FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Punahou power forward Becky Hogue and point guard Rachel Kane have helped the Buffanblu jump out to a 7-0 record in the ILH.
SOMETIME early next year, Becky Hogue and Rachel Kane will be in the same gym in California, for the same basketball game. But the situation will be different because the Punahou seniors will be playing for separate teams. Their separate ways
Punahou's Hogue and Kane, who will be
Other high school stats
opponents next season, have different gamesBy Tim Crouse
tcrouse@star-bulletin.comHogue and Kane have been playing with and against each other since before they were 10 years old. They've been at Punahou and with the Kalakaua club team since their freshman years, but after graduation, Hogue will be heading to Loyola Marymount and Kane to Gonzaga.
Both teams play in the West Coast Conference and will meet at least twice during the conference season. Being competitors won't take anything away from the experience.
"They're two kids who just love to compete and love the game so much," Buffanblu coach Mike Taylor said. "They respect one another and what the (other person) brings to the court. They're going to go out and play hard no matter who is on the other side."
Said Hogue: "It's going to be kind of weird, because we won't be seeing each other every day like we do now and then all of a sudden we'll see each other and say, 'Hey!' But other than that we're kind of used to it, being in different uniforms."
Hogue and Kane, Star-Bulletin first-team all-state selections last year, can look to past Punahou stars as examples of teammates who went on to compete against each other in college.
Onaona Miller and Lisa Kowal are in their first seasons as Buffablu assistant coaches. Miller, the Star-Bulletin's 1998 Ms. Basketball Hawaii, and Kowal helped Punahou win a state championship. They also played Division I basketball in the Ivy League, Miller for Yale and Kowal for Harvard.
"No matter if you're best friends with another person, once you get on the court and they're with another team it's understood by both people that you're opponents," Miller said. "It really wasn't that big a deal. It was good afterward seeing Lisa and talking, but on the court it was Yale playing Harvard."
By the numbers
2003 ILH (average per game)
>> Hogue (power forward): 11.7 points; 7 rebounds; 1.6 assists; 1.6 blocks; .485 field-goal percentage>> Kane (point guard): 10.8 points; 5.8 assists; 4 rebounds; 2.8 steals; .508 field-goal percentage
Kowal said it was mainly nice to see a familiar face.
"I think on the West Coast it's going to be different," she said. "There's people from Hawaii everywhere. It should be a good game. I was a guard and Onaona was a post. Rachel's a guard and Becky's a post. You don't really get that (direct) matchup that people are looking for. It should be fun, though."
WATCHING Hogue and Kane playing together the past several seasons has been fun for Punahou fans.
Hogue and Kane are two of the three starting seniors for the Buffanblu. The other is Elyse Umeda.
Hogue, a 6-foot-1 power forward, is a presence in the paint.
"She's a dominant force inside. I don't think anyone can stop her," said Kane.
Kane, a 5-7 point guard, runs the show on offense, better than any other point guard in the state.
"She's a floor leader. She dictates the tempo of the game," Hogue said. "She's an excellent passer. She's an excellent dribbler. She's an excellent shooter. She sees so much."
Besides their basketball skills, both players make the jobs of the coaching staff easier.
"(Hogue) is very coachable," Kowal said. "She listens well and wants feedback from the coaches. She wants to learn. She's loud and enthusiastic and she's intense.
"Rachel doesn't talk a lot, she lets her actions speak for her.
"She does everything well," Kowal added. "She's so fun to watch. She reminds me of Kii (Spencer-Vasconcellos), the way she moves with the ball, it's like the ball is an extension of her."
Hogue and Kane made big contributions in Punahou's victory against defending state champion Kamehameha last Friday. It was the Warriors' first loss of the Interscholastic League of Honolulu season, and landed the Buffanblu in sole possession of first place.
"It's always a battle when we play them," Hogue said. "A lot of the girls are on our club team and we know them all so well. We've played with them or against them for years."
But the familiarity doesn't take away from the excitement of the game.
"It's just a great rivalry," Hogue said.
It's the best rivalry going right now in the state, and fans will have to wait until April 25 for the next meeting. Between now and then, Hogue, Kane and the rest of the Buffanblu will concentrate on trying to get better.
"There is always room to grow," Hogue said. "We're not playing our best, which is good, because we want to play our best at the end."
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Athletes of the Week
BOYS
>> Chance Daskauskas, Moanalua baseball: Hurled a 1-hitter to beat Kaiser 3-1.
GIRLS
>> Sarah Black, Kaiser basketball: Hit a clutch free throw with 30 seconds left for the winning point as the Cougars beat Kalani 44-43.
Honor Roll
BASEBALL
>> Kasey Ko, Punahou: Drove in five runs, including a three-run homer, in a win over Maryknoll.>> Bobby George, Saint Louis: Pitched five shutout innings in a victory over Damien.
>> Patrick San Nicolas, Leilehua: Pitched five innings of no-hit ball in a 4-1 win over Waipahu.
>> Ryan Asato, Mid-Pacific: Hit the winning single in the bottom of the seventh inning against previously undefeated Iolani.
>> Jared Pate, Punahou: Pitched a six-hitter to beat Saint Louis.
>> Calvin Uyechi, Waianae: Singled home Chad Rodrigues with the winning run against Kapolei in a nine-inning game.
>> Spencer Omalza, Leilehua: Hurled a four-hitter in a shutout over Campbell.
>> Christopher Balatico, Mililani: Went 3-for-3 with two triples and earned the pitching win against Radford.
>> Cameron Kimura and Brandon Morimoto, Roosevelt: Kimura was the winning pitcher and went 4-for-4 with a home run, while Morimoto homered and drove in five runs against Farrington.
>> Mel Silva, Kahuku: Hit two doubles and a triple and pitched the Red Raiders past McKinley.
BASKETBALL
>> Jenna Johnson-Endo, Radford: Scored three of her team's six points in an overtime victory over Waipahu.>> Bre Carson, McKinley: Hit five 3-pointers and scored 20 points in a rout of Castle.
>> Suzann Jackson, Mililani: Scored the game-winning points in an overtime win over Waipahu.
>> Kelsey Jandoc and Kristen LaVine, Punahou: Jandoc shot 75 percent in a win over University, while LaVine came off the bench to score four points and grab four rebounds in a win over Kamehameha.
TRACK AND FIELD
>> Mei Li Nickles and Chun Mei Nickles, Mililani: Both were members of three winning relay teams at the OIA Relays. Mei Li also won the long jump and Chun Mei won the pole vault.
Through April 7 Standings
BASEBALL
ILH
W L T Iolani 6 1 0 Kamehameha 6 1 0 Punahou 4 3 0 Saint Louis 3 3 1 Mid-Pacific 3 3 1 Pac-Five 3 4 0 Damien 2 5 0 Maryknoll 0 7 0 OIA East
W L Kailua 4 0 Kalaheo 4 0 Roosevelt 3 0 Kahuku 3 1 Moanalua 2 1 Farrington 1 2 Kalani 1 3 Kaimuki 1 3 Kaiser 1 3 Castle 0 3 McKinley 0 4 OIA West
W L T Aiea 4 0 0 Mililani 4 0 0 Pearl City 3 0 1 Waianae 3 0 0 Campbell 2 1 0 Leilehua 2 2 0 Kapolei 1 2 0 Waipahu 0 2 1 Radford 0 4 0 Waialua 0 4 0 Nanakuli 0 4 0
BASKETBALL
ILH
W L Punahou 7 0 Kamehameha 6 1 Iolani 5 2 Maryknoll 4 3 Mid-Pacific 3 4 Sacred Hearts 2 5 St. Francis 1 6 University 0 7 OIA East
W L Kahuku 5 0 Kalaheo 4 0 Moanalua 4 0 McKinley 3 1 Farrington 3 2 Kaimuki 2 2 Kailua 1 4 Kaiser 1 4 Roosevelt 1 4 Kalani 1 4 Castle 0 4 OIA West
W L Radford 5 0 Campbell 4 0 Pearl City 4 0 Aiea 4 0 Mililani 3 2 Leilehua 2 3 Waialua 1 4 Waipahu 1 4 Nanakuli 1 4 Kapolei 0 4 Waianae 0 4
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