HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
Trojans undefeated in OIA West
He doesn't wear green anymore, but A.J. Clark is still money in the clutch.
Clark, a transfer from University High, scored seven points in a 7-0 run with 2 minutes left to break a stalemate and lift Mililani over No. 10 Radford 61-54 last night.
A boisterous crowd saw Mililani boost its Oahu Interscholastic Association West record to 5-0, knocking off a division contender. Clark led a balanced offense with 14 points. Ken Moses added 11 points.
Radford fell to 3-2 in league play (8-6 overall). Gary Satterwhite scored 18 points to lead the Rams. Justin Lord and Matt Alofaituli, hustling under the boards all night, finished with 13 and 11 points, respectively.
Clark, a 5-foot-10 guard, anchored a stingy Trojan defense. Mililani limited Radford's long-range shooters to 2-of-14 accuracy from the 3-point arc. The Trojans were 5-for-7 from the arc.
"I'm proud of the boys. They worked together as a team again, especially on defense. The kids played the zone perfect. Radford got no easy looks and we rebounded," coach Hiram Akina said.
The seesaw battle was tied at 52 after Justin Lord hustled for a reverse layup off a miss with 2:54 left.
Clark then swished a trey from the left corner, then stole a perimeter pass and broke away for a layup to give Mililani a 57-52 lead with 2:14 remaining.
After Satterwhite and Mike Sooto missed long 3-pointers, Clark swished a pair of free throws with 33 seconds. The Trojans led 59-52, and Radford got no closer than five the rest of the way.
"A.J. stepped up defensively really big. We made our free throws. Rebounding and free throws, those were the big keys," said Akina, who won't categorize his team as a zone-defense-only unit.
"The last two wins before this was man (defense). It depends on the situation," he said.
Clark made the switch to Mililani after his junior season. University dropped to Division II in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, and with a plethora of graduating seniors, the time was right for Clark to wear brown and gold.
"What I bring is defense and leadership. I try to make the guys better on the court," he said. "We knew we couldn't come out flat against Radford."
The home crowd, one of the louder ones in the OIA, helped Mililani establish a fast tempo. "We try to get as many people out here as possible," Clark said. "We feed off of them."
Radford faces an uphill battle in a division that has more parity than usual. "We needed to play a little smarter, just play our game," said Sooto, who finished with nine points. "We needed to keep our composure. We'll learn from this."
The visiting Rams matched the host team's intensity, taking a 12-11 lead after Lord scored six points in a row.
Radford was conservative, sitting in a 2-3 zone with success until midway through the second quarter. Mililani went to a 2-3 zone, as well, early in the fourth quarter. With the game tied at 18, the Trojans went on an 11-4 run to close out the half.
Olmos, who shot erratically, hit a pair of treys in the second quarter to spark Mililani, which led 29-22 at intermission.
The Rams chipped away at the lead and surged ahead with a 12-4 run. A layup on the fastbreak by Lord gave Radford a short-lived 45-43 lead late in the third quarter.
Mililani regained the lead with a follow shot by Kristian Guillen and a 17-foot jumper by Jordan Torres.
At Mililani H.S. gym
Radford (3-2) |
12 |
10 |
23 |
9 |
-- |
54 |
Mililani (5-0) |
11 |
18 |
18 |
14 |
-- |
61 |
RADFORD-- Garriet Canteen 1, Michael Sooto 9, Justin Lord 13, Joe Brundidge 0, Zach Brisley 0, Gardner Nakatani 0, Matt Alofaituli 11, Gary Satterwhite 18, Michael Goodman 2.
MILILANI-- Nick Kanno 9, Jordan Torres 2, Ken Moses 11, Jon Vazquez 2, Donovan Olmos 9, A.J. Clark 14, David Otte 0, Brandon Dela Cruz 6, David Rivers 4, Kristian Guillen 4.
3-point goals -- Radford 2 (Sooto, Satterwhite), Mililani 5 (Olmos 2, Clark 2, Kanno).
Junior varsity -- Mililani 67, Radford 55.
Campbell 42, Waipahu 41
Ryan Hayes scored on a game-winning layup with 7 seconds left and finished with a game-high 18 points as the Sabers squeaked out a one-point victory.
Tristan Sealy added 17 points for Campbell, while Jomar Pedro scored 15 points to lead the Marauders.
At Waipahu H.S. gym
Campbell (3-2) |
7 |
16 |
11 |
8 |
-- |
42 |
Waipahu (1-3) |
2 |
14 |
14 |
11 |
-- |
41 |
CAMPBELL--Raymond Samante 1, Ryan Hayes 18, Matthew Samante 0, Michael McDonald 2, Jayden Delizo 2, Tristan Sealy 17, Walter Daniels 2, Sean Kelley 0, Dexter Van Nook 0.
WAIPAHU--Jasper Leano 2, Mike Poscablo 0, Robert Donley 2, Jomar Pedro 15, Justin Dixon 0, Rowel Rivera 8, Lester Orsino 2, Geoffrey Tedious 2, Jamar Pacupac 7, Castro Masaniai 3, Maa Siani 0, James Tirao 0.
3-point goals -- Campbell 4 (Hayes 2, Sealy 2), Waipahu 2 (Pedro 2, Rivera 2).
Junior varsity -- Campbell 58, Waipahu 54
Nanakuli 62, Waialua 25
Kalai Kahalekai poured in 17 points as all 12 Golden Hawks scored in a blowout victory over the Bulldogs.
After a poor first quarter in which the two teams scored just 12 points combined, the Golden Hawks outscored Waialua 55-20 the rest of the way.
At Waialua H.S. gym
Nanakuli (2-3) |
7 |
20 |
18 |
17 |
-- |
62 |
Waialua (1-4) |
5 |
7 |
8 |
5 |
-- |
25 |
NANAKULI--Anson Amaral 4, Kalai Kahalekai 17, Alika Willacker 5, Kalani Kahalekai 2, Travis Hulama 2, Levi Luavasa 4, Issac Iuta 8, Micahel Patronis 7, Jerry Kea 6, Vincent Mao 1, John Smith 2, Julis Seabrook 4.
WAIALUA--Marc Nacapuy 4, Jordan Chun 2, Bernard Menor 2, Edwin Rubio 0, Isiah Ramirez 0, Robert Kroeger 3, Ilikea Chavez 0, Enoch Zawadi 0, Brian Graziano 2, Aaron Lapitan 2, Tauese Tapusoa 3, Caleb Fore 2, Joshua Whittaker 5.
3-point goals -- Nanakuli 2 (Kalai Kahalekai, Willacker), Waialua 1 (Kroeger).
Junior varsity -- Nanakuli 41, Waialua 29
Aiea 60, Waianae 48
Kali Kuia scored a game-high 20 points and had seven of Aiea's 11 steals as Na Alii picked up their first win of the season by defeating the Seariders.
Nathaniel Kahala dropped 19 points to lead Waianae. Seth Nelson nailed two 3-pointers for Aiea.
At Aiea H.S. gym
Waianae (2-2) |
14 |
13 |
8 |
13 |
-- |
48 |
Aiea (1-3) |
14 |
11 |
17 |
18 |
-- |
60 |
WAIANAE--Alfred Coffin 0, Charlton Taitin 2, Nathaniel Kahala 19, Ramsey Beers 3, Junior Faliuga 12, R.J. Beers 2, Jeremy Green 3, Liko Manuel 5, Jesse Lafua 0, Leroy Lee-Kiaaina 2.
AIEA--Lofa Liilii 8, Lito Alvarez 2, Josh Asuncion 0, Kali Kuia 20, Jerry Miller 4, Seth Nelson 8, Eric James 2, Kekoa Baptista 2, Kai Ah-Mook-Sang 2, Ryan Mora 2, Robert Holiday 6, Miah Tausaga 4.
3-point goals -- Waianae 2 (Kahala, Green), Aiea 2 (Nelson 2).
Junior varsity -- Aiea 48, Waianae 32
Leilehua 52, Kapolei 51 OT
Kennedy Orteza scored six of his game-high 21 points in overtime as the Mules overcame a scoreless second quarter to come from behind and defeat the Hurricanes.
Clayton Laurel added 10 points for the Mules, who improved to 3-2. Cameron Moody led three Hurricanes in double figures with 18 points.
At Leilehua H.S. gym
Kapolei (1-3) |
5 |
18 |
9 |
8 |
11 |
-- |
51 |
Leilehua (3-2) |
11 |
0 |
16 |
13 |
12 |
-- |
52 |
KAPOLEI--Wayne Archer 0, Keoki Lapina 12, Nate Dixon 0, Cameron Moody 18, Darcus Coleman 0, Kimothy Thomas 0, Jerrome Figueroa 7, Pookela Ahmad 3, Brad Padayao 11.
LEILEHUA--Kennedy Orteza 21, Kolwin Dixon 2, Mike Tyron 6, Antonio Pereira 2, Josh Brooks 2, Art Laurel 9, Viliami Haunga 0, Clayton Laurel 10.
3-point goals -- Kapolei 1 (Padayao), Leilehua 2 (Orteza 2).
Junior varsity -- Kapolei 38, Leilehua 37
BIIF
TUESDAY
Varsity boys
Kamehameha-Hawaii 50, Hilo 48
Leading scorers--KSH: Mana Silva 11, Kealoha Kramer 11. Hilo: Dustin Otis 13, Toby Misech 12.
Junior varsity boys
Kamehameha-Hawaii 70, Hilo 42