King Kekaulike knocks
Baldwin from top
of MIL heap

It took nearly half a decade, but King Kekaulike did something no other Maui Interscholastic League boys soccer team could.

Na Alii dethroned four-time champion Baldwin as league champions.

King Kekaulike sealed a state tournament berth, the only one allotted to the MIL this season.

The state tourney will be held Feb. 9-12 a stone's throw away at Kamehameha-Maui.

When Jonathan Davis and Davin Iwata scored goals in the 2-1 win over Baldwin, Na Alii also denied the remarkable Baldwin multi-sport standout of playing in a state tourney once again.

Baldwin goalkeeper Kaluka Maiava, one of a few seniors on the team, is also the Bears' all-state linebacker in football. Maiava, the Star-Bulletin Defensive Player of the Year, didn't make the state tourney in football, either.

On the gridiron, Baldwin was stopped short by the surprising Lahainaluna Lunas.

Seeing is believing: The Big Island Interscholastic Federation offers a wide variety of basketball, not to mention those lengthy bus rides for visiting teams.

When Parker went to Konawaena on Saturday night, little did the Bulls know that they'd be part of something remarkable. Konawaena guard Sean Fujii had not led the Wildcats in scoring all season. However, on this night, he wasn't to be denied.

He sank 12 3-point shots and finished with 40 points in Konawaena's lopsided victory.

It may not be the only bizarre scoring performance we'll see in the BIIF. Last season, in the final week of regulation play, Kamehameha-Hawaii went to Laupahoehoe and outran the host Seasiders, 102-95. It was the highest-scoring game in the long history of the BIIF.

Fujii's performance isn't the biggest solo total this season. Academy of the Pacific forward Kaimana Komine scored 47 in a game against Thompson Academy on Dec. 18.

Hilo's Aukai Wong scored 43 points, including eight treys, in a game at Kealakehe on Jan. 21. Waianae's Xiro Naovalath pumped in 40 points, including seven treys, against Nanakuli on Jan. 21.

Komine hasn't had another game as prolific as the one against Thompson, though he remains the Dolphins' leading scorer.

Fujii's accuracy was amazing Saturday, but Parker, like Thompson, is a winless team in its league. Parker and Thompson are building from the ground up and have a lot of youth.

Naovalath's season-high total came in a must-win situation for the Seasiders. However, Wong's big night at Kealakehe was probably the most impressive of the 40-point club. The 6-foot-2 swingman did his damage after a two-hour bus ride to a hostile gym. Kealakehe, the defending BIIF champion, was also in a must-win situation.

Wong's 43 points came in a variety of ways, with Kealakehe defenders draped over him.

It's unlikely that any defense, especially with the playoffs nearing, will allow a single player to get hot for that long. It could still happen, though, with explosive scorers like Jeremiah Ostrowski of Punahou, Tristan Bailey of Campbell and Jeremy Manuel of Kauai.

To nominate ... To nominate an athlete of the week, contact the Star-Bulletin Sports Department by 11 p.m. Sunday: Phone: 529-4782 Fax: 529-4787 E-mail: sports@starbulletin.com