Liko Soares scored 14 points and Sage Tolentino added 10 with eight rebounds and eight blocks as No. 2 Maryknoll outlasted No. 5 Damien 44-40 on Thursday night at Bishop Scanlan Gymnasium.
Maryknoll improved to 5-1 in the gauntlet known as the Interscholastic League of Honolulu. Freshman Justin Yap added 10 points, including a clutch 3-point shot in the fourth quarter, and senior guard Niko Robben tallied eight points and five boards for Maryknoll (21-2 overall).
“They’re a defensive nightmare because they’re so long,” Maryknoll coach Kelly Grant said. “That’s a formidable team.”
Tino Atonio scored nine of his 14 points the fourth quarter to spark Damien, which dropped to 1-4 in ILH play. Jake Holtz added 11 points and six rebounds, and Bryce Forbes hustled for eight points and 11 rebounds. Forbes was a force on the offensive glass, with six offensive caroms in the first half. Maryknoll limited the 6-foot-7 senior to one offensive rebound in a scoreless second half.
>> PHOTOS: Maryknoll vs. Damien
The Spartans, once again, played patiently and shot fairly well: 9-for-13 at the foul line and 5-for-16 from the 3-point arc. Damien was 7-for-13 at the charity stripe and 3-for-15 from the arc against a mix of Maryknoll zone and man-to-man defenses. It was a game of chess between Grant and his counterpart, Damien coach Alvin Stephenson. The Monarchs played one of their best games of the season.
“We have to get used to the speed and physicality of Division I, and I feel like we’re coming. Like I told the boys, we just got to be able to build off each game and keep our composure, which I feel they did today. They played really good as a team for the first time in a long time,” Stephenson said. “We’re excited for the next few games.”
Damien’s robust home crowd went into a frenzy as the Monarchs rallied. Using a 2-1-2 halfcourt zone press, Holtz and reserve guard Jarvis Natividad came up with big steals, and a straightaway 3 by Atonio tied the contest at 37 with 5:37 remaining.
Both teams served up rugged defense, but Atonio ended the stalemate with a strong drive to the front of the rim for a bucket and a 39-37 Damien lead with 3:02 remaining.
Yap then splashed a corner 3 on a feed from Tolentino to give Maryknoll a 40-39 lead with 2:02 to go.
On the next dead ball, with Damien in possession, Grant sent senior Reggie Eiland into the game to cover Atonio. Eiland, at 5-10, battled the 6-5 junior on the block and tipped away an entry pass by Holtz, and the scramble led to a jump ball and Maryknoll possession with 1:11 to go.
“Reggie is a defensive stopper. He knows if he doesn’t play a lot of minutes in the beginning, at the end of the game, he’s a stopper,” Grant said. “He’s been playing that role in those scenarios all year. He’s a senior, so he knows how to stick his nose in there and he’s ready to make big plays.”
Tolentino hustled for a follow shot to give the visiting Spartans a three-point lead with 33 seconds left.
The 7-foot sophomore then contested and tipped a straightaway 3-point try by Holtz.
Noah Furtado swished two foul shots for a 44-39 Spartans lead with 14.4 seconds to play.
