HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
Crusaders push Punahou out of mix
There won't be any checks in the mail, but Saint Louis could expect a thank-you card.
The Crusaders used a balanced scoring attack to upend Punahou 58-49 last night, ending the Buffanblu's chance to force a second-place playoff in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu.
The loss was a heartbreaker for Punahou (8-4). A win would have given the Buffanblu a shot at second place -- and an automatic state berth. Instead, tonight's game between first-place Kamehameha (10-1 ILH) and Iolani (9-2 ILH) will have one consequence only if the Warriors lose -- a tiebreaker for the league title.
Saint Louis (8-4) finished regular-season play in a tie with Punahou. The two teams will be part of a tournament next week to determine who earns the ILH's final state berth. Because Saint Louis won both of its games with Punahou, the Crusaders have earned home-court advantage.
"To me, it doesn't matter. We've beaten them at their gym, but that's all in the past now," Saint Louis coach Delbert Tengan said. "It's just good to get momentum."
Both Saint Louis and Punahou (20-7 overall) have earned byes in the tourney and will not start play until Thursday.
Center Scott Smith scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead Saint Louis (13-4 overall), ranked fourth in the Star-Bulletin Top 10. Smith made seven of his nine field-goal attempts. Guard Jeremiah Masoli added 13 points and five boards on 6-for-12 shooting. Cameron Bayne overcame a slow start and finished with 10 points and four assists.
In all, the Crusaders shot 55 percent from the field (24-for-44) and outrebounded Punahou 23-16.
"We had great ball movement. We didn't depend on just Jeremiah or Cameron," Tengan noted.
The Crusaders hit big shots throughout the contest. Cole Shidaki swished a 17-footer off a spin move with 3 seconds left in the third quarter before reserve guard Ricksson Pacarro drained a 3-pointer to start the fourth stanza. That gave Saint Louis a 43-37 lead.
Miah Ostrowski sank a pair of free throws and a baseline jumper to bring Punahou within 43-41 with 6:12 left, but the Buffanblu got no closer. Saint Louis closed out the game with a 15-8 run.
Ostrowski led Punahou with 18 points on 5-for-17 accuracy from the floor. He made seven of his eight foul shots, but was just 1-for-6 from the arc. Spencer McLachlin finished with eight points and seven boards.
"Our defense did a nice job on Miah and Spencer," Tengan said.
| Punahou |
12 |
11 |
14 |
12 |
-- |
49
|
| Saint Louis |
10 |
16 |
14 |
18 |
-- |
58 |
Punahou: Trenton Zane 2, Miah Ostrowski 18, Danny Cho 4, Brandon Kapana 4, Kyle Whitford 2, Kimo Makaula 2, Freddie Hart 0, Kameron Steinhoff 8, Ted Hawkins 0, Spencer McLachlin 8, Kealii Frank 1.
Saint Louis: Ricksson Pacarro 3, Kuli'a Aiona 4, John Quindara 0, Scott Smith 17, Cameron Bayne 10, Cole Shidaki 7, Kalua Noa 0, Jeremiah Masoli 13, Elliott Purcell 4.
3-point goals: Punahou 2 (Ostrowski, McLachlin), Saint Louis 5 (Bayne 2, Pacarro, Shidaki, Masoli).
No. 9 Maryknoll 48, Damien 46
Tyler Tsukazaki scored a season-high 30 points and the Spartans held off a late Monarchs rally to hold on for a two-point victory in the season finale for both teams.
Kama Bailey nailed three 3-pointers and Michael Sipili had a team-high 13 points for Damien.
At Damien H.S. gym
| Maryknoll (4-8) |
9 |
13 |
9 |
17 |
-- |
48
|
| Damien (1-11) |
8 |
11 |
13 |
14 |
-- |
46 |
MARYKNOLL--Tyler Tsukazaki 30, Chris Hsia 0, Tommy Nguyen 4, Simeon Ke-Paloma 0, Richardson Talavera 0, Travis Liu 5, Zachary Misajon 4, Jordan Ho-Ching 4, Richard Herring 1.
DAMIEN--Nikko Romuar 0, Kama Bailey 9, Winnie Gapuz 4, Matthew Gochenouer 6, Tony Cerezo 0, Aminis Thompson 0, Haku Correa 1, Kenneth Rossi 1, Michael Sipili 13, Lolomana Mikaele 10, Sione Tau 2.
3-point goals -- Maryknoll 2 (Tsukazaki, Liu), Damien 4 (Bailey 3, Mikaele).
Division II varsity boys
Punahou 64, Hanalani 41
Lanakila Baptist 75, Lutheran 33
Hawaii Baptist 61, Le Jardin 41
Saint Louis 44, Mid-Pacific 42
Leading scorers--Pun: Dru Hara 9. Han: PJ Wood 17. LB: Alika Borabora 22, Galen Kama 17, Charles Hazelwood 15. LHS: Derek Alik 18. HBA: Jeremy Yeung 15, Jason Liang 13, Kyle Barretta 12. LJA: Kevin Heinemann 18. StL: Kamalu Umu 21. MPI: Tri Bourne 18.
OIA
Junior varsity boys
Aiea 51, Kahuku 48
