HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS

Contenders aiming
to dethrone Iolani

Contenders and contenders-turned-watchers are wondering if this is finally the year another team can break through Iolani's big red wall.

When the Hawaiian Airlines Boys State Basketball Championship tips off tomorrow, seven of the eight opening-round teams qualify as legitimate longshots. Of the eight, it is Punahou, runner-up to Iolani in the merciless Interscholastic League of Honolulu basketball universe, that can genuinely say it can compete with the three-time defending state champion Raiders.

Less than two weeks ago, Punahou went to Iolani and had a five-point lead with 20 seconds remaining. Call it luck, excellence under pressure or whatever, but the Raiders rallied for a 44-43 win to seal the ILH title.

Rewind the tape farther, and the ILH regular season also showed that third-place finisher Kamehameha has pushed Iolani to the limits, as well, before losing in a tight game.

Still, Iolani is now 26-2 overall and has not lost to a Hawaii team in four seasons.

Kahuku drew the second seed from the Hawaii High School Athletic Association committee after winning the Oahu Interscholastic Association championship Friday. The Red Raiders (20-2) not only had the strength of its schedule to stand on; the OIA has won more state titles than any league with the exception of the ILH.

That, in large part, is why Baldwin fans feel shunned. Baldwin won the Maui Interscholastic League with a 12-0 mark, and the Bears' 21-2 record is marred only by a pair of losses to Iolani. However, another unbeaten MIL champion in recent years, Maui in 2003, came to the state tournament and struggled. Coupled with the league's lack of title success at states, the Bears received the third seed.

Big Island fans could argue that Baldwin should have been fourth in the seeding process behind their champion, Konawaena. The Big Island Interscholastic Federation winner has gone on to win three state titles over the years, the most recent in 1999 by Hilo.

For debate's sake, Baldwin's most notable win in nonconference play was over Kalaheo 56-24 at the Punahou Holiday Classic on Dec. 27. The Bears, who dominated MIL competition, have no other wins over teams in the Star-Bulletin Top 10.

Konawaena, meanwhile, is in the same boat. However, the Wildcats have two wins at Hilo, a team that upset then-No. 3 Campbell in December.

The matchups

With first-round byes, league champions will sit and watch tomorrow. Here are the matchups they will see.

Campbell vs. Kamehameha-Maui

Tip-off: Tomorrow, 2:15 p.m.

On paper: Kamehameha-Maui (10-9) stunned regular-season runner-up Lahainaluna, went on to win the tournament and claimed the league's second seed. Chris Dela Cruz, Alepaki Kailiehu-Shinyama, Kamaka Camarillo and Travis Wong are among the Warriors who have stepped up after a 4-6 regular season.

Campbell, meanwhile, has been in the spotlight for much longer. Ranked fifth in the Star-Bulletin Top 10, the Sabers (19-4) have depth and size inside behind Tristan Bailey (6-foot-3), James Bannister (6-4), Mark Sealy (6-4) and center Daniel Phillips (6-8). Finishing second in the OIA was a disappointment for the Sabers, but it was the best OIA finish ever for the Ewa school.

The skinny: The Warriors may be relatively untested against Top 10-competition, but they have shown the ability to handle a go-to scorer. KS-Maui limited Lahainaluna's Stanley Malamala to just eight points during the playoffs. Like Malamala, Bailey is a dangerous scorer who likes to launch the 3-ball.

Bailey, who scored just 20 points in two OIA playoff games, is the sparkplug of Campbell's offense. If the Warriors keep him under control and the Sabers struggle from the perimeter, Cinderella could be wearing a blue and white dress.

X factor: If Kamehameha-Maui can pressure the wings, as Kahuku did, its chances improve. When Kalaheo left Campbell guard Ryan Hayes alone, he erupted for 19 points in the OIA semifinals. With pressure on the perimeter, he went scoreless against the Red Raiders.

The more Hayes scores, the lesser the burden on Bailey. Sealy, a senior forward, has shown flashes of brilliance, but he's still trying to find a consistent groove since gaining eligibility three weeks ago.

Punahou vs. Waiakea

Tip-off: Tomorrow, 4 p.m.

On paper: The Warriors (23-6) have always been a defense-first squad under longtime coach Jay Bartholomew. They qualified for the state tourney by the skin of their teeth, edging Kohala 54-50 in the BIIF tournament semifinals in Hilo.

Punahou, meanwhile, has been tremendous most of the time. The Buffanblu (21-9) have pushed Iolani to the limit, but also lost a regular-season game to a senior-laden University squad.

The skinny: Waiakea had problems against teams with clear-cut go-to scorers. T.J. Akina of Konawaena scored 24 of his 32 points in the second half Friday. The Warriors' best athlete could be Jordan Cabreros, a 6-2 forward. Matched up with Punahou, though, Cabreros will likely stay in the post. That leaves Waiakea's smaller defenders to deal with Jeremiah Ostrowski, arguably the best one-on-one scorer in the state.

Unlike KS-Maui, this season's Waiakea team has been to Oahu already, winning two of three games. One of the wins was at Castle, while the loss was at Kaimuki. Getting over the flight and jitters should be no problem, but dealing with Punahou's mix of defenses will be a true test for the Warriors.

X factor: Scott Ichinotsubo is Waiakea's best long-range shooter, while Michael Belmes and Jon Moniz have the capacity to score in double figures. Whether Waiakea can attack Punahou's favorite defense, man-to-man, early and with success will be telling.

Kauai vs. Kalaheo

Tip-off: Tomorrow, 5:45 p.m.

On paper: The last time these teams met, Kauai (10-3) had finally found its pace, while Kalaheo (16-12) was simply struggling to be competitive.

That Dec. 22 game at the Iolani Classic spurred both teams as they headed for league action. Kauai rolled through the Kauai Interscholastic Federation with an 8-0 record. Kalaheo kept plugging away, its inexperienced lineup finding an identity en route to a third-place finish in the OIA.

Kalaheo is ranked ninth in the Star-Bulletin Top 10, one notch behind Kauai.

The skinny: Marvin Judd emerged as a much-needed deep threat for the Mustangs, complementing slasher David Moore and low-post scorer Tyler Caswell. Kalaheo still shows signs of youth at times, but coach Chico Furtado's team has found ways to win. Tate Brown and Chris Tumaneng are key cogs in the Mustangs' offense without scoring a lot of points.

Kauai, meanwhile, can boast having one of the state's top centers in Va'afuti Tavana. The 6-8, 250-pound senior has a big upside; he is just beginning to scratch the surface of his potential. But he's not alone. Guard Jeremy Manuel transferred from Waimea, a team that reached the state tourney the past two years.

Manuel is one of the top combo guards in the state. Having strength at the point and center are key for the Red Raiders, but they'll need more to get past Kalaheo and its resilient man defense.

X factor: Rarely will Kalaheo get into a run-and-gun tempo with any team, especially in the postseason. The Mustangs will not allow Manuel to take over the game, and Caswell, at 6-5, is a solid matchup against Tavana. It's imperative that Kauai gets solid contributions up and down the lineup.

Kamehameha vs. Kaimuki

Tip-off: Tomorrow, 7:30 p.m.

On paper: An intriguing early matchup. It seems like 10th-ranked Kaimuki (16-8) has a habit of drawing the ILH's third seed in recent years, and this could be very competitive.

Kamehameha's three-headed monster at guard -- Michael Ni'i, Ikaika Hardie and Keo Wright-Pacarro -- is defensive-minded and runs the floor very well. The Warriors (17-9) thrive when opponents turn the ball over; Hardie may be the quickest player going coast-to-coast in the islands.

Much of the time, sixth-ranked Kamehameha has played better after halftime.

Kaimuki, meanwhile, has come a long way since the early weeks of Kelly Grant's first season. The Bulldogs pushed eventual OIA champ Kahuku hard before losing in the final minutes. Then, the Bulldogs saw a 13-point lead disintegrate in an overtime loss to Kalaheo in the third-place game.

Kaimuki still surprises some fans with its consistent late-season success. The Bulldogs slow the tempo, make the extra pass and use the matchup zone defense a lot. That slows the tempo even more. It's a style that's best suited to playoff basketball.

The skinny: Inside, Kaimuki's Jon Torres will battle Kamehameha's Kamalu Miller in a classic matchup of strength vs. height. Torres, at 6-2, uses positioning and patience to score in the paint. Miller, at 6-5, prefers to shoot over defenders. If Torres struggles to get his offense going early, Kamehameha will have a much easier time sticking with Kaimuki's deep corps of 3-point bombers.

X factor: The last time Kaimuki played an ILH team, it was a close battle in the third quarter at Punahou. The Buffanblu's experience turned the game into a blowout, but Grant has implemented myriad plays and sets into the playbook since.