[ HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL ]
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Iolani's Sean Carney went to the basket against Mililani's Andrew Tokumi last night. The Raiders beat the Trojans 71-45.
Iolani, Kalaheo
in finalThe state title game in boys
basketball pits the champions
of the ILH and OIA
A veteran coach uttered a simple plan for victory over Goliath in the early rounds of the Hawaiian Airlines Boys State Basketball Championship Tournament.
The team that can bring the ball upcourt against top-seeded Iolani, he postulated, has a chance to compete. Unfortunately, the simplest and best-laid plans are often difficult to execute, even for one of the quickest teams in the tourney, Mililani.
State tourney
Kalaheo 62, Punahou 43
Iolani 71, Mililani 45
Kamehameha 53, Maui 44
Kealakehe 56, Kaimuki 39
McKinley 66, Waiakea 65
Two-time defending state champion Iolani woke up from a 4-0 deficit to score 19 unanswered points en route to a 71-45 victory last night in the semifinal round at Blaisdell Arena.
Iolani battles Kalaheo for the state championship today at 8 p.m. Mililani faces Punahou in the third-place game at 6 p.m.
Ryan Hirata led a balanced Iolani attack with 15 points, while Todd Blankenship and Derrick Low added 12 apiece for the Interscholastic League of Honolulu champion. The Raiders (16-0) shot 52 percent from the field (27 of 52), and much of that success was a byproduct of their trademark trapping defense that laid waste to the Trojans' dreams of an upset.
Low, the two-time State Player of the Year, added seven assists and six rebounds, and Iolani's defense forced Mililani into 21 turnovers.
"That's the best of the best. That trap is mean," Mililani guard Scott Neumann said.
It wasn't just a matter of traps. "We wanted to challenge every perimeter shot," Iolani coach Mark Mugiishi said. "I've seen them pick people apart with their outside shooting."
Aaron Kanno scored 13 points to pace Mililani (14-2), runner-up of the Oahu Interscholastic Association. Alex Patykula added 10 points for the Trojans, who shot 36 percent from the field (17 of 47).
"We knew Mililani had three or four great shooters," Blankenship said. "But if we just played our game and contested their jump shots, they wouldn't be a factor."
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Iolani's Kyle Pape drove against Mililani's Clarence Gray during last night's game.
Mililani coach Mike Coito assured his team that there was no sense in lamenting this loss. "We dug our own hole, but Iolani is pretty unstoppable," he said. "They are so unselfish. Talk about teamwork. They're constantly moving on defense and offense."
Things seemed promising at the start. Mikhail Mabry's putback gave Mililani a 4-0 lead, fueling their weather-worn fans with hope. However, Iolani's half-court traps stifled the Trojans into one turnover, then another and then a barrage of giveaways.
By the end of the opening quarter, Hirata had five points, Low dished three assists and Iolani had a 19-4 lead.
"One of our strengths is our depth, so usually it takes us a half or so to build a lead," Mugiishi said. "If we can make a run earlier, I'll accept that."
Mililani, which committed nine turnovers before the second quarter began, was 1-for-9 from the field in the opening quarter.
"It doesn't really matter who we play, as long as we come out with intensity," Hirata said of Iolani's defense, which had nine of its 12 steals in the first half.
Mililani found some success against the press in the second quarter, but even then, Raiders sat under the basket waiting to take charges, and every shot was challenged. Iolani took its biggest lead of the first half, 33-14, on Blankenship's turnaround jumper in the lane. The Raiders led at intermission, 35-18.
Blankenship, a 6-foot-2 senior, had 10 points and five caroms by halftime. Hirata had seven points and Kyle Pape six. Low had just four points, but he dished five assists.
Iolani, which shot 50 percent in the first half (14 of 28), forced Mililani into 16 turnovers and 30-percent shooting (seven of 23).
Mililani didn't lose any verve in the third quarter, but Iolani was in a flow. Hirata and Low connected from 24 feet out, and reserve guard Vinny Nip swished a trey from the right wing as Iolani went on a 13-2 run against Mililani's man defense. Leading 49-22 with 3:58 left in the third, Iolani rested its starters.
Blankenship, who was blistering hot with a 6-for-7 shooting effort, is one of Iolani's plethora of quick 6-2 trappers. "We're like a carnivore. We feed off people's fear," the senior said.
Iolani's offense hummed sweetly with excellent movement with and without the ball. "It's beautiful. We all know we'll get our shots. It's just a matter of confidence," Blankenship said.
Confidence is something Coito is certain that his Trojans will still have an abundance of in today's third-place game. "I told 'em, 'Hold your heads up high. If anything, we (coaches) didn't prepare them enough. We haven't faced that kind of competition. Don't question your ability,'" Coito said. "Iolani played their own alumni team, which has a couple of Division I players, and lost only by two."
Mililani--Lorenzo Abernathy 0, Puna Neumann 6, Scott Neumann 4, Aaron Kanno 13, Ryan Shular 0, Clarence Gray 3, Charles Richie 0, Andrew Tokumi 4, Alex Patykula 10, Jonovan Santos 3, Mikhail Mabry 2.
Mililani (14-2) 4 14 12 15 -- 45 Iolani (16-0) 19 16 21 15 -- 71 Iolani--Ryan Hirata 15, Vinny Nip 3, Todd Blankenship 12, Jon Yasuda 5, Derrick Low 12, Jon Takamura 2, Zach Tollefson 8, Kawika Shoji 2, Kyle Pape 6, Barry Kang 4, Sean Carney 2, Wes Eberlin 0, Brandon Young 0, James Street 0.
3-point goals: Mililani 5 (Kanno 3, Patykula, Santos), Iolani 6 (Hirata 2, Low 2, Nip, Yasuda)
Kamehameha 53, Maui 44: The Warriors (12-7) didn't get to the semifinals like a year ago, but they made it to the fifth-place game by beating the Valley Isle champion Sabers (12-2).
Waika Spencer had the hot hand for Kamehameha and scored 12 of his game-high 20 points in the first half as the Warriors never gave up an early lead. Kawika Hepa added 10 points and six rebounds in the win.
Maui didn't get closer than four points, 48-44, in the second half.
Ronald Belany had a team-high 13 points for the Sabers.
Kealakehe 56, Kaimuki 39: Ioane Spencer, a former Kamehameha player, scored 13 points and added eight rebounds for the Big Island champion Waveriders (16-1), who advanced to today's fifth-place game.
Kyle Teves and Jared Ursua added 12 points each for Kealakehe.
Jimmy Miyasaka had a game-high 15 points with five boards for the Bulldogs (12-6). Dexter Tautofi added 11 points and a game-high seven rebounds.
McKinley 66, Waiakea 65: The Tigers (10-7) advanced to today's consolation final by edging the Warriors (12-5).
Five McKinley players finished in double figures, led by Abel Werner with 16 points and Robert Holder with 14. Iakopo Taumua added 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Werner chipped in with nine boards and six assists.
Michael Belmes was high man for Waiakea with 16 points, while Abe McGrew (15 points) and Cheynne Hirota grabbed 10 rebounds each.
Maui--Shaka Batson 4, Ryan Ishizu 6, Anthony Parilla 4, Ronald Belany 13, Wilmar Bumanglag 7, Sean Curtis 4, Gene Rivera 4, Chris Kelly 2.
Maui (12-2) 12 15 9 8 -- 44 Kamehameha (12-7) 14 16 10 13 -- 53 Kamehameha--Ikaika Hardie 2, Vance Wright 1, Rykin Enos 1, Jacob Ho 6, Quincy Crowell 0, Michael Nii 2, Jacob Bode 4, Waika Spencer 20, Kapono Kuikahi 0, Ernest Vidinha 3, Ikaika Shelton 0, Gabriel Spencer 4, Kawika Hepa 10.
3-point goals: Maui 4 (Ishizu 2, Belany, Bumanglag), Kamehameha 2 (Ho 2)
Kealakehe--Easton Takata 7, Dustin Esteban 0, Cody Henriques 2, Loa Patao 2, Aikane Pavitt 6, Ioane Spencer 13, Jared Ursua 12, Kyle Teves 12, Tyler Branson 0, Bo Montgomery 2.
Kealakehe (16-1) 12 18 7 19 -- 56 Kaimuki (12-6) 7 17 4 11 -- 39 Kaimuki--Davey Nguyen 0, Kekoa Onaga 3, Dexter Tautofi 11, Isaiah Ano 0, Jimmy Miyasaka 15, Reginal Palfrey 2, Keanu Lockwood 0, Tony Fa'asoa 4, Nick Milan 4.
3-point goals: Kealakehe 5 (Ursua 4, Takata), Kaimuki 5 (Miyasaka 4, Onaga)
Waiakea--Kahanu Irizarry 4, Kyle Correia 5, Jon Moniz 10, Cheynne Hirota 0, Tyler Nishimura 9, Sean Soriano 0, Michael Belmes 16, David Doll 6, Justin Pascual 0, Abe McGrew 15, Kyle Santos 0.
Waiakea (12-5) 18 14 20 13 -- 65 McKinley (10-7) 23 13 13 17 -- 66 McKinley--Mark Nakatsuka 0, Abel Werner 16, Kapena Quisano 13, Iakopo Taumua 11, Robert Holder 14, Golden Lawrence 0, Joshua Valdez 12, Bobby Shimabukuro 0, Christopher Quiocho 0.
3-point goals: Waiakea 9 (Nishimura 3, Belmes 3, Moniz 2, Correia), McKinley 7 (Holder 3, Valdez 3, Quisano)
HHSAA boys basketball
At Blaisdell Arena
Seeds: 1. Iolani (16-0). 2. Kalaheo (14-1). 3. Maui (12-2). 4. Kealakehe (16-1).wednesday
Game 1: Punahou 68, Waiakea 64
2: Mililani 67, Baldwin 56
3: Kaimuki 48, Waimea 46
4: Kamehameha 56, McKinley 38thursday
5: Baldwin 62, Waimea 40
6: Mililani 72, Kealakehe 62
7: Punahou 74, Maui 55
8: Kalaheo 55, Kamehameha 44
9: Iolani 63, Kaimuki 41yesterday
10: McKinley 66, Waiakea 65
11: Kealakehe 56, Kaimuki 39
12: Kamehameha 53, Maui 44
13: Iolani 71, Mililani 45
14: Kalaheo 62, Punahou 43today
Consolation final: Baldwin vs. McKinley, 3 p.m.
Fifth place: Kealakehe vs. Kamehameha, 4:30 p.m.
Third place: Mililani vs. Punahou, 6 p.m.
Championship: Iolani vs. Kalaheo, 8:30 p.m.
