The agony and ecstasy of coaches throughout the OIA and ILH is as rollicking as ever.
Kahuku is one of many examples. The Red Raiders were ranked No. 10 in the Star-Advertiser boys basketball poll just three weeks ago after wins over Waiakea, Kauai and Mililani over a two-week span.
Their first landing in the top 10 was followed by OIA East losses to Kailua (58-52), Kaiser (45-43) and Farrington (57-54). At 0-3, the Red Raiders decided not to panic.
With Ethan Erickson and Marcus Damuni powering the inside game, Kahuku has won its last three, including crucial wins over Kalani (54-50) and Roosevelt (50-47).
That ability to win close games is a sea change for the Red Raiders.
“We’re starting to come along. Guys are getting in shape and it’s not how you start, but how you finish,” Kahuku coach Brandyn Akana said after the win at Roosevelt. “And we’ve got five more (OIA East) games left.”
The ladder to the top of the OIA East is crowded. Kailua (6-1) and Moanalua (6-1) share first place and Kalani (5-2) is in the thick of the chase. With wins over Kalani and Kalaheo (3-4), Kahuku has the head-to-head tiebreaker edge if it can keep winning and Kalani drops at least one of its last four games.
Catching the two front-runners is a big ask at this point. The top two teams in the East will earn first-round byes in the Division I playoffs. With a reduction from six to five state-tournament berths in D-I — largely because St. Francis moved up to D-I in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu and gave the league a third berth — every possible advantage is more valuable than ever in the OIA.
It also means this: a team that wins in the opening round and loses in the ensuing quarterfinal round will have to win the following two games. The fifth-place game used to be for mostly cosmetic reasons. Now a state berth is on the line at the lower end of the bracket when it comes to boys hoops.
Owls rising
Like Kahuku, Mid-Pacific of ILH D-I was soul searching after one week of league action. The Owls lost three of their first four games and suddenly were treading water.
They righted the ship and then won on the road at No. 6 Saint Louis (62-49) and No. 8 Kamehameha (45-44) to even their league record at 3-3. Even with a loss to No. 1 Maryknoll on Friday, MPI has some momentum.
Punahou (6-1), Maryknoll (5-1) and ‘Iolani (4-2) are the leaders, and MPI is now tied with St. Francis for fourth place. For all seven teams in ILH D-I, the battle for first place and an automatic state tournament berth is nothing short of a gauntlet.
Saint Louis (1-5) and Kamehameha (1-6) are entirely capable of knocking off any of their foes, including Maryknoll and Punahou. Saint Louis pushed Punahou into overtime before falling 65-60.
With three state berths available, it still won’t be quite enough for the league that has seven teams, including D-II Damien, in the top 10. But it sure beats having the usual two berths.
Cardiac Cougars clinch
The ups and downs of a tough OIA East battle in girls basketball had the Kaiser Cougars battle-tested for the playoffs. After a 16-point win over Nanakuli in the opening round, Kaiser traveled to Radford and stunned the West’s second place team 57-48 in overtime.
Senior guard Trinidee Kahunahana and junior center Taeya Blakeney scored 17 points each as the Lady Cougars lost a 15-point lead, then clutched up in the extra stanza. Kaiser qualified for the semifinal round of the D-I playoffs and clinched one of the league’s six state-tournament berths.
It was enough to have the team in blue and gold singing a merry tune all the way home.
“They were so stoked,” said coach Brianna Lagat-Ramos, who is feeling the effects of a cold. “The kids had us singing karaoke in the bus and I’m the one Filipino that did not get the singing genes. They love to sing a lot in the bus. We had a smaller bus so there was no escaping the music.”
Teams that have clinched state-tourney berths:
>> OIA D-I girls: Kahuku, Kalani, Kaiser, Mililani.
>> ILH D-II girls: Hawaii Baptist, Hanalani, University.
>> MIL D-I: Lahainaluna
Lady Lunas keep rolling
No. 2 Lahainaluna is 10-0 in Maui Interscholastic League D-I and has clinched first place and an automatic state berth, according to Lady Lunas coach Todd Rickard. The Lady Lunas have two games left, at home against Kamehameha-Maui on Tuesday and a road game at King Kekaulike on Thursday.
Lahainaluna, which beat Maui 49-29 on Saturday night, has won 158 MIL games in a row.
No. 6 Waiakea is one victory away from securing first place in the regular season of the Big Island Interscholastic Federation. Unlike years ago, that doesn’t qualify any team in the BIIF for an automatic state berth. However, Waiakea (8-1) would have the tiebreaker edge on Hilo (9-1) and Konawaena (9-1) due to point differential.
A Waiakea win at Keaau on Tuesday means the Warriors would have the No. 1 seed in the upcoming playoffs. Waiakea would pair with fourth-place Kealakehe, while Konawaena and Hilo would be forced to meet in the same round. The winners of those playoff semifinal games then would claim the league’s two state-tourney berths in D-I. The BIIF’s playoff games are on Friday and Saturday at Konawaena’s Col. Ellison Onizuka Gym.
