What can a coach say to his team after playing well enough to beat just about any team in the state?
The Maryknoll Spartans limited No. 1 Punahou to 36-percent shooting (12-for-33), battled the visitors evenly (24-all) on the boards, and had a 17-6 lead after one quarter.
Kelly Grant was far from upset about his team’s 47-42 loss in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu opener. Fourth-ranked Maryknoll needed a few more hits from the perimeter and a few more breaks to have a chance. Punahou (17-2 overall) hasn’t lost to an in-state team yet this season.
“We didn’t get enough ball movement after the first quarter,” Grant said. “Guys were standing around. Maybe we had a little fatigue.”
Maryknoll shot 9-for-11 at the foul line in the final quarter, getting Punahou’s Cole Arceneaux in foul trouble. The explosive guard picked up his fourth personal with 3:16 to play, and Payton Grant’s foul shots tied the game at 35. From there, however, Cole Mausolf splashed his second 3 of the game and Punahou never trailed again.
“(Arceneaux) is one of their steadiest contributors. They love their depth, but you know who they trust,” Grant said.
Punahou tends to trust a lot of people. Down 11, they opened the second quarter with a simple post-up bucket by Duke Clemens. The hulking 6-foot-5 junior scored six of his eight points in the quarter.
Defensively, the Buffanblu angled off Maryknoll’s successful tactics. After shooting 6-for-11 from the field in the opening quarter (including 2-for-4 from the arc), the Spartans were 3-for-11 in the second quarter, 2-for-12 in the third and 2-for-6 in the fourth.
“We came out nervous. It’s the first game of the ILH season and I don’t think we’ve won here in three years,” Punahou coach Darren Matsuda said. “It’s about having confidence and not panicking.”
Chong, who said he had never been part of a winning team at Maryknoll in intermediate, JV and varsity, led Punahou with 17 points.
“Last year, we had this same problem,” he said of the first-quarter struggle.
The Spartans got their senior backcourt back on the floor. Jordyn Perez (head) and Isiah Gelacio (toe) returned after sitting out the tail end of the Punahou Invitational last week.
“You’ve got to win the games at home,” said Perez, who had seven points.
Perez and Gelacio were key to many of Maryknoll’s successfully executed offensive plays. Makoto Kamata and Jaylen Cain led the way with nine points apiece, but the Spartans couldn’t get enough interior action as a team and Punahou made them pay. Maryknoll had just eight offensive rebounds on 27 missed field-goal attempts, as well as 10 turnovers.
The home team shot 4-for-20 from the arc and 12-for-21 at the foul line. For Punahou, any advantages were so slight, but the accumulated effect was real.
>> FG
Punahou 12-for-33 (.364).
Maryknoll 13-for-40 (.325).
>> 3-point FG
Punahou 5-for-16 (.313).
Maryknoll 4-for-20 (.200).
>> FT
Punahou 18-for-28 (.643).
Maryknoll 12-for-21 (.571).
>> Rebounds
Punahou 24 (six offensive).
Maryknoll 24 (eight offensive).
>> Turnovers
Punahou 8.
Maryknoll 10.
At Clarence T.C. Ching Gymnasium
Punahou (1-0) 6 15 10 16 — 47
Maryknoll (0-1) 17 6 5 14 — 41
Punahou: Cole Mausolf 8, Zayne Chong 17, Hunter Hosoda 0, Maninoa Tufono 0, Cole Arceneaux 2, Tama Falatea 6, Jakob Kimura 0, Kaulana Makaula 6, Tristan Scharfenstein-Montgomery 0, Duke Clemens 8.
Maryknoll: Isiah Gelacio 3, Payton Grant 6, Jordyn Perez 7, Nikko Robben 2, Makoto Kamata 9, Marcus Tobin 4, Chase Houghtailing 0, Jaylen Cain 9, Kalai Akaka 0, Ethan Rudometkin 2, Liko Soares 0, Riden Leong 0.
3-point goal—Punahou 5 (Mausolf 2, Falatea 2, Chong), Maryknoll 4 (Kamata 2, Grant, Perez).
The biggest story of the night is really Mid-Pac beating ‘Iolani by 9. You go, Owls!
Not that big of a story. Iolani isn’t as good as people are making them out to be. This year it’s about Punahou, Kamehameha and Maryknoll fighting for the two ILH spots in states. MPI Iolani and STL are going to fight for bottom three.
Midpac beating Iolani is a much bigger story. Iolani is always good. When in recent history have they not been good?! They always seem to find a way and peak just in time to make it into states. This “should” be Punahou’s year. We’ll see if they can pull it off this time around. But it’s not going to be easy. Other team will be giving them hard rubs for sure. And that’s the way it should be. Good luck to all the teams.
@Telling It Like It Is
A team who has gone to the state championship game three of the last four seasons losing to the last ranked ILH D1 team is not that big of a story? You’re smoking angel dust. That is damn impressive by any standards I could care less if people think ‘Iolani is having a down year.
Jet Wavy and Loca1boi are the same person.
What the Hull is up with all these accusations, Billy boy?
This must have been a off night for the BufnBlu if Arceneaux only had 2 points! Iolani isn’t a top 3 in State so why givem any attention?! I hate it when we get off topics Loca1boi get a better handle name!
He only averages 7. Was scoring 2 really that big of a difference?