Multi-national Montverde
mugs Mustangs

Kevin Sutton warned his band of international hoopsters to be wary of Kalaheo's rich history.

Instead, it was the Eagles of Montverde Academy that established their niche as a title contender. Luc Mbah A Moute scored 18 points as the Eagles soared over Kalaheo 70-31 last night in the opening round of the Iolani Classic.

Giedrius Kynsas, a 6-foot-8 forward, added 11 points, and 6-7 Franck Ndongo tallied 10 for Montverde.

Kahua Hollinger led Kalaheo with six points.

"We have great respect for Kalaheo's tradition. I've been coming to Hawaii for 11 years, and the level has improved every year," said Sutton, who was an assistant at Montrose Christian under Stu Vetter.

Today, Academy of the Pacific plays Myron B. Thompson Academy for the Division II tourney title at 2 p.m. The schedule is as follows: Lanai vs. Assets, 12:30 p.m.; AOP vs. Thompson, 2 p.m.; Saint Anthony vs. Xaverian (New York), 3:30 p.m.; Iolani vs. McKinley, 5 p.m.; Roosevelt vs. Fairfax (Calif.), 6:30 p.m.; and Kauai vs. Male (Ky.), 8 p.m.

Montverde meets the Kauai-Male winner Monday at 3:30 p.m. Kalaheo plays the Kauai-Male loser Monday at 2 p.m.

Sutton has organized one of the nation's tallest teams at the international school, which is located in Florida.

"It's a boarding school with 39 nations represented," he said.

The purple-clad Eagles soared to an 11-0 lead thanks to a full-court press and suffocating half-court, man-to-man defense. Kynsas scored five points during the early run.

Montverde led 15-5 after one quarter and began to extend its lead before halftime.

Montverde, 23-3 in Sutton's first season last year, is ranked No. 25 in the USA Today Super 25. The Eagles have nine players who are 6-5 or taller. Four of them are at least 6-8.

Four Eagles have already committed to Division I colleges: Mbah A Moute (UCLA), Ariminas Urbutis (Hofstra), Kynsas (Charleston Southern) and Stephane Bakinde (Stony Brook).

It was a tough night for Kalaheo, defending champion in the Oahu Interscholastic Association. This season, all five starters are gone, including OIA Player of the Year Sam Wilhoite. The 6-7 center plays at a junior college in Texas, but is on Christmas break and was at the game supporting the Mustangs.

Montverde's athleticism and perimeter skills even apply to its taller players. Kynsas, at 6-8, showed impressive range.

"Their fundamental skills are higher (than American players) because they don't rely as much on athleticism," Sutton noted.

Just about the only disadvantage, he added, is the language barrier.

"At any point in a game, we could have three Lithuanians and two Africans who speak French on the floor," Sutton said.

Kalaheo coach Furtado thinks Mbah A Moute, L.D. Williams (6-5) and Mark King have the ability to carry the Eagles. The long-armed Williams applies tremendous pressure on opposing guards.

"I like their point guard, too," Furtado said. "For them, it's about managing personnel. With us, it's a work in progress."

The veteran coach was pleased with the Mustangs' interior play.

"We played as intense as we have in any game so far. I thought my four post players played more physical. That was a good thing to see," he said. "If they can do that against 6-8 guys, why can't they do it against 6-1 centers?"

Kalaheo is 2-5 so far against a murderers' row of opponents.

"We still have to get more comfortable with the system. It's not gonna happen overnight."

Punahou 59, Aiea 41: Jeremiah Ostrowski scored 14 points in less than one half for the Buffanblu. Punahou led 21-3 after just one quarter and extended the lead beyond 30 points in the second half.

"Our guys played a very good first half. That gave us a chance to give our reserves a lot of minutes," Punahou coach Greg Tacon said.

The Buffanblu, ranked No. 2 in the Star-Bulletin Top 10, meet the Saint Anthony-Xaverian winner Monday at 5 p.m.

Nicholas Helsham led Aiea with 10 points. Na Alii meet the Saint Anthony-Xaverian loser Monday at 12:30 p.m.

Rice (New York) 87, Radford 33: Towering Curtis Kelly scored 20 points as the Raiders overpowered the Rams. Kelly, a 6-9 junior, used his reach to dominate the paint.

The Raiders forced Radford into seven first-quarter turnovers and took a 23-6 lead en route to victory. Rice showed tremendous defense with tight half-court, man-to-man and full-court traps. Edgar Sosa added 16 points, Kashif Pratt tallied 11 and Joseph Vines chipped in with 10.

Senior guard Mike Davis led Radford with 12 points.

Rice (3-0) is ranked No. 23 in the USA Today Super 25. The Raiders won the 1998 Iolani Classic title.

Kelly, Sosa and Pratt (6-4) are juniors.

"We're younger than that '98 team," coach Maurice Hicks said. "Experience makes a difference in the big games."

Hicks, now in his 10th season at the helm, wasn't sure if his team would have a full tank after being delayed en route from the East Coast.

"We got here just before midnight. I was worried. But we got some rest, and our energy level was good -- better than we did in '98," he said.

Rice will meet the Iolani-McKinley winner Monday at 8 p.m. Radford plays the Iolani-McKinley loser Monday at 9:30 a.m.

Roman Catholic (Philadelphia) 66, Kamehameha 44: Mike Ringgold scored 31 points and Malik Perry added 17 as the Cahillites advanced. Kamehameha was the only local team to stay close for at least one half. The Warriors trailed 26-24 at intermission, but the visiting Cahillites scored the first eight points of the third quarter.

Buoyed by the hustle of Ringgold, Roman Catholic outscored Kamehameha 21-3 in the third. The 6-6 junior grabbed six offensive rebounds in the third, including six in the first three minutes. The Cahillites extended the lead to 23 in the fourth quarter.

Rykin Enos led Kamehameha with 14 points. The Warriors are ranked No. 5 in the Star-Bulletin Top 10.