Hawaii Beat

By Star-Bulletin Staff

Thursday, July 15, 1999

Hawaii girls in Jr. National
basketball semifinals

Brandy Richardson scored 16 points and Sharon Wahinekapu had 12, leading the Hawaii Select girls' basketball team to a 62-58 quarterfinal victory over the Indiana Lady Legit last night in the U.S. Junior Nationals at Las Vegas.

Earlier yesterday, Hawaii Select capped a 5-0 run in pool play by beating the Missouri Blue Devils, 77-70, and drubbing the Arizona Miracles, 77-44.

Richardson was Hawaii's high scorer in each game with 16 and 14 points. Amber Ahia added 14 against Missouri.

Lee eliminated in Publinx

Regan Lee, Hawaii's only qualifier in the U.S. Amateur Men's Public Links Championship, lost 1-up on the 19th hole to Adam Scott of Las Vegas yesterday in the first round of match-play competition in Alton, Ill.

Scott birdied the first playoff hole to advance to today's round of 32.

Lee, who shot 3-under for the day, had led, 1-up, going to the 18th hole, which Scott won to pull even and extend their match.

Four qualify for World Ironman

Kirk Fritz, Raul Torres and Chris Tang of Honolulu and Theodore Thome of Waipahu have qualified to compete in the 1999 Ironman Triathlon World Championship on the Big Island alongside the world's best triathletes.

Fritz qualified yesterday in the Ironman Australia Triathlon at Tuncurry, N.S.W., Australia. Tang, Torres and Thome, qualified at Kailua-Kona, site of the Oct. 23 World Ironman.

From 22 national and international qualifying events, only 1,500 triathletes earn spots in the world-class event.

Last of Transpac prizes won

The last remaining first-place trophy in the Transpacific Yacht Race apparently was claimed yesterday when Tom Garnier's Great Scot crossed the Diamond Head finish line.

Three other Division 4 boats completed the crossing from Los Angeles earlier, but Great Scot, a 35-footer out of the Los Angeles Yacht Club, eclipsed them on corrected handicap time.

The overall corrected time winner, Grand Illusion, finished the race Sunday. Pyewacket won first-to-finish honors Saturday with a record crossing of 7 days, 11 hours, 41 minutes and 27 seconds.

Meanwhile, the Coast Guard station in Alameda, Calif., issued a "fleet group call" for Vapor, which hasn't been in radio contact since setting out June 29. The alert went to all merchant vessels in the eastern Pacific.

Vapor is a doublehanded division entry sailed by Bill Boyd and Scott Atwood of the Alamitos Bay Yacht Club of Long Beach, Calif.

Pac-5 seeks coaches

The Pac-5 athletic program is looking for head coaches for varsity boys soccer and swimming. Interested and qualified candidates should call John Hom at 595-6768.

Pro football league tryouts

Tryouts will be held at 6 p.m. tomorrow and Saturday at Kapiolani Park for players interested in the National Professional Minor League Football Conference.

A $25 fee per candidate will be charged during registration, which begins at 5 p.m. each day.

From the tryouts, up to 30 players will be signed and placed on a conference team.

The team will begin training camp next Monday at Kapiolani Park.

Other conference teams are expected to be located at Apia, Fiji, Tonga, Cook Island and New Zealand.

Movers rout West Oahu

Mark Okano lashed a triple, double and two singles, driving in six runs, as the Hawaii Island Movers walloped West Oahu Select, 22-3, in a summer baseball game last night at Rainbow Stadium.

Danny Kimura had three hits and Derek Honma, David Perreira, Jared Kitamura, Buster Small, Matt Ramie and Brandon Chaves two apiece for the Movers.

Meanwhile, pitchers Ben Siff, Billy Rayl and Sean Yamashita held West Oahu Select to four hits, two of them by Nalei So'oto.

Gabriel among top prospects

Michelle Gabriel, a 5-foot-5 guard on the Maryknoll girls' basketball team, is a West Region selection on a list of America's Top High School Prospects that was compiled by National Basketball Report.