Gonzaga stomps Moanalua
POSTED: Saturday, December 19, 2009
There were 4 inches of snow back home in Washington D.C., but the Gonzaga Eagles warmed up nicely in Honolulu.
The Eagles used a balanced attack and the savvy passing of guard Cedrick Lindsay to pull away for an 84-58 win over Moanalua last night in the opening round of the 'Iolani Classic basketball tournament.
Tyler Thornton, a Duke recruit, and Malcolm Lemmons (Robert Morris) led Gonzaga with 14 points each. Cahli Thomas and Kris Jenkins added 11 apiece.
Lindsay, who has committed to Richmond, was the glue. The 6-foot-1 senior scored 10 points and dished out eight assists with just one turnover.
“;He didn't shoot it a lot, but he's very multidimensional,”; Gonzaga coach Steve Turner said. “;His floor game spoke for itself.”;
Lindsay's vision helped a rotation that includes a couple of freshmen.
“;We played together this summer, so the youth wasn't a problem. When you got a team like this, every guy can score,”; he said.
Moanalua got 26 points from guard Josiah Kauhola and 15 from swingman Marcus Monroe. Kauhola was especially hot, shooting 6-for-8 from beyond the arc.
“;Twenty-three (Monroe) and 21 (Kauhola), both shot very, very well. (Moanalua) played very hard,”; Turner said. “;They switched on defense and tried to exploit our offense.”;
Moanalua coach Greg Tacon was enthused by his team's effort.
“;We did some really good things. We kind of got stagnant in the third quarter when we ran some new sets, but our guards made some good decisions,”; he said. “;Gonzaga's a well-coached team.”;
The lead changed hands three times in the first quarter. Kauhola's first trey, from the left corner, gave Na Menehune a 7-6 lead. Gonzaga worked patiently against Moanalua's man defense and built a 22-16 by the end of the quarter. By then, Lindsay already had four assists.
Moanalua made a run on a 3-pointer by Monroe and a baseline jumper by freshman guard Marcus Keene to get within 26-21 with 5:58 to go in the second quarter. The visitors answered with an 8-0 run and the lead never got back into single digits.
Gonzaga dominated the boards with a 24-14 edge, but Turner and his players say they haven't played their kind of ball yet.
“;We didn't play our best today,”; Lindsay said. “;We were a little sluggish. It wasn't our tempo.”;
Turner plans to unveil more defensive pressure against Columbia (Ga.) today.
“;You don't want to show everything you've got,”; the coach said.
Moanalua, which struggled last year in close games, bolstered its backcourt with the addition of Keene. Still, Na Menehune finished with 24 turnovers.
Lutheran 91, 'Iolani II 35
Gabe York, a 6-2 sophomore, scored 19 points to lead a balanced Lancers attack against 'Iolani's Division II team. Tyler Funk and Dylan Rice added 13 points each.
Jordan Tottori led the Raiders of Orange, Calif., with 12 points.
Columbia 44, Hamilton 27
JerShon Cobb, a 6-5 Northwestern recruit, scored 17 points as the Eagles of Decatur, Ga., outlasted the deliberate Huskies. Micah Fetters led Hamilton of Chandler, Ariz., with 10 points.
Yates 87, Kamehameha 60
Joseph Young scored 26 points to lead the Lions of Houston.
Taylor Taliulu scored 17 for the Warriors.
Kamehameha's Ryder commits
Kamehameha football player Wave Ryder gave an oral commitment to Utah State.
Ryder played safety for the Division I state champion Warriors.
———
Star-Bulletin staff