Boys basketball

The fourth time is the charm for Kahuku boys basketball. After three previous trips to the state championship game in Division I and its predecessor, top-seeded Kahuku finally broke through on Saturday with a 70-55 win over second-seeded Punahou. In a basketball symphony of roles and explosions, the Red Raiders got perhaps their most balanced and consistent performance in a year of near perfection. Jessiya Villa led all scorers with 23 points and added seven rebounds and three assists. He […]

Captain Whitlock and his teammates went out with a bang. Kalaheo ended its season by beating Leilehua 50-43 in the fifth-place game of the Snapple/HHSAA Boys Basketball State Championships. It was all that the Mustangs wanted, but all things considered — and that includes a monster Kahuku squad that was a nemesis in the OIA East and the state tourney — Kalaheo for as far as it could. Whitlock got to play at the home of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors basketball […]

And then there were two. Two in the Division I finals of the Snapple/HHSAA Boys Basketball State Championships. Two in the D-II title game. To this point, merry tales for the finalists. Bittersweet lingerings for the defeated. First, the defeated. D-I Lahainaluna (23-2, 10-0 MIL) WOW. I’d seen what Coach Jason Justus implemented when he brought his team to Oahu for preseason the past two, three years. Structured. Smart. Challenging. Lahaina is a place that has immense athletic talent. The […]

There is no real finality for the Final 4. But it is certainly a Fantastic 4. The Snapple/HHSAA Boys Basketball State Championships enters day 3, and there haven’t been any serious surprises. But there is some history. >> Lahainaluna’s venture into the Division I semifinal round is the first for the program since 1957. As in, before statehood. ’57 was the year of the first state basketball championship, which means it was the Territorial Championships. Lahainaluna lost in the semifinals […]

He is the returning all-state Fab 15 player of the year. Hugh Hogland has no reason to be in awe of any other hoopster on the hardwood. ‘Iolani’s 6-foot-9 senior — they announce him as a forward, not a center, at home games — has earned his place among the finest players in state history. He is a force on both ends of the floor, a shot blocker with impeccable timing and body control, and a low-post scorer with excellent […]