FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Josh Chung of Aiea went up for a shot against Earvin Sione of McKinley last night. Chung scored a game-high 19 points.
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OIA WHITE BOYS BASKETBALL
Aiea rides ‘D’ past McKinley
Aiea's run-and-gun artists have come to grips with reality.
Nearly a year after losing in the semifinals of the Division II state tournament, Aiea has buckled down and taken command of the floor on defense. Na Alii used a smothering fullcourt man-to-man defense to overwhelm McKinley 66-38 last night in a key Oahu Interscholastic Association matchup.
A robust crowd of about 500 at McKinley Student Council gym saw Aiea improve to 6-0 (12-4 overall) in White Conference play by forcing McKinley into 27 turnovers.
"From our first group to our third, they're working real hard," Na Alii coach Wyatt Tau said.
Obie Woods, with his long arms and outstanding lateral coverage, sparked Na Alii on both ends of the floor. The senior guard finished with 18 points, including 4-for-8 shooting from the arc. Sharpshooter Josh Chung had a game-high 19 points, including 5-for-9 accuracy from long distance. In all, Aiea shot 11-for-25 from 3-point range (44 percent).
"Aiea is hungry. They're like we were last year, when we had a lot of seniors," McKinley coach Bob Morikuni said.
Defending D-II state champion McKinley fell to 3-2 in league play. The Tigers are bigger in the post, but younger this season. Aiea's on-ball pressure on the perimeter was a huge factor.
"This was a big game for us. We need to establish ourselves in Division II and show that we belong in the top 10," Woods said.
Na Alii lost to Kohala 76-72 in the state tourney 11 months ago. Since then, Tau has emphasized defense more than ever, and Woods has taken it to heart.
"Last year, we came up short. That's why now we're on a mission," said Woods, who had just two steals, but dictated McKinley's backcourt play with his defensive work. "We're better now moving our feet. We practice it every day."
There were five lead changes in the first 9 minutes as the Tigers stayed close despite seven first-quarter turnovers. They managed to keep the visitors in a slowdown tempo, though, and led 12-10 on Ionatana Woodard's putback early in the second quarter.
"They had an eight-man rotation," said Aiea point guard James Buchanan, who finished with five assists. "We knew we could get them tired."
Buchanan's penetration broke down McKinley's 2-3 zone, and Aiea's fullcourt pressure prevailed. Woods drained a trey from the left wing to give Aiea a 13-12 lead, and after Buchanan turned a steal into a breakaway layup, Na Alii were on their way to a 15-0 run. Chung's second 3-pointer of the game gave Aiea a 25-12 lead with just over 4 minutes to go in the first half.
McKinley trimmed the lead to 28-21 by halftime after Earvin Sione drove for a three-point play, but the Tigers got no closer.
Aiea opened the second half with a 9-0 run and never looked back. Free-throw shooting hurt McKinley, which was 3-for-19 at one point early in the fourth quarter. The Tigers finished the game 10-for-27 from the line (37 percent) and 21-for-60 from the field (35 percent).
Tavita Woodard and his brother, Ionatana, led McKinley with nine points each.
At McKinley H.S. gym
Aiea (7-0) |
8 |
20 |
12 |
26 |
-- |
66 |
McKinley (4-2) |
8 |
13 |
4 |
13 |
-- |
38 |
AIEA -- Kory Naeole 2, Keaton Miyashiro 5, Keenan Naeole 5, Dalton Alcantra 0, Steven O'Meally 2, Darryl Fong 0, Jarred McKee 0, Jarrett Vea 2, Josh Chung 19, David Sevaa'etasi 1, Daniel Liilii 2, James Buchanan 4, Aldodius Colquitt 2, Latupou Faumuina 2, Obie Woods 18, Zack Hannemann 2.
MCKINLEY -- Julius Borje 4, Kaleo Ponce 0, J.T. Thabiti 2, Moku Spencer 4, Tavita Woodard 9, Marshall Miyasaka 0, Ionatana Woodard 9, Tae Lee 6, Earvin Sione 4.
3-point goals -- Aiea 11 (Chung 5, Woods 4, Miyashiro, Ke. Naeole), McKinley 1 (Lee).
Junior varsity -- Aiea 42, McKinley 37
OIA WHITE
Farrington 75, Thompson 20
Christian Hernandez scored 16 points and Bryson Tatupu-Leopoldo added 13 as the Governors defeated the Sharks.
At Farrington H.S. gym
Thompson (0-6) |
4 |
3 |
9 |
4 |
-- |
20 |
Farrington (6-1) |
23 |
13 |
20 |
19 |
-- |
75 |
THOMPSON -- C.J. Jones 5, Justin Irvine 4, Danny Sharpe 3, Jordan Eror 3, Ian Mahone 2, Tom Mukaida 0, Nate Oliveria 0, Moku Moikeha 0, Ty Turner 3.
FARRINGTON -- Michael Carter 3, Stephen Kamano 2, Jordan Ibana 6, Christian Hernandez 16, Bryson Tatupu-Leopoldo 13, Dio Labayog 3, Oscar Carter 7, Dayton Kealoha 7, Charles Rocha 6, Deo Domingo 1, Joshua Wallace 2, Ephrian Vita 7, Andre Pettis 2.
3-point goals -- Thompson none, Farrington 4 (Hernandez 2, Labayog, Kealoha).
Waialua 49, Kalani 45
Matthew Manalo scored 14 points as the Bulldogs beat the Falcons. Troy Kashiwabara and Jonathan Cheng led Kalani with 15 points each.
At Waialua H.S. gym
Kalani (1-6) |
15 |
7 |
9 |
14 |
-- |
45 |
Waialua (3-4) |
9 |
14 |
11 |
15 |
-- |
49 |
KALANI -- Max Fujio 0, Anthony Asuncion 2, Takuma Kawasaki 0, Kameron Noyama 8, Troy Kashiwabara 15, Jonathan Cheng 15, Tanner Takata 2, John Kahalawai 3, Jason Fujioka 0.
WAIALUA -- Micah Hatchie 0, Vance Maluyo 4, Kanale Tashiro 3, Marnick Dela Cruz 8, Matthew Manalo 14, Cassidy Klinefelter 5, Saray Sok 2, Donovan Matas 12, Mike Aphay 0, Graham Rowley 1.
3-point goals -- Kalani 4 (Noyama 2, Kashiwabara 2), Waialua 4 (Maluyo, Tashiro, Dela Cruz, Manalo).
Junior varsity -- Kalani 57, Waialua 42
Kaiser 60, Waipahu 46
Kalua Noa scored 24 points to lead the Cougars over the Marauders. Christian Dadulla hit for 19 points -- with two treys -- in the loss for Waipahu.
At Waipahu H.S. gym
Kaiser (6-2) |
16 |
11 |
10 |
23 |
-- |
60 |
Waipahu (3-4) |
14 |
10 |
4 |
18 |
-- |
46 |
KAISER -- Jaymes Kawashima 4, Landon Tamanaha 6, Jonathan Lau 0, Mychal Nagata 0, Kalua Noa 24, Ryan Chong 0, Brannon Wong 6, Jeffrey Gordon 2, Devin Wolfe 6, Keola Hunt 0, Kainoa Pa 0, Zachary Wong 2, Salele Aliifua 10, Bronson McMoore 0.
WAIPAHU -- Jacob Esteron 2, Robinson Atud 0, Jarron Vallente 3, Glenn Labuguen 0, Kendall Tomas 0, Christian Dadulla 19, Randy Agustin 5, Atu Loua 0, Asalemo Fruean 4, Chris Kelly 0, Gordon Cox 2, Tyler Martin 3, Regan Prestidge 8, Ryan Komatsu 0, Haven Tuisamatatele 0.
3-point goals -- Kaiser 2 (Wolfe 2), Waipahu 4 (Dadulla 2, Martin, Vallente).
Junior varsity -- Waipahu 49, Kaiser 31
ILH Division II
Word of Life 71, Academy of the Pacific 51
With four players scoring in double digits led by Rafy Torres (14), the Firebrands dominated the Dolphins.
At Hawaii Baptist H.S. gym
AOP (0-4) |
12 |
7 |
18 |
14 |
-- |
51 |
Word of Life (2-2) |
16 |
19 |
23 |
13 |
-- |
71 |
AOP -- Jordan Ching 14, Evan Paresa 0, Brad Foster 30, Ikaika Ramos 0, Nick Seeberg 3, Daniel Stanfield 4, Lopaka Davis 0.
WORD OF LIFE -- Rafy Torres 14, Ryan Alvarado 2, Kyle Higa 0, Daniel Zerba 0, Jared Shimabukuro 13, Roc Ornog 0, Jacob Dekneef 0, Peter Hanakahi 2, Aaron Tipoti 10, Jacob Alvarado 4, Gabe Miller 8, Christian Silvia 0, Phillip Clarke 12, Kahu Mariani 2, Travis Ogami 4.
3-point goals -- Academy of the Pacific none, Word of Life 2 (Torres 2).
Hawaii Baptist 62, Le Jardin 30
Dayne Kato scored 12 points as the Eagles routed the Bulldogs.
At Hawaii Baptist H.S. gym
Le Jardin (2-2) |
6 |
6 |
11 |
7 |
-- |
30 |
Hawaii Baptist (6-0) |
21 |
9 |
14 |
18 |
-- |
62 |
LE JARDIN -- Tevin Togami 4, Alex Johnston 0, Adam Trecker 0, Kalani Soeda 3, Oliver Donkervoet 0, Kelvin Akamine 6, John Whitty 4, William Durnin 6, Taylor Gray 2, Joshua Kava 2, Max Rasuch 1, Alex Gomes 2.
Hawaii Baptist -- Reid Morihara 10, Ellison Iseri 3, Dayne Kato 12, Victor Cheung 2, Jason Liang 11, Ryan Sakai 2, Phillip Sarubbi 7, Josiah Hester 3, Nathan Le 7, Kyle Barretta 5, Ryan Leung 0, John Kagehiro 0.
3-point goals -- Le Jardin 2 (Akamine 2), Hawaii Baptist 4 (Kato, Iseri, Morihara, Sarubbi).