Raiders jump into top spot after victory over Buffanblu

Following the lead of their boys team, the Iolani girls have claimed dominion in girls prep hoops.

The Raiders, like the boys, followed a victory over arch rival Punahou with a new No. 1 ranking. Coaches and media gave Iolani 15 of 17 possible first-place votes in today's Star-Bulletin Girls Basketball Top 10.

Punahou, the No. 1 team in the first five polls of the season, collected the other two top votes.

Oddly enough -- or perhaps more a stroke of genius -- Iolani coach Glenn Takara has yet to vote for his team all season. Even after the convincing 48-32 win over Punahou on Saturday, Takara has continued to vote for the Buffanblu. It's a voting approach that follows lock and step with other notable coaches, including Kamehameha's Clay Cockett, who often would not vote for his own team even if it were in first or second place in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu.

Cockett eventually yielded a vote to his team, but only after it reached the state tourney.

Cockett and Takara are certainly not the first coaches to "sandbag" their ballots, and they won't be the last. Coaches sometimes don't welcome the attention of a statewide ranking. Conversely, others may wonder why their teams are ranked too high. Or too low.

Over the weekend, Waiakea ran its Big Island Interscholastic Federation mark to 6-0 (10-2 overall) and rose to No. 4 in today's Top 10. Sophomore gunner Kamie Imai and sister Kirsty Imai are the sparkplugs for one of the state's best run-and-gun teams under coach Grant Kauhi.

The Warriors teetered on the cusp of the top 10 until late December, when they entered at No. 9. Despite three wins over arch rival Hilo, it took more time for Waiakea to rise. Friday's win over Konawaena was a big boost, lifting Waiakea four notches in the poll.

Despite early wins at Mid-Pacific, Aiea and Kalani, Hilo has remained stuck at No. 7 -- two notches below Kalani.

The hottest team in the Oahu Interscholastic Association Red East is Roosevelt, which has run off six wins in a row and landed at No. 10 this week.

In and out, the poll does nothing to predict who will eventually qualify for the state tourney. In the OIA, there is no regular-season champion and no automatic state berths. In the BIIF, only two Division I state berths are available, though three teams are in the current top 10.

Iolani senior Jamie Smith had, perhaps, the best two weeks of any player across the islands. She had 18 points against Sacred Hearts, 15 points against Kamehameha, and 20 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks against Punahou. Her team's win over Punahou evened their series, and a third battle is around the corner.

"I think it just goes that way. We were hitting our shots and they weren't hitting theirs," Smith said. "There's plenty of games to go. You can't stay stuck on one game.

"The next game is always the most important game."