First place in the Oahu Interscholastic Association's Western Division will be on the line Friday night when Aiea and Mililani meet for a basketball showdown. Trojans, Na Alii in OIA
West first-place scuffleBy Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.comThe junior varsity game tips off at 5 p.m. with the varsity game to follow at Mililani's gym.
Aiea enters the game at 5-0, while Mililani was 4-0 going into yesterday's matchup with 4-1 Radford.
Aiea is led by the combination of Lamont and Wes Williams. Lamont Williams averages 14.6 points per game and scored a season-high 23 last week in an overtime win against Kapolei. Wes Williams has scored 13.6 points per game.
Mililani counters with senior guard Rashaun Broadus, who leads the OIA West with 19 points per game. The Trojans also have beef in the post with center Trey Brown and forward Kaipo Patoc.
Kaimuki and Kalaheo lead the OIA East standings at 4-0. Kaimuki has road games against McKinley (1-2) and Castle (3-1) tonight and Saturday. Kalaheo hosts Farrington (1-3) on Friday.
In the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, undefeated Iolani (3-0) faces a pair of tough road tests. The Raiders venture into Kekuhaupio Gym on Friday to face Kamehameha (3-1) at 8 p.m. Iolani then takes on St. Louis (2-1) at McCabe Gym at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
St. Louis search on hold: The search for a new football coach at St. Louis school won't hit high gear until the ILH basketball season is complete.
Delbert Tengan, the head coach of the St. Louis basketball team and the football team's defensive coordinator, is considered the leading candidate for the job although he has yet to officially apply to replace Cal Lee as head football coach. And Lee, the school's athletic director, said he plans to wait until the end of basketball season to start the search.
"Basketball season ends in one month, so we'll get down to some serious business there," Lee said. "I think (Tengan) would be good, but he has to feel good about it and want it."
Lee said Tengan is the only person he has talked to about applying for the position, and would prefer to have someone familiar with the program assume the role. But he added that he is accepting applications from anyone interested in the job.
"If anybody wants to put their application in, it's fine," he said. "But so far I don't have any."
"You want someone who's going to love working with kids," Lee added. "There's no personal glory involved in this. You have to want to work with kids and help them and develop them and train them and nurture them from babies to when they leave school. That's what you have to do.
"Someone who has a lot of time, a lot of energy, a lot of enthusiasm, wants to give his whole heart, soul and body to the program, that's the kind of guy we're looking for. And that's what it's going to take."
Lee, who completed his final season as head football coach last month, said he is devoting his energy to helping develop the school's athletic programs. He said he has not spoken to anyone at the University of Hawaii about a possible job with the Warrior staff.
"It's really early yet, and I think we'll just see what happens," Lee said. "Right now we're just trying to get ready for the new semester and the new seasons coming on, making sure everybody's on track."
The Bears are back: The Baldwin softball team earned a spot in the upcoming Chevron State Softball Championship by clinching the Maui Interscholastic League's regular season title.
The defending state champion Bears entered the week at 11-0 and are now focusing on winning the league's top seed by winning the MIL tournament. The MIL has two berths in the state tournament, which runs from Jan. 30 to Feb. 2 at the University of Hawaii's Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
Cheers to you: The OIA cheer pep-squad competition schedule gets under way Saturday with a preseason meet at the Aiea High School gym.
Another preseason meet is scheduled for Jan. 26 at Castle and will be followed by the Eastern Division championship (Feb. 9 at Moanalua), Western Division championship (Feb. 16 at Radford) and OIA championship (Feb. 25). The OIA and state championships (March 3) will be held at the Stan Sheriff Center.