Goulsby gives Kaiser a spark

She’s not the tallest or the fastest hoopster on the floor, but Darcey Goulsby’s value to Kaiser is sometimes immeasurable.

The senior guard/forward can handle the ball under pressure, rebound with the bigs and lock down defensively — plenty for coach Simon Bitanga to work with as Kaiser emerges as a powerhouse in the Oahu Interscholastic Association girls basketball arena.

Goulsby did something no Kaiser hoopster has done in some time in a recent win over Kahuku. She made her first 10 free-throw attempts and finished 17-for-21 at the line in a 53-50 overtime win. That 81-percent clip at the line made the difference for Kaiser, now 4-0 in league play (8-2 overall).

Seeing is believing

When coaches vote in the all-state football selections, all kinds of criteria storm through their minds.

For the most part, however, they go on what they’ve seen, since seeing is believing more often than not. They saw what they liked in players of the year Benetton Fonua of Kahuku (defense) and Kenan Sadanaga of Leilehua (offense). But what they didn’t know about first-team picks Kalei Auelua of Saint Louis and Bronson Beatty of Kahuku was just as well.

Auelua had 17 sacks for the Crusaders from his defensive end spot. Beatty finished Kahuku’s state championship season with eight interceptions. Those stats weren’t commonly known to voters, but they knew what they saw, and both were part of a powerful up-cycle of defensive players in 2011.