[HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL]
Careena Onosai of Word of Life and Shaina Saliga of Kalaheo battled for a rebound in the Mufi Hannemann basketball Jamboree at Moanalua High Gym.
Jackson saves game
for Jamboree
Her Campbell High team missed the recently completed prep girls' basketball post-season, so Chaunte Jackson was worried a long layoff left her out of shape.
Jackson needn't have worried at yesterday's 11th annual Mufi Hanneman Jamboree at Moanalua, as she earned Most Valuable Player honors.
"The first game was like a warm-up, and after that, I got into it more," said Jackson, whose last game had been on April 28th. "I was also nervous because everyone was so good."
In the end, she was more than up to the task, finishing with eight points in leading the Gray Squad to a 38-35 victory over the Red in the Prep-Collegiate Championship game.
"She was really quick out there," teammate Karla Tailele of Kahuku said of Jackson. "I didn't think she was out of shape. She made us all look like we were out of shape."
Jackson scored six of her points in the Grey's first five possessions and was most assertive in the open court, but her numbers hardly summarized the tournament's charm.
"It keeps getting bigger and better every year, and the fans enjoy coming out," Mufi Hannemann said. "Competition, in my mind, is secondary."
Indeed, the event remains a way for Hawaii girls' basketball players to make new friends, renew old friendships and, in some cases, get re-acquainted with the game itself.
"I hardly ever play anymore, so it was nice to come out," said former University of Hawaii and University High standout Hedy Liu, who was making her fourth appearance in the event. "It's a good way to give back to all the people who have helped me through the years. I've gotten so much out of the game."
Liu also served as player-coach for the Gray Squad during the game. Head coach Fran Villarmia-Kahawai, who coached Aiea to the 2001 state championship, attended the Gray's semifinal match-up earlier in the day, but missed the title game due to another commitment.
For McKinley's Bre Carson and Kahuku's Latoya Wiley, yesterday was a chance to play on the same team again, as they both started for the Red. When Carson was a sophomore and Wiley a freshman, they helped lead Kalaheo to the 2002 Oahu Interscholastic Association championship.
"It was nice playing with Latoya again," Carson said. "We see each other at games, and we still talk."
Carson scored seven points yesterday, including a couple of acrobatic shots that helped her earn Most Inspirational Player honors. Wiley finished with a game-high 15 points.
Had there been a Most Inspirational Player award for the Red squad, which was coached by Kaiser's Lisa Mann, it could have gone to Tailele, who missed the first half of the state championship game on May 22 with a badly bruised ankle before leading the Red Raiders on a late rally in that game.
"It's still not 100 percent, but it's better," said Tailele, who had eight points yesterday. "I'm glad I played today because it was great to get to know a lot of the other girls."
The Gray trailed only once yesterday -- at 3-0 on a 3-pointer by Carson -- and held a 20-18 lead at intermission. After the break, Kaiser's Sharde Pratt (six points) scored twice on a couple of athletic plays to lead an 8-2 run by the Gray before the Red regrouped to close the gap.
Three times in the last four minutes, the Gray squad saw its lead reduced to three before answering on their ensuing possession to keep the Red at arm's length.
Jackson's two free throws with 4:15 remaining also figured big in the contest.
"I wasn't planning on a lot of scoring," Jackson said. "I just wanted to make assists. With Karla, Latoya and Bre out there, it was like an all-star game."
