Coach Kelly Grant and senior forward/center Liko Soares chat after No. 1 Maryknoll pulls out a 40-31 win at No. 6 Mid-Pacific. Soares scored 16 points to lead the Spartans.
When it matters most, the top-ranked Maryknoll Spartans demonstrate the most basic, perhaps most important skill of all. The Spartans make free throws. It was true when Tony Sellitto was their coach in the 1980s. It remains true today with former Sellitto protege Kelly Grant at the helm. Top-ranked Maryknoll made 13 of 16 free-throw attempts in the final quarter for a dramatic 42-36 win over sixth-ranked Mid-Pacific at the Owls’ gym on Saturday night. Again, as was the case […]
Liko Soares scored 13 points and Niko Robben had 12 as No. 1 Maryknoll survived a big ‘Iolani comeback for a 40-31 win at T.C. Ching Gymnasium on Friday night. Defending state champion Maryknoll (17-1) is now 1-0 in ILH play. “We finished the game. We took care of the ball and got ourselves to the free-throw line and made some free throws,” Spartans coach Kelly Grant said. “We played some close games on the mainland which helped us dealing […]
Big Red just got redder. Robbie Sauvao returned to Kahuku recently, transferring back from Western (Anaheim, Calif.). He suited up in time for the Red Raiders’ battle against No. 7 Moanalua and played a key role in Kahuku’s 63-60 win on Thursday night. Now 6 feet, 3 inches, Sauvao had nine points, five assists and four steals. He shot 4-for-7 from the field. “It’s just what we needed,” Kahuku coach Brandyn Akana said. “A big, experienced guard.” Sauvao left Kahuku […]
The first weekend of the ILH boys basketball season is here and already, chaos is inevitable. The mirage of rankings comes into play, whether it is embraced by parents or players, fans and alumni. It is there. More so for Maryknoll than any other program. The Spartans and their roster of mostly underclassmen wowed the state with a 16-0 run through nearly all of preseason, which ended with a loss in the Silver Division final of The Damien Classic in […]
Punahou’s young squad closed out nonconference play with a 4-0 run at its Invitational, including a 65-59 win over Tennessee powerhouse Science Hill in the final. Coach Darren Matsuda talks about the team’s progress, and the ILH regular-season opener at Saint Louis on Friday.
Noah Kameehonua scored 16 points, Ryder Hsiung had 12 and Yoshi Kobayashi chipped in nine, including a key reverse layup with 2:25 left as Punahou escaped with a 65-59 win over Science Hill (Tenn.) in the final of the Punahou Invitational on Monday. It was a wild, frenzied first half with both teams going full tilt on fastbreaks, then ground down to a defensive struggle in the second half. Things weren’t exactly chippy, but there was plenty of feistiness by […]
The Maryknoll Spartans are roughly 3,000 miles from home, but they’re feeling fairly comfortable in their current confines. Coach Kelly Grant’s young team will face St. Francis — no, not the Hawaii school that closed its doors earlier this year — for the title at The Damien Classic in California tonight. Maryknoll has continued its torrid win streak to begin the season, ousting Eisenhower (44-41), Hesperia (47-39) and San Marcos (54-40) to reach the final of the Silver Division. The […]