Jeremiah Ostrowski of Punahou went for a layup last night during the win over Saint Louis. Ostrowski scored 22 points.
Punahou pulls away
from rival Saint Louis
Jeremiah Ostrowski is usually a gamebreaker, but last night, his Punahou basketball teammates made all the difference.
Ostrowski scored 22 points as Punahou outlasted Saint Louis 52-36 at Hemmeter Fieldhouse. The sophomore guard, who made nine of 19 shots from the floor, added five assists, four steals and three rebounds and had just two turnovers in 30 minutes.
A 14-2 run in the third quarter, however, featured six different Punahou scorers. That run put the game out of reach, securing a state tournament berth for the Buffanblu. Saint Louis could have pulled within one win of Punahou in the standings, possibly forcing a tie for second place in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu race. The loss, however, ensures the Crusaders' place in next week's ILH tournament.
Punahou (21-9, 11-2 ILH) clinched second place in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu. The Buffanblu got a concerted effort defensively and limited the league's top scorer, Jack Miller, to 16 points.
Spencer McLachlin anchored Punahou's interior defense and finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots. The 6-foot-5 sophomore shot 4-for-7 from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter.
"I wanted to go to states. Everybody was more motivated," McLachlin said. "I was just trying to bring the energy."
Ostrowski noticed a difference before the game.
"Spencer was pumped up in a mellow way," he said.
Punahou shot 53 percent from the field (21 of 40), including 4-for-8 from 3-point range in the first half. Saint Louis shot 14-for-38 from the floor (37 percent). Both teams had 11 turnovers.
The Buffanblu also outrebounded the Crusaders 23-19. It was a resounding turnaround from their last game, an upset loss to University.
"University exploited us Saturday. They were faster than us. We had bad legs," Punahou coach Greg Tacon said. "Tonight, we were moving up and down the floor a lot better. Against Saint Louis, you have to get the easy baskets. You don't want to get into a half-court game with Miller."
Punahou, ranked third in the Star-Bulletin Top 10, closes the regular season against league front-runner Iolani on Thursday. The game at Iolani will not affect the standings, but it will be the last contest for both teams until the state tournament in two weeks.
Miller, averaging 22 points per game, shot 6-for-14 from the field. The Crusaders' only senior also dished three assists and had just one turnover in 31 minutes. Saint Louis closes the regular season against Kamehameha tomorrow.
Next week, the Crusaders play in the tournament for the league's third and final state berth. Saint Louis, now 8-5 in the ILH (12-7 overall), can clinch home-court advantage in the tournament by finishing ahead of Kamehameha, which was 7-5 before playing Maryknoll last night.
Saint Louis gave Punahou fits in their first matchup on Jan. 22, when Miller poured in 27 points. This time around, they eschewed isolation sets for the 6-3 guard.
"We thought they were gonna run the iso(lation) plays," McLachlin said. "They almost beat us last time with that. But they also had the crowd with them that time. It was totally different."
Punahou came out with intensity and precision, committing just one turnover in the opening quarter. A man-to-man defense kept Miller in a crowd.
"The key thing with Jack is, you have to keep him in front of you. If you reach, he'll get by you, and he's a better passer than a scorer, I think," Tacon said.
Saint Louis ran motion offenses, surprising defenders like Ostrowski.
"That made it easier for us. We switch a lot, so he didn't have a lot of space," he said.
Punahou went on an 11-0 run to close the opening quarter, taking a 14-7 lead into the second. Saint Louis pulled ahead 16-14 after four points in a row by Kulia Aiona. However, the Buffanblu scored the next 10 points, with Ostrowski taking two steals to the basket for layups.
After Ostrowski banked in a trey from the right wing, Punahou led 24-16 with 1:43 left in the second quarter.
The Saint Louis defense tried to lock down Ostrowski in the third quarter, but his teammates stepped up. Six Buffanblu scored during a 14-2 run. After Ka'ohu Berg-Hee hustled for a layup off a feed from Ostrowski, Punahou led 43-24 with 1:09 to go in the third.
Punahou, which shot 67 percent from the field in the third quarter, opened the lead to 47-26 early in the fourth. Saint Louis got no closer than 14 the rest of the way.
"They kind of know our plays, when I'm coming off the staggered screens and ball picks. Everyone else picked up the slack," Ostrowski said.
At Hemmeter Fieldhouse
| Saint Louis (8-5) | 7 | 13 | 6 | 10 | -- | 36 |
| Punahou (11-2) | 14 | 15 | 14 | 9 | -- | 52 |
PUNAHOU-- Trenton Zane 0, Jeremiah Ostrowski 22, Brandon Kapana 4, Ed Wong 0, Danny Cho 2, Brenton Lee 2, Robbie Shklov 0, Freddy Hart 1, Ka'ohu Berg-Hee 4, Spencer McLachlin 13, Brian Matsumoto 0, Kasey Ko 4, T.J. Zabriskie 0.
3-point goals -- Saint Louis 1 (Bayne), Punahou 4 (McLachlin 2, Ostrowski 2).
No. 1 Iolani 76, Damien 34
Kyle Pape connected on six 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 28 points as the Raiders remained undefeated heading into their ILH regular-season finale against No. 3 Punahou tomorrow.
Every Raiders player who entered the game scored. Matthew Gochenour hit two 3-pointers and was the only Monarchs player in double figures with 10.
At Iolani H.S. gym
| Damien (1-11) | 6 | 6 | 7 | 15 | -- | 34 |
| Iolani (13-0) | 23 | 28 | 14 | 11 | -- | 76 |
IOLANI--Aaron Young 2, Vinny Nip 6, Ryan Dung 9, Taylor Mounts 3, Kekai Kealoha 7, Kawika Shoji 8, Kyle Pape 28, Jon Takamura 1, Wes Eberlin 2, Blayne Yama 2, Wally Marciel 4, Kiran Kepo'o 4.
3-point goals -- Damien 3 (Gochenour 2, Akiona), Iolani 10 (Pape 6, Nip 2, Dung, Kealoha).
University 55, Mid-Pacific 39
David Johnson scored a game-high 21 points as the Junior 'Bows won their second straight game.
Kellen Hastie had 13 points and Bryson Beirne added 12 for the Owls.
At Mid-Pacific Institute gym
| University (6-7) | 12 | 13 | 11 | 19 | -- | 55 |
| Mid-Pacific (1-12) | 13 | 10 | 5 | 11 | -- | 39 |
MID-PACIFIC-- Chris Young 1, Allen Ko 0, Kellar Ellsworth 7, Daniel Gordan 0, Jarryd Yasui 0, JD Lum 6, Kellen Hastie 13, Steve Hilton 0, Bryson Beirne 12.
3-point goals -- University 0, Mid-Pacific 2 (Ellsworth, Lum).
Division II varsity boys
Iolani 40, Word of Life 35Leading scorers--Iol: Josh Starbuck, 14. WOL: Aaron Tipoti, 9.
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