Boys basketball

This week’s Honolulu Star-Advertiser Boys Basketball Top 10 may be the most convoluted and, to a lesser degree, confusing selection process in a year of tremendous parity. Maryknoll took the reigns for the first time this winter after gathering six out of the 11 first-place votes from the panel of coaches and media. In all, four teams received at least one top vote, but the Spartans finished with a double-digit margin ahead of No. 2 Punahou. Maryknoll (18-2, 4-1 Interscholastic […]

One of the reasons why a team with 12 losses already this season is practically bullet-proof when it comes to statewide respect. The St. Francis Saints showed once again why they’ve earned every bit of that rock-solid appraisal on Saturday night. No. 7 St. Francis rallied from a six-point deficit in the final 2:24 to outlast Mid-Pacific 71-63 in overtime. That spoiled MPI’s homecoming night. Both the boys and girls teams lost games in OT before a packed house at […]

It was a rickety afternoon at the free-throw line for the Maryknoll Spartans. After putting in extra work at practice and on the road in recent weeks, the Spartans saw a downturn at the charity stripe in a crucial battle with No. 1 Punahou on Saturday. Kalai Akaka was there to hit the big foul shots once again. Akaka accentuated a versatile performance — 10 points, six assists and a steal — with 6-for-6 shooting at the foul line. He […]

With most boys basketball teams nearing the two-thirds mark of the schedule, there’s adequate data for observing homecourt success versus road results. The most obvious home king of late is Farrington, but this begins at the top with Punahou. (All records as of Friday, Jan. 11.) Punahou (18-1, 3-0 ILH) > Home: 4-0 > Away: 4-1 > Neutral: 10-0 The Buffanblu played 12 games before finally getting one on the home logo Dec. 19. Even their ILH schedule has been […]

The last time an OIA Division II boys basketball team looked this solid, the Farrington Governors rolled to a state title with a dynamic playmaker named McEnroe. The year was 2011 as Jacob McEnroe sparked the Govs to the D-II state crown with a 58-45 win over Pahoa in the final. Seven years later, his younger brother is paving a similar path for the running Govs. Raefe McEnroe had 21 points and eight rebounds in a 72-57 runaway victory over […]

The bull’s eye target is getting larger by the game for the Kailua Surfriders. Ranked No. 6 this week in the Star-Advertiser Boys Basketball Top 10, its highest point of the season, Kailua endured all Kaiser had to give early on before taking command for a 66-54 win on Wednesday night. Everett Torres-Kahapea poured in 30 points on 9-for-15 shooting from the field. Kaiser’s stingy defenders were draped on the senior guard all night, but he neutralized their efforts with […]