I caught some basketball last night at the Maroon and White Classic, Farrington’s annual girls basketball tourney. By the time I got there, Mid-Pacific had already beaten Farrington and ‘Iolani had outraced Kahuku.
Lahainaluna held on to edge Kamehameha 43-40.
The defending state champs played without returning player of the year Maiki Viela (back), who is at “75 percent,” according to coach Todd Rickard. She might get some playing time next week when the Lady Lunas travel to the Konawaena tournament. (Yes, they’re traveling off-island twice, which is the norm under Coach Rickard.)
I’ll have some video posted later. Some quick notes.
• Lahainaluna’s fullcourt press is very active. Guard play is one of the strengths. The new, young guards are not tall, but athletic and aggressive. They finish fairly well in transition. When I got there, the Lady Lunas were already up 14-4.
• The Lunas called off the press for most of the fourth quarter, and that allowed Kamehameha to rally. The Warriors will improve in time against pressure defenses. The one noticeable change this season is their height. They’ve got two 6-footers on the floor, one being 6-1 volleyball standout Alohi Robins-Hardy. She’s fluid, long and shoots the 3, and she’s only a freshman.
• Kamehameha platooned 5 for 5, which is something different for Coach Clay Cockett. I think if they’d stayed with a normal rotation, they would’ve had better results, but every coach wants to see what his bench can do, so it’s understandable that the Warriors are getting 10 players (and more) on the floor against elite teams.
I would love to see the entire tourney, but with volleyball (last night), football (tonight) and an off-island game (tomorrow) to cover, I won’t be seeing any more hoops this weekend. Bummahs!
I’ve heard there are tournaments at Moanalua and Aiea this week. How come the coaches haven’t told me? Grrrrrrrrr…
Paul Honda, Star-Advertiser
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