Iolani up to No. 1 in poll

Seeing is believing, at least for this Angel.

Angel Kalehuawehe has seen lots of basketball in his years as Baldwin coach. When his team met Iolani on Friday night, there was plenty to say afterward.

"Iolani is in mid-season form. God, they were hitting shots from all over the place," he said of the Raiders, who rose a spot to No. 1 in today's Star-Bulletin Girls Basketball Top 10.

Iolani also toppled Lahainaluna during its Valley Isle tour. Baldwin did something against the Raiders few teams have done so far, though. The Bears topped the 30-point mark in the 61-31 loss.

"We were playing man-to-man defense, but we hung in there in the first half, down 15," Kalehuawehe said.

Iolani limited Lahainaluna to 15 points, nearly replicating its 57-17 victory over the Lady Lunas nearly two weeks ago. Baldwin and Lahainaluna are the favorites to nab state-tourney berths in the Maui Interscholastic League.

Baldwin isn't quite on the radar for the voting panel of coaches and media, but the Bears are expected to go farther than last season. Two standout players, Nicole Alconcel and Dayne Carvalho, are back after a one-year hiatus. The two went to Japan for a softball all-star team tour last spring.

"They're my top guns," Kalehuawehe said. "It's nice to have 'em back. They're holding us up."

Rivalry heats up: Kalaheo's thrilling 76-74 double-overtime win over Kahuku on Saturday is probably a sign of things to come in the tough Oahu Interscholastic Association East.

On the floor, Kahuku's man-to-man defense created havoc, but three players wound up fouling out, to coach Val Anae's dismay.

"They called basically a good game," the former Brigham Young All-American said of officials.

Calmly, though, she pointed to Kalaheo coach Chico Furtado as a primary reason why calls went against Kahuku at times.

Furtado was equally perturbed.

"Rivalry is good. I don't mind a friendly rivalry between teams, but grumbling about refs or me is just crying," the longtime coach said, noting his hot-and-cold relationship with officials over the years.

"That thing has haunted me more often than not," he added. "But this shouldn't take away from the game."

The matchup itself was a marathon of momentum swings, drama and bruises all around for both teams.

Kahuku made 20 of its 31 free-throw attempts, including three crucial misses in the second overtime. Kalaheo shot 25-for-37 from the line, including 11-for-19 by Shanadee Canon, who finished with 25 points.

Fans were exhausted after the game, but even Kahuku's faithful smiled just a bit as they exited. The sequel is 22 days away.