Raiders 5-peat

Iolani uses balance and defense to top Kaimuki for the state basketball title

The Iolani Raiders have their own powerful force of reserves.

With a number of substitutes contributing once again, the Raiders overwhelmed Kaimuki 54-41 last night to capture an unprecedented fifth state boys basketball championship in a row.

Kaimuki, the Cinderella team of the Oahu Interscholastic Association, pulled out a heart-stopping overtime win over Kamehameha in the semifinals. However, a crowd of 5,437 at the Stan Sheriff Center saw Iolani end the fairy tale with dominating defense and outstanding balance. The Raiders jolted Kaimuki early, silencing a large throng of green-and-yellow clad Bulldog fans in the first half.

The latest championship is Iolani's eighth since the tournament's inception in 1957. The Raiders' last seven titles have come under coach Mark Mugiishi.

"Woo, this is good," the longtime coach said. "We were able to get the tempo going, but give Kaimuki credit. They fought back, so I'm glad we had that (third-quarter) run or it would've been scary."

The tourney's most outstanding player, senior Kawika Shoji, tallied 10 points, seven rebounds and two assists. His ballhandling and passing skills from the high post gave Iolani the fluidity that separated the Raiders from every foe.

Iolani defeated its earlier opponents by margins of 21 (Kalaheo) and 24 points (Kahuku).

Vinny Nip tallied 11 points and Barry Kang had nine for Iolani (23-8). Reserve guard Case Miyahira added six points and forward Liloa Nobriga, a freshman, scored six points and pulled down four boards off the bench.

"The sum of the parts is greater than the whole," said Kang, a senior point guard who had only one turnover and triggered Iolani's third-quarter blitz.

The Raiders opened the second half with 14 points in a row to put the game out of reach.

"We made adjustments. Pushed the ball a lot more, and we didn't rush so much on offense," Kang said.

Iolani's latest state crown may have been the most rewarding.

"This team struggled more to get there, so it feels great," Mugiishi said. "They showed their perseverance."

Keone Reyes, a junior forward, led Kaimuki (20-9) with 18 points.

"It feels so bad losing. I'm going to train every day because we're getting back to this spot," said Kaimuki junior Beau Albrechtson. "Iolani plays mean defense, and defense wins championships. They showed it."

Kaimuki's second-year coach Kelly Grant was grateful his team made it to the championship.

"We were a huge underdog, and our kids played hard, that's the main thing," he said.

The first half was a series of blunders by Kaimuki's backcourt, due in large part to Iolani's swarming half- and full-court traps. Unable to take care of the ball, take smart shots or set up their frontcourt in the low post, the Bulldogs struggled while Iolani's reserves dominated the half.

Grant, a defensive guru, sent his lineup onto the floor with a 3-2 zone that stymied Iolani in the opening quarter. Still, the Bulldogs offense rarely executed over a 3-minute span, with Daniel Colon taking two poor shots and turning the ball over twice as Kaimuki lost momentum.

Miyahira's 3-pointer late in the first quarter sparked an Iolani run that extended into the second quarter. Miyahira's second trey, along with a wide-open 21-footer by backup guard Kekai Kealoha, capped a 15-0 run by the Raiders.

Iolani led 15-4 midway through the second quarter. By then, Kaimuki had amassed nine turnovers and had hit only two of its first 11 shots.

The largest lead of the half was 12. Kaimuki got buckets from Colon and Keone Reyes to cut the deficit to 17-9 before halftime.

Iolani blew the game open at the start of the second half with 14 straight points.

"We truly did it together as a team. It shows how much our defense fuels our offense," Nip said. "Defensively, we stayed tough and the help was always there to make it tough for Kaimuki to drive."

Nip drilled a 3-pointer, Jon Takamura scored in the low post, Wally Marciel sank two free throws and Shoji found Nip for an easy layup as the Raiders stretched the lead to 26-9 with less than 6 minutes left in the third quarter.

Kaimuki sharpshooter Thomas Pyo entered the game in the third despite an injured ankle, but returned to the bench within a minute. Pyo had not played since the OIA semifinals nine days earlier.

Kaimuki's pile of turnovers continued to fuel Iolani's run. Kang scored five points in a row as the Raiders took a 31-9 lead with 5 minutes remaining in the third. Kaimuki got no closer than 13 the rest of the way.

Kaimuki shot 43 percent from the field, but only 1-for-9 from 3-point range. The Bulldogs were 8-for-17 from the foul line and committed 19 turnovers.

Iolani also shot 43 percent from the field, but was 18-for-24 from the line and outrebounded the Bulldogs 26-22.

Nobriga, a 6-3 forward who is one of the best freshmen in the state, was in awe of his teammates.

"Every day, we all just worked on it," he said. "This won't be the last one. There are three more coming."

Albrechtson, Reyes, Kahuku's Okesene Ale Jr., and Kamehameha's Rykin Enos joined Shoji on the all-tournament team selected by the media.

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THIRD PLACE

Kamehameha 66, Kahuku 60

Rykin Enos pumped in 24 points and Jacob Ho tallied 13 as the Warriors (21-6) claimed third place. Enos shot 7-for-10 from the field and 8-for-10 from the foul line.

Mitchell Kauweloa added 11 points and five rebounds for the ILH runner-up.

Okesene Ale Jr., hounded by Kamehameha's Jesse Moniz for most of the night, led Kahuku with 14 points on 5-for-16 shooting. Kevin Ale added 13 points and nine rebounds, and Devin Unga added 12 points and six boards. Iona Teriipaia hit a pair of treys and finished with 10 points for Kahuku (20-9), the OIA runner-up.

The Red Raiders seemed out of gas at times, and it showed at the foul line, where they shot 11-for-22. Kamehameha, which also played its fourth game in four nights, wasn't a lot better at 15-for-24 (63 percent).

However, the Warriors committed just 13 turnovers to Kahuku's 21 giveaways.

Kahuku was still close after Shiloah Te'o swished a trey from the right wing with 22.9 seconds to play, bringing his team within 65-60. However, the Red Raiders got no closer.

Kamehameha	11	16	18	21	--	66
Kahuku	13	14	16	17	--	60

KAMEHAMEHA--Randy Cummings 2, Jesse Moniz 4, Brandon Ahlo 2, Andrew Godinet 5, Mitchell Kauweloa 11, Jacob Ho 13, Pono Hanson 3, Rykin Enos 24, Conrad Scheidt 0, Jay Kauka 0, Sherwin Perez 0, Adam McGuire 0, Brede Souza 0, Logan Rodrigues 0, Anthony Pickard 2, Mark Mokiao 0, Kea Smith 0, Treston Rego 0.
KAHUKU--Pele Soliai 3, Kaulin Krebs 0, Devin Unga 12, Iona Teriipaia 10, Shiloah Te'o 3, Okesene Ale Jr. 14, Ian Fujinaga 2, Tiavte Oto 0, Kevin Unga 13, Manti Te'o 1, Jacob Kahawaii 2, Charles Bell 0.
3-point goals: Kamehameha 4 (Enos 2, Godinet, Ho), Kahuku 5 (Teriipaia 2, Ale 2, Soliai).

FIFTH PLACE

Kalaheo 54, Kamehameha-Hawaii 34

Marvin Judd scored five points, including a trey, during a 15-0 fourth-quarter run as the Mustangs won the fifth-place game.

Judd, a senior guard, finished with 15 points. He made six of his seven tries from the foul line, and Kalaheo finished 16-for-25 from the stripe. The Mustangs, the third-place team from the OIA, closed the season 22-11 overall.

"This week, we brought consistent intensity and we played hard," Kalaheo coach Chico Furtado said. "Our guys matured."

Playing their fourth game in as many days, neither team was able to weather the effects of fatigue. Kalaheo shot 2-for-14 beyond the 3-point line and 34 percent overall. KS-Hawaii missed all 12 of its 3-point tries and finished at 21 percent from the field.

Chris Aiwohi-Kegler scored 10 points and grabbed six boards in just 17 minutes for the Big Island Interscholastic Federation champion Warriors (25-4).

Kalaheo platooned early on, but let its starters take command of the game in the second half. With Kamehameha-Hawaii's underclassmen on the floor, Kalaheo took advantage. The Mustangs' fullcourt traps caused problems and sparked the decisive run. Kalaheo led 43-25 with 4 minutes remaining.

Kamehameha-Hawaii	9	6	10	9	--	34
Kalaheo	13	6	9	26	--	54

KAMEHAMEHA-HAWAII--Chris Aiwohi-Kegler 10, Mea Wong 9, Jake Lee 2, Mana Silva 4, Scott Hamilton 0, Kealoha Kramer 4, Kupono-Ikaika Kaleohano 0, Reece Alnas 0, Jacob Naki 0, Andrew Love Jr. 0, Colton Collins 0, Kelii Kimi 2, Kalani Aldrich 0, Junior Eseroma 3.
KALAHEO--Elias David 6, Chris Tumaneng 4, Koa Siliga 4, Mana Guerreiro 6, Kahua Hollinger 0, Jacob Anderson 4, Marvin Judd 15, Cheynne Lishman 0, Jeff Whitworth 4, Chase Moses 3, Deaux Burns 4, Tyler Caswell 4.
3-point goals: Kamehameha-Hawaii 0, Kalaheo 2 (Anderson, Judd).

SEVENTH PLACE

Saint Louis 79, Waimea 55

Cameron Bayne scored 15 points to lead a balanced Crusader attack in the seventh-place game. Bayne also grabbed 13 rebounds and dished out nine assists in just 21 minutes.

Jeremiah Masoli added 12 points, and sophomore Cole Shidaki and Joshua Yuen chipped in with 10 points each for Saint Louis (17-5), the third-place team from the ILH.

Chad Barba led the Kauai Interscholastic Federation champion Menehunes (10-5) with 25 points on 8-for-22 shooting. In a game that was relatively lax defensively, Saint Louis shot 53 percent from the field (34-for-64), dominated the boards 55-27, and committed 26 turnovers.

Saint Louis	24	12	16	27	--	79
Waimea	10	13	10	22	--	55

SAINT LOUIS--Ricksson Pacarro 0, Kuli'a Aiona 2, John Quindara 0, Kawika Kekuawela 6, Scott Smith 4, Cameron Bayne 15, Joshua Yuen 10, Cole Shidaki 10, Solomona Aigamaua 4, Kalua Noa 2, Jeremiah Masoli 12, Elliott Purcell 4, Jamison Miller 6, Jacob Barit 4.
WAIMEA--Kyle Achuela 0, Chad Barba 25, Vincent Vea 0, Braxton Garma 0, Alden Lahip 3, Kasey Okihara 3, Bradley Frasco 4, Roldan Villanueva 0, Calsen Agrade 4, Brendan McDaniels 8, Dana Tayco 1, Keelan Sakuda 4, Chris Newcomb 3, Vincent Geronimo 0.
3-point goals: Saint Louis 3 (Miller 2, Yuen), Waimea 3 (Barba 2, McDaniels).