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CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM Maryknoll is led by (clockwise, from bottom), Nicole Fu, Jessica Akamine, Sela Fisilau, Cheryl Lee and Tammie Andres.

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Basketball 101

Surprising Maryknoll is making
a strong run at the postseason

It has been 27 years since Maryknoll's back-to-back girls basketball state championships, but with a fabulous foursome of close-knit seniors leading the way, there is a quiet confidence that is beginning to surround this season's squad.

"This team we have here, it's a special one," coach Bobby Samson said. "Take away two quarters and who knows where we might be right now."

After dominating a tough nonconference schedule that included double-digit victories over Kaiser, Kalaheo and Lahainaluna -- all ranked in this week's Star Bulletin Top 10 -- the Spartans held halftime leads during regular-season games against Iolani and Punahou. But a couple of poor third-quarter performances have kept the fifth-ranked Spartans from the top of the ILH at the midway point.

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CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM Jessica Akamine is a speedy guard for the Spartans, who are trying to climb through a crack in the state-tourney window.

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"It's a tough road for us to compete with the top teams," Samson said. "Those were difficult losses, but we proved to ourselves that we can play with them."

The Spartans feature four seniors in the starting five who have played with each other for at least three years, and along with sophomore Nicole Fu, have developed into one of the top lineups in the state.

"All these girls can play at the next level," Samson said.

Maryknoll features a backcourt tandem of Jessica Akamine and Tammie Andres, who each started playing at the varsity level as sophomores. Andres runs the show at the point, while Akamine creates havoc with her athleticism on both ends of the court.

"(Jessica) is so fast, I think she fools a lot of officials, who can't believe how quickly she does certain things," Samson said.

"I just go crazy when I'm out there, but I don't know if that's a good thing or not," Akamine said.

Cheryl Lee, who committed to California Lutheran University earlier this year, starts alongside Fu at the forward spot, while Sela Fisilau, an honorable mention all-state selection last year, is the big girl in the middle.

"If she ever decided to be mean, she'd dominate, but she's too nice," Samson said of his center. "Cheryl's probably our best pure shooter, and Nicole is the most talented sophomore in the state. As far as skills go, nobody can touch her."

But while their talents on the court have them currently ranked fifth, it's the closeness that the seniors on the team have that make this year's squad a special one.

Known as the "101 girls" for always hanging out in the same room during lunches at school, the seniors have bonded like family, and even outside of the classroom, regularly hang out at the beach or go see movies together.

"Coach Bobby brought us all in at the same time, and we've built a great friendship together," Andres said. "We're always together and talk about all our games, and it's just a special thing that we all have together."

Added Akamine: "We just know what each other is thinking at all times, it's like ESP out there on the court, and now that Nicole is getting the hang of it, we're feeling confident in what we can do."

That confidence was nearly shattered in the final game of last season. Playing Kamehameha for a berth in the state tournament, the Spartans blew a 7-point lead in the final minute and eventually lost in overtime.

"It was like being stabbed in the heart," Lee said. "We were shocked by the loss because we had it and were so close, but we remember what it felt like and we've worked hard not to go through that again."

With so much to play for this season, there's always an added degree of difficulty for any Maryknoll team. With no gym on the school's campus, the Spartans regularly have to travel down the street to the Hawaiian Mission Academy for practice. While it doesn't seem like much more than a short walk, the time it takes to get there is sometimes longer than expected.

"At Maryknoll, all the teams catch the same bus usually, so sometimes if the baseball team is playing in Aiea, the girls will have to sit on the bus and go all the way out there before coming all the way back just to get (to HMA)," Samson said. "Having to do this day after day, just for practice, it's tough on them."

"We always have to be prepared," Lee added. "We have to make sure we have our clothes ready and at the same time be out there in time for the bus right after school ends."

With a lack of facilities on campus, a small enrollment, and losing as many seniors as the Spartans will after this season, there has been talk of moving down to the Division II level, which would leave the ILH with just five Division I teams next season, assuming the rest stay at that level.

"It has become a tough road for the smaller schools, and it's not worth it to stay in Division I for the sake of getting pounded," Samson said. "I'd rather be in Division I because the kids will only get better playing against better competition, but it's definitely something we've thought about."

As for this year, however, with a 4-2 Interscholastic League of Honolulu record at the halfway point of the regular season, the Spartans (13-3) are one game behind Iolani and two behind undefeated Punahou for the top spot in the league. Maryknoll has one more shot against both teams, knowing full well that only two teams from the ILH make states.

"Everything is in their control," Samson said. "These girls have developed, have a better perspective on things and are motivated, so no matter what happens, we're going to feel good about ourselves at the end of the season."

But as one of the smaller schools in the league and with the ill feelings of last year's bitter end still fresh in their minds, the Spartans are looking to run the table in their final five regular-season games.

"A lot of us didn't get into other schools and mentally it makes us feel like we're not good enough," Andres said. "We know people sometimes take us for granted, but we want people to respect us, and this year, we plan on ending this season on our own terms."

The Spartans get an opportunity to start fulfilling that plan tomorrow night when they face No. 1 Punahou at McCabe Gym at 6:30 p.m.