It’s one thing to knock off the frontrunners of your division, as the Leilehua Mules have done lately. It’s another to take the court, as they did at Moanalua last night, with a combination of height and athleticism in the front court, and good ballhandling in the backcourt. Leilehua is a team built to upset a season-long elite squad, which is what Moanalua is. It’s what makes the playoffs that much more interesting. For several minutes in the second quarter, […]

Some additional notes and thoughts on last night’s battle at Kekuhaupi‘o Gym, a 67-63 win by No. 3 ‘Iolani over No. 1  Kamehameha. • ‘Iolani led big early and fought off a few Kamehameha runs. The visitors used straight halfcourt man-to-man defense from the opening tip and zoomed to a quick 14-5 lead. Kamehameha chipped away and took its first lead, 21-20, on a Christenson pull-up jumper midway through the second quarter. • ‘Iolani closed out the first half with an 9-0 […]

With Micah Christenson, the Kamehameha Warriors are on top of the world. Without him, they’re vulnerable. Tough, scrappy and very good, but capable of falling. On Dec. 29, the 6-foot-5 junior was away for a mainland volleyball trip, and ‘Iolani upended Kamehameha 57-46 in the final of Na Menehune Holiday Classic. With him, the Warriors beat the Raiders at ‘Iolani 49-47 on Jan. 12. Is it that simple? Mostly. But there are other factors. Here’s a look before the Raiders […]