Boys basketball

It probably would’ve been a 35-point night for Tolu Smith, who had 17 points by halftime in Kahuku’s 62-37 win over Kamehameha-Hawaii on Wednesday. Smith saw sparse minutes in the third quarter before departing for good with 2:24 left in that period and the Red Raiders ahead 41-18. With the semifinal round, a matchup with top-seeded Maryknoll, up next on Thursday night at Stan Sheriff Center, Kahuku wisely gave their starters significant rest time. Smith was blanketed by Warrior defenders, […]

For one quarter, Kapolei had the formula to topple top-seeded Maryknoll. Leading 13-6, the Hurricanes’ mix of man-to-man and 3-2 zone defenses had the Spartans off rhythm. The mighty champion of the Interscholastic League of Honolulu made exactly one field goal in the first quarter (1-for-9). The ‘Canes got points from five different players, none of them named Zoar Nedd. Even reserve post Kanalo Manalo scored three points on two touches on the block. The future looked so bright. But […]

Day 2 of the Snapple/HHSAA Boys Basketball State Championships is here, but there is still wonderment about the road ahead for the team in one particular sub-bracket. The 2018 state tourney may be remembered for the chaos in the Oahu Interscholastic Association playoffs that preceded it. That leaves top seed Maryknoll with the toughest sub-bracket rather than the easiest. Or is that simplified viewpoint overstated? “We feel no different knowing we have a tough bracket ahead of us,” Spartans coach […]

The logic of the bylaws is never about the perfect fit. It certainly can cause a fit or two. With just eight teams in this field, keeping the 1 and 2 from meeting in the first or second round can be difficult. The result is what the pairings are each season. They aren’t perfect, but they follow the rule, and there’s never a dull moment when the brackets are released. Roosevelt fans probably hollered when they saw their team pitted […]

Brandon Chung approaches life with full gusto. That in itself doesn’t make him unique. His deafness does that just fine. He was 2 when a high fever led to a permanent loss of hearing, at least until he got older and underwent cochlear implant surgery. This allows him to hear quite clearly with his left ear. What makes Chung, a sophomore at the Hawaii School for the Deaf and Blind, special is that he has become a clutch contributor at […]

This makes it four weeks in a row at No. 1 for the Maryknoll Spartans. The Spartans lost to No. 2 Punahou, then beat the Buffanblu for the ILH championship last week to remain at No. 1 in the Star-Advertiser Boys Basketball Top 10 released Monday. This is the third time Maryknoll (26-6) is a unanimous pick by the panel of coaches and media. Punahou (25-3) and St. Francis (26-3) followed, remaining the same slots they were in last week. […]

Then, and now, the Punahou Buffanblu refer to it as the 212 Effect. Screened onto their warmup shirts last season, 212 is the temperature at which water boils. It is also what the Buffanblu refer to when their fullcourt pressure, whether by man-to-man coverage or zone presses, starts to wear an opponent down. That was the cumulative effect on Monday night against McKinley in a 59-39 win in the opening round of the Snapple/HHSAA Boys Basketball State Championships at Hemmeter […]

More than most fans can remember in the past decade or two — maybe longer? — this season’s brackets and pairings in the Snapple/HHSAA Boys Basketball State Championships were as unexpected as ever. Revisiting the seedings Seeded teams 1. Maryknoll 2. Kalaheo 3. Lahainaluna 4. Kamehameha-Hawaii Kalaheo’s run through the Oahu Interscholastic Association playoffs included upset wins over West 1 Kapolei and East 1 Kahuku, two teams that had been perfect through league play. The result in the HHSAA seedings […]