HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
Iolani, Kalani at Nos. 1 and 2
For the second time in as many weeks, there is a new queen atop the Star-Bulletin Girls Basketball Top 10.
Iolani, coming off three decisive wins to open the Interscholastic League of Honolulu season, climbed to No. 1, replacing Kamehameha.
Kauai fires football coach Morgado
Kauai High School fired football coach Kelii Morgado on Friday.
"They offered him the job on Thursday, and then they rescinded it on Friday," Kauai High School Football Boosters president Duane Girard said last night.
Morgado, who led a resurrection at the Lihue school during his eight seasons, chose to not comment on the situation last night.
Under Morgado, Kauai won four Kauai Interscholastic Federation championships, putting an end to Waimea's streak of 11 straight titles. Morgado, who was a junior varsity coach for three years before taking the reins of the varsity program, is still a teacher at the school.
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The Raiders may not have an automatic pass to the league title, but their dominance last week convinced the panel of coaches and media. Iolani collected 14 of 17 first-place votes.
Kalani moved up two notches to No. 2, while two-time defending state champion Punahou quietly stepped up to No. 3.
With the focus on Iolani and former No. 1-ranked Kamehameha, the Buffanblu are more than happy to stay under the radar. Punahou coach Mike Taylor submitted Iolani as his No. 1 team in this week's poll.
"It's the first time in all my years that it feels different," Taylor said of his team, which was ranked fifth a week ago. "Not having the two (Kuehu twins Shawna-Lei and Shaena-Lyn), it's a lot different pressure. (But) we still have things in our cupboard that we can use."
Only a few teams press all over the floor like Punahou does. One of the byproducts of the hectic, full-throttle pace is fouls.
"If you hit free throws against us, you can beat us. We put you in the double bonus," Taylor said of the extra possessions.
For now, the Buffanblu are content to rest this week. The entire ILH does not return to action until April 3.
"We gave our team three, four days off to just be kids. They're recovering from flu bugs, traveling to the mainland to visit colleges," he said.
Maui is one of two new entries to the Top 10. The Sabers, under coach Gilbert Silva, landed at No. 8 largely on the competition they gave two highly ranked teams two weekends ago. Konawaena, in particular, absorbed Maui's best effort in a narrow 43-41 win.
"Maui has played Kalani and Konawaena tough, and Lahainaluna got beat pretty good by Kamehameha," said Taylor, who also took note of the upset by Aiea (No. 10) of Radford (No. 9) last week. "It's a crapshoot for all of us."
Maui, at 4-3, may be tough, but Lahainaluna is 7-1 and has immense talent in the frontcourt. Coach Todd Rickard doesn't mind the lack of attention from voters.
"Maui has a bunch of seniors. They should be tough. This is their fourth year together and they're a little bit hungry," Rickard said, looking ahead to the Maui Interscholastic League opener with the Sabers on Thursday. "Hopefully, our girls play with intensity."
Rickard's teams have fared quite well at the state tourney in the last three seasons, despite an overall lack of recognition.
"I'd rather start from the bottom and work our way to the top. Being that we're not ranked, that doesn't bother me. We're always not ranked in preseason. The last three years, we were sixth place in the state, I think," he said.