s
something we can work on,” Iolani head coach Mark Mugiishi said of his team’s
foes over the past four nights. “Our starters came with no intensity, but
that’s the beautiful thing about our team. We have the luxury of bringing in
five new guys.”
The ‘five new guys,’ sparked by reserve swingman Kawika Shoji’s 3-pointer,
ignited an 8-4 run. “They got us to 12-8, and our starters got back in,”
Mugiishi said.
Kamehameha’s defense was tough. Kapono Kuiahi, a 5-foot-11 senior, shadowed Low
all over the floor. But over time, Low found ways to make a difference.
“He never guarded me before,” Low said. “If he’s on me that tight, I’ll make a
move and create.”
As the offense began to give Low open looks, it was Iolani’s defense that
changed the tempo.
Iolani’s suffocating fullcourt pressure—triggered the next run. Kamehameha,
with a strong post offense led by Waika Spencer, led 17-15 on a hustling follow
shot by junior forward Gabriel Spencer. That’s when the Raiders turned on the
press.
Low drove from the right wing for a layup and Ryan Hirata turned a steal into a
breakaway layup to give Iolani the lead for the first time, 19-17, with
Low came up with a steal and fed Hirata for another layup to extend Iolani’s
lead to four points. Then Low, a 6-foot-1 senior, hit seven points in a row. He
sank two free throws, drained a trey from the top of the key, and scored on
another basket as Iolani capped a pivotal 13-0 run. The Raiders led 28-17 with
The Warriors finally responded with a 3-point play under the rim by Waika
Spencer. After Kawika Hepa made a foul shot with
Kyle Pape, however, drilled a pull-up jumper with 47 ticks remaining, and
Iolani led by nine at the half.
Kamehameha got no closer. Zach Tollefson opened the second half with a layup
off a feed from Low, and Pape connected on another pull-up jump shot for a
34-21 Iolani lead. Backup center
Hirata, who led all scorers with 15 points, swished a pair of free throws, and
when Kamehameha’s inbound pass from mid-court went awry, Hirata hustled and
turned the loose ball into a layup with six seconds left in the third. Iolani
led 54-32 going into the final quarter.
With no preseason games left, both teams cleared the benches in the fourth quarter.
Low, who was later named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, finished
with 14 points.
Gabriel Spencer led Kamehameha with seven points.
Iolani, like many other teams, will relish the time away from an extremely busy
holiday tournament schedule. “We’ve hardly had time for practice,” Mugiishi
bemoaned. “And you can tell. We’re getting sloppy with screens. We don’t have
patience in reading what we do off screens, too.”
Low enjoyed the festival of holiday hoops, but is also looking forward to some
time in the gym. “It’s fun playing games and being in
game mode a lot, but it takes away from our practices. For me, probably
shooting is what I need to work more on. It all starts with shooting,” said
Low, a point guard who will play at
“Practice makes perfect, and I need constant practice,” he said.
Iolani opens its defense of the Interscholastic League of Honolulu championship
on January 6 against
|
@ Hemmeter Fieldhouse |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
F |
|
Kea’au |
12 |
14 |
04 |
20 |
50 |
|
Waiakea |
17 |
11 |
32 |
14 |
74 |
A balanced attack powered the Warriors over the Cougars in a battle of title
contenders from the Big Island Interscholastic Federation. Waiakea claimed the
consolation title with the win, its second over a BIIF
rival in three days. Waiakea outlasted
The young Warriors had too many weapons for the Cougars. Big Abe McGrew, a 6-4 center,
scored 13 points, as did Michael Belmes, for Waiakea. Jon Moniz, a quick 5-11
guard, added 11 points. All three are juniors.
Waiakea turned the heat on with a 32-4 blitzkrieg in the third quarter.
Jordan Cabreros, kid brother of former Waiakea standout and BIIF Player of the
Year Wesley Cabreros, scored 14 to lead the Cougars. Aukai Wong had a solid,
versatile game, leading Kea’au on the boards and in transition.
It was a bittersweet week for the Cougars, who are still overwhelmed by the
death of junior forward Austin Meyers. The standout student-athlete died after
practice last week, but the Cougars dedicated their trip and season to his
memory.
Fans of the Cougars made donations to the family of Austin Meyers during
Tuesday’s final round of play. The tribute was organized by Punahou’s Division
II head coach, Gary Pacarro.
|
@ Hemmeter Fieldhouse |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
F |
|
Kalaheo |
13 |
12 |
15 |
13 |
53 |
|
Punahou |
18 |
12 |
19 |
18 |
67 |
Four Buff n’ Blue scored in double figures, and a steady second half carried
the hosts to victory in the third-place game.
Kalaheo trailed by five at halftime, but struggled to get its offense rolling
in the second half. Sam Wilhoite powered his way to 34 points to lead the
Mustangs, but as the Buff n’ Blue closed ranks on the 6-7 center, turnovers and
a scarcity of open shots hurt Kalaheo.
Punahou’s offense, however, was flush with layups. Freshman Jeremiah Ostrowski
scored a team-high 14 points. Senior Scott Otake and sophomores Danny Cho and
Brenton Lee each added 10 points.
|
@ Hemmeter Fieldhouse |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
F |
|
Punahou II |
21 |
12 |
07 |
17 |
57 |
|
Iolani II |
10 |
10 |
09 |
11 |
40 |
Mike China pumped in 16 points, helping the D2 Buff n’ Blue seize control early
en route to victory.
Chris Wells paced the D2 Raiders with 10 points.
|
@ Hemmeter Fieldhouse |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
F |
|
|
27 |
20 |
16 |
21 |
84 |
|
|
09 |
18 |
07 |
06 |
40 |
James Lambert, a 6-3 senior, poured in 19 points to lead four
Chris Daniels, a senior guard, scored 16 points to lead the Sabers.
|
@ Hemmeter Fieldhouse |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
F |
|
Moanalua |
12 |
14 |
16 |
17 |
59 |
|
|
16 |
13 |
11 |
09 |
49 |
Eric Keys hustled for 20 points, including a pair of slam dunks, and helped the
Menehune seize control of the glass. Zachary Pendergrast added 15 points, and
point guard Joseph Nishimura, who saw some time at forward, added 11.
Nishimura’s speed and quickness were handy in the second half, turning a few
steals into length-of-the-court layups against the running Vikings.
Jacob Fukuda, a sharpshooting guard, scored 13 points, and 6-2 center Chris
Gorman tallied 11.
Haasenritter, the ace of Hilo’s World Series championship team and quarterback
of the Vikings’ football team, never lost consciousness, but was taken later to
Kapiolani Hospital for treatment. Haasenritter, a 6-2 swingman who rebounds and
hits the outside shot, also sustained a sore lower back as a result of the
mishap.
The Viks hung tough without the valuable Haasenritter, but by the final minute
of the third quarter, Moanalua seized momentum with defense and easy transition
points from Nishimura.
|
@ Hemmeter Fieldhouse |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
F |
|
Radford |
04 |
21 |
09 |
17 |
51 |
|
Maryknoll |
09 |
08 |
11 |
07 |
35 |
William Kerins, a 6-foot junior guard, and senior Tauran Moore each scored 12
points as the Rams outlasted the pesky Spartans.
The Rams took control in the second quarter, but were unable to finish off the
hustling Spartans until the final minutes.
Tyler Tzukazaki, a 5-9 sophomore guard with excellent offensive fundamentals,
led Maryknoll with 14 points.
|
@ Hemmeter Fieldhouse |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
F |
|
Damien |
09 |
16 |
11 |
11 |
47 |
|
Farrington |
06 |
10 |
06 |
12 |
34 |
Senior center Keoni Steinhoff scored 10 points and led a dominant Monarch
inside game.
Ferdinand Morales led the Governors with 10 points.
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