OIA basketball players
making more treys
in East than West

Going into last night's games, Oahu Interscholastic Association West basketball teams had made 162 treys in 58 games, or 2.8 per game.

OIA East teams made a whopping 335 treys in 84 games, or 4.0 per game. Why such a difference? Are the shooters in the East more accurate than the ones in the West? Or are West defenses just better at challenging long-range bombers?

A look at the top four 3-point sharpshooters in each division reveals very little difference. In the West, the top four are Waianae's Xiro Naovalath (3.0 per game), Radford's Mike Davis (2.5), Mililani's Scott Neumann (2.3) and Kapolei's Jefferson Gaygay (2).

In the East, it's Kahuku's Shane Hayden (3.1) and Okesene Ale (3), Kalani's Jonah Letoto (3) and Moanalua's Wayne West (2.8). Slight edge to the East, but not enough to explain the difference in team totals.

Perhaps it has more to do with depth. Today, and in the past decade, the East has proven to have more quality shooters both on the floor and on the bench.

In the East, the two teams with winless records are McKinley and Thompson. McKinley has been rather competitive, giving Roosevelt a tough time before losing. The Tigers rank fourth in the East with 4.7 treys per game. Thompson, which has three double-digit scorers, averages 3.6 treys per game -- a great stat for an 0-7 team.

Defensively, however, the Sharks have given up 29 treys, or 4.1 per game.

In the West, Waipahu has allowed only 47.2 points and 1.4 3-pointers per game. One of the Marauders' goals coming into the season was to limit turnovers and slow the tempo. That allowed them to overcome some key weaknesses, like lack of height. But ball control and defense can take a team only so far. Waipahu is 1-4 halfway through the schedule.

As one of the few teams without a player averaging double figures, the Marauders could use an offensive boost.

In the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, where man-to-man defenses are more common, teams have made 162 treys in 54 games, an average of 3.0 per game. Success in shooting the 3-pointers doesn't seem to be as big of a correlation to success.

Saint Louis, one of the most physical teams in the state, has surrendered 31 treys, or 4.4 per game. That ranks the Crusaders last in that category, and they've made just 3.0 treys per game, but they are 5-2 in league play.

Conversely, Iolani has made 30 treys (4.3 per game) and allowed just 16 (2.3), the widest disparity in the ILH.

Kahuku has permitted 3.6 treys per game, but has made a remarkable 7.0 per game. The Red Raiders have capable sharpshooters in Hayden and Ale, but Clinton Parks is another effective gunner. Parks made five treys in a win last week.

Hayden was at Punahou before transferring to Kahuku. With the senior guard accounting for 22 of the Red Raiders' 49 treys, Kahuku fans can thank the Buffanblu any time.

X-cellent numbers: The latest basketball scoring averages show seven teams in the Oahu Interscholastic Association West Division at 50 points per game or more.

Three teams -- Waipahu, Aiea and Waialua -- are below 40 points per game. What's striking is the average of Naovalath, who was scoring 29.8 points per game for the Seariders before last night's game. Not only is the 5-foot-8 senior far ahead of the No. 2 scorer, Campbell's Tristan Bailey (17 ppg), he is averaging nearly as many points as Waialua.

The Bulldogs average 34.2 points per game -- just 4.4 points more than Naovalath.

The transfer from Minnesota has 18 3-pointers, a total equal to or more than that of eight other OIA West teams.

Pick your poison: A debate that fans are enjoying is about the best player in the ILH. While Saint Louis' Jack Miller is pacing the league with 22.4 points per game, Punahou's Jeremiah Ostrowski (18.4) and Iolani's Kyle Pape (18.1) have their backers.

Miller has been a catalyst for the Crusaders, able to score despite being marked by opposing defenses. He is not only Saint Louis' lone senior; he's also its most consistent shooter. The 6-foot-3 transfer from Ohio is extremely tough on shorter defenders when he's hot with the mid-range, pull-up jumper. He can play both guard positions.

Ostrowski, a 5-8 sophomore at Punahou, has NBA range and tremendous strength going to the basket. He's also effective with pull-up, mid-range jumpers.

Pape is the key cog in Iolani's offense, able to hit 3-pointers with his catch-and-release motion. At 6-1, he sometimes runs the point, particularly when the Raiders spread the court late in games. Defensively, he has almost no peers, able to guard any position the floor. In Iolani's narrow win at Punahou last week, he covered Ostrowski during some key possessions late in the game.

The debate continues.

Athletes of the week

BOYS

Jeremiah Ostrowski, Punahou basketball: Scored 32 points in a win at Saint Louis.

GIRLS

Liane Horiuchi, Kamehameha softball: Went 5-for-5 with a double and three RBIs in a 19-1 win over University.

Honor roll

BASKETBALL

Clarence Alcoran, Ka'u: Scored 21 points against Keaau.
Kalani Aldrich, Kamehameha-Hawaii: Scored 21 points against Waiakea.
Okesene Ale, Kahuku: Scored 26 points in a win over Moanalua and another 26 points against Thompson.
Matt Ching, Kaiser: Scored 22 points in a win at Kalani.
Keali'i Frank, Punahou II: Scored 21 points against St. Louis.
B.J. Fruean, Leilehua: Scored 22 points against Mililani.
Kerstan Ho, Roosevelt: Scored 23 points at Castle.
David Johnson, University: Scored 24 points against Mid-Pacific.
Marvin Judd, Kalaheo: Scored 24 points against Farrington and 22 points against Kaimuki.
Kepono Marquez, Kohala: Scored 24 points against Parker.
Jack Miller, Saint Louis: Scored 30 points at Kamehameha and 27 against Punahou.
Xiro Naovalath, Waianae: Scored 24 points with six steals against Campbell and 40 points against Nanakuli.
Kyle Pape, Iolani: Scored 24 points at Punahou.
Clinton Parks, Kahuku: Scored 21 points against Castle.
Kapena Quisano, McKinley: Scored 21 points against Kailua.
Tyler Tsukazaki, Maryknoll: Scored 21 points against University.
Matthew Uffman, Lutheran: Scrored 23 points against St. Louis II.
Kaipo Villa, Kamehameha II: Scored 21 points against Saint Louis II.
Wayne West, Moanalua: Scored 22 points at Kahuku and 29 against Thompson.
Jordan Wong, Kaimuki: Scored 24 points against Castle.

SOCCER

Mark Atta, Aiea: Scored three goals against Waialua.
R.B. Bibilone, Leilehua: Scored three goals against Pearl City.

SOFTBALL

Cristen Aona, Punahou: Went 3-for-4 with a home run against Maryknoll.
Samantha Bolosan, Mililani: Went 4-for-4 against Nanakuli.
Shelby Ford, Kamehameha: Hit a home run with three RBIs against Mid-Pacific.
Shyenne Hussey, Kailua: Went 4-for-4 with a triple against Roosevelt.
Chelsey Keola, Iolani: Pitched a shutout, hit a home run and drove in three runs against Sacred Hearts.
Courtney Kessell, Kailua: Pitched a shutout against Roosevelt.
Dana Lee, Mililani: Went 4-for-4 with a double and three RBIs against Nanakuli.
Samantha Long, Radford: Went 3-for-3 with a two-run homer against McKinley.
Kriss Noga, Waipahu: Went 3-for-5 with a triple and three RBIs against McKinley.
Dara Pagaduan, Kamehameha: Went 3-for-3 with a triple, double and six RBIs against University.
Sharde Pratt, Kaiser: Pitched a shutout against Moanalua.
Adrienne Tanaka, Punahou: Went 3-for-3 with a double against Mid-Pacific.
Richie Titcomb, University: Went 3-for-5 with two doubles against Iolani.
Kaui Tom, Kamehameha: Went 3-for-3 with a homer and three RBIs against MPI.
Tatiana Vaimoui, Kahuku: Went 4-for-4 with a triple and a double against Kaimuki.
Alisha Vegas, Kailua: Went 4-for-4 with a double and two RBIs against Roosevelt.

SWIMMING

Jack Sauve, Leilehua: Won the 100 breaststroke and swam on three winning relay teams at the Kalani Invitational.

To nominate ...

To nominate an athlete of the week, contact the Star-Bulletin Sports Department by 11 p.m. Sunday:
Phone: 529-4782
Fax: 529-4787
E-mail: sports@starbulletin.com

OIA basketball players making more treys in East than West