Boys basketball

The last time Punahou and Lahainaluna played, the Buffanblu won. By a lot. On Thursday night at Moanalua’s gym, things might be different when the two programs meet in the quarterfinal round of the Snapple/HHSAA Boys Basketball State Championships. MIL champion Lahainaluna is the third seed. Since losing to Punahou 74-46 at the St. Francis Holiday Classic, the Lunas (18-5) have lost only to Damien and Mission Viejo (Calif.), winning 16 out of their last 18 games. “Reece Pascua is […]

Just about anywhere, any time during playoff season, basketball games slow to a crawl, especially with two teams that know each other as University and Hawaii Baptist do. The result on Saturday afternoon was a 47-38 win for University over HBA. With 16 points and 14 rebounds from center Leif Fautanu, the Jr. ‘Bows earned the second and final state-tournament berth out of ILH Division II. The HHSAA bracket, released immediately after the ULS-HBA game, has league champion Damien as […]

ILH champion Damien was handed the top seed in the Snapple Boys Basketball Division II Boys Basketball State Championships beginning on Thursday. The Monarchs will be going for their first state title in basketball, tipping off against Kohala at 7 p.m. Thursday at Kalani. Damien could get the winner between MIL champion Seabury Hall and Kaiser earlier in the day. OIA champion Farrington tops the other side of the bracket with a game against Kauai at 7 p.m. at St. […]

The Division I brackets of the Snapple/HHSAA Boys Basketball State Championships were released almost immediately after the OIA finals were completed on Wednesday night. The entertaining Moanalua-Kailua D-I title game concluded at roughly 8:55 p.m. The bracket was released on the HHSAA site before 9:30. How closely did this year’s bracket simulate last year’s pairings? Let’s remember that Kalaheo upset Kahuku in the 2018 OIA championship game, and that has a bearing on the remaining pairings. More so with the […]

Yes, this is a delayed reaction, but it is still sinking in. The St. Francis Saints have closed the book on their only boys basketball season in Division I. News today that the elementary school would also close its doors this spring means there is finality. For the basketball team, 39 games went by like a blur. Injuries. Big wins. Big losses. A steady coaching staff guided the Saints through all of it, and they got better. They evolved. The […]

All of George Weeks’ experience has led up to this point. The Hawaii Baptist boys basketball coach knows the ingredients in his kitchen well. This year’s Eagles do certain things very, very well. They also have certain limitations, and Weeks makes sure they emphasize their strengths. With a 42-34 win over Hanalani on Thursday night, HBA (15-12 overall) is now in the playoff final of the ILH’s second-place tourney. It is, for all intents and purposes, a state-tournament berth tourney, […]

Normally, a blast of cold water would feel great in the sultry confines of McKinley Student Council Gym. Moanalua coach Byron Mello didn’t mind at all. Not after reserve forward Kyle Hughley made the extra effort to grab a water bottle from the bench, and then doused his coach after Na Menehune overcame Kailua 56-49 in overtime for the OIA championship. “That’s what you’ve got to live with, with these guys. Now let’s catch pneumonia,” Mello said. No. 5 Moanalua […]