Tuesday, March 24, 1998
Kalaheo girls picked as
By Pat Bigold
the team to beat in the OIA
Star-BulletinThere is little question that the Kalaheo girls' basketball team is the one to beat this year in the Oahu Interscholastic Association.
And that poses a peculiar problem for second-year head coach Chico Furtado.
"The hunter has become the hunted, so we must protect against complacency," said Furtado, whose team went 13-0 in the preseason. Two of those wins came against defending state champion Punahou.
"We will no longer sneak up on people," Furtado added.
In last year's season-opener at McKinley, the Mustangs were beaten by 25 points. They lost to the Tigers in the OIA final and nearly beat top-seeded Honokaa in the state semifinals in Hilo last spring.
When the teams meet in Friday's opener at Kalaheo -- the OIA opens with five games tomorrow night -- the three-time defending OIA champion Tigers (9-2 in preseason) will be decided underdogs.
"Right now, we're about four weeks away from Kalaheo's level, and we have a week to make it up," McKinley coach Jesse Victorino said.
McKinley is 12-0 against Kalaheo, and the Tigers haven't lost an OIA game since April 1994. That's a streak of 40 wins.
But Victorino knows the streak is in jeopardy against a Kalaheo team that has experience, size, depth and an inside-outside game.
"We are working on trying to break their press," he said. "Kim Taylor is up front and she is hard to get by. She's one of the better players in the state now."
Furtado returns four of five starters from last year: the 5-foot-8 Taylor, 5-4 senior point guard Steph Redman, 5-5 senior guard Liz Trexler and 5-7 sophomore guard Jen Connor.
Taylor and Redman were first-team OIA Eastern Division all-stars and second-team all-state selections last year.
Also in the mix are 5-10 freshman shot-blocker Brandy Richardson, defensive standout Malia Marks and 5-7 sophomore Sharon Wahinekapu, a transfer from Kailua who Furtado calls "a great ballhandler."
"You can't try to play them in a full-court, man-to-man like Punahou did because they'll run right by you," Victorino said.
McKinley, which returns only sophomore first-team OIA Eastern Division all-star Amber Ehia (5-4), will rely on defense this season, according Victorino.
"We have to win on defense this year because we don't have the talent we had in years past," said Victorino, who lost 5-10 all-state pick Marjorie Nepo and 6-2 all-star Va'e Tipoti to graduation.
"We will try to run," he added. "We have the speed and we need to use it. But we don't have the switch to turn it up and turn it down."
Ehia, who will play a wing, scored 29 points against Waimea on Kauai last week.
The rest of the starting lineup: junior point guard Patti Ishiki, a part-time starter last year; 5-7 freshman wing Briana Ioane; 5-10 senior forward Seni Folaumahina, and 5-10 senior forward Cristine Gora.
"Until somebody moves them out, they are still the defending champions," Furtado said.
In the Western Division, Waipahu and Campbell finished at 9-1 in 1997.
The Marauders, led by division coach of the year Stacie Nii, are considered early favorites. They start all seniors: 5-4 point guard Narita Meana, 6-0 center Moevasa Uele, 5-7 guard-forward Lani Gataloai, 5-9 forward Marie Tuifao and 5-2 guard Arlynn Orpilla.
Waipahu's top reserve is 6-2 sophomore Christine Houghton.
"These girls are big, but they're quick," Nii said. "It will be interesting to see how teams match up with us this year."
But Campbell expects to struggle after the loss of point guard Bridgit Halmos, who broke her tibia and fibula while taking a jump shot at Kapaa in a preseason game.
"It was just a freak accident a couple of minutes into the game," coach Danette Tano said. The game was terminated and Halmos rushed to the hospital.
The remaining returning starters are Jenny McChesney and Rose Curran, both 5-5 senior forwards.
The Sabers will start the season with nine active players.
"We are very small and it will be tough to get rebounds," Tano said.
Moanalua and Radford also should contend in the Western Division.
The Rams return first-team all-star Taryn Geolina. Nanakuli is drawing some attention after upsetting McKinley in the preseason. The Marauders will host the Golden Hawks tomorrow night.