Practice is coming along quite nicely for the Farrington boys basketball team.

The Governors blew out Mililani 55-42 in the first round of the Noh Foods of Hawaii AOP Hoop Classic at Richard Kitamura Gym on Thursday night. It was an early preseason test for the reigning Division II state champions, but they look at everything at this stage as a building block to a repeat.

“It was a good effort, but we have a long way to go, Farrington coach Allan Silva said.“I consider this our seventh day of practice, so we did some good things.”

Farrington’s quartet of Michael Kleman, Chadey Callazo, Viane Viana and Marco Cudia scored all of their team’s points until the waning minutes of the third quarter, taking advantage of turnovers created by a sloppy Mililani offense and a gambling defense.

The Governors scored 22 of their 31 points in the first three quarters on fast-break baskets after Mililani turnovers.

Farrington blew the game open early in the second quarter with a 9-0 run. Cudia began and capped the run with baskets off steals, sandwiching a Kleman 3-pointer and Viana’s bucket on a post move.

Kleman led the way for the Govs with 18 points, followed by Callazo with 13. Farrington’s big four scored all but six of the team’s 55 points.

“It is always good when they play together and share the ball,”Silva said. “It is even better when it is five guys scoring instead of four.”

Deshawn Duncan-Benson led the Trojans with nine points, seven of them in the first half. Alex Bumgarner was next with eight points after being held to three in the first half.

But Mililani coach Edward Gonzalez says not to worry, his boys have a long way to go. They won’t win the Noh Foods tournament, playing Roosevelt in the consolation bracket today, but there are bigger things on the horizon.

“We had a lot of turnovers off miscommunication, but we’ll get it fixed,” Gonzalez said. “It’s early; we’ll get it corrected.”

Backup guard Skyler Gayhart was held scoreless in the game, but made 10 3-pointers in the tournament’s 3-point contest at halftime of his team’s game. Mililani had only eight field goals as a team at the half, but took far fewer shots than Gayhart did in the exhibition.

Farrington’s next preseason test comes tonight, when it takes on Interscholastic League of Honolulu power Punahou in the first semifinal at 6:30. The Governors lost to Kamehameha earlier this season, but played the Warriors even in the second half of an 11-point loss. Moanalua, which beat Kamehameha I-AA 52-42 on Thursday, takes on Academy of Pacific. The Dolphins blew out Kamehameha-Maui 54-35.

But whatever happens with Farrington against Punahou tonight, Gonzalez isn’t buying Farrington’s insistence that it is a work in progress.

“Farrington showed that they are ready, they are in midseason form,” Gonzalez said. “They showed why they are the Division II champs.”