Sometimes, the remake is better than the original.
The Academy of the Pacific boys asked a role player to prepare them for Maryknoll and the Dolphins beat the Spartans 42-32 at Maryknoll on Thursday night.
The victory kept the Dolphins 11⁄2 games ahead of Kamehameha and University for second place with one game left in the regular season. The second-place team in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu gets a state basketball berth, while everyone else plays a tournament for the last spot.
“We really needed this win,” AOP coach Wally Marciel said. “Its a new month, it’s February. It’s coming down to the last (month) of the year and we have to start producing. We have to start winning.”
AOP, which had lost to Maryknoll 49-35 two weeks ago, had 6-5 sophomore Keomalu Akiona play the role of 6-foot-9 Maryknoll big man Tobias Schramm in practice, and it worked wonderfully.
Akiona outscored Schramm 4-3 when the lights came on and the prep he gave his team helped the Dolphins hold Schramm without a field goal. Akiona was held scoreless the last time the teams played, when Schramm abused the Dolphins for 12 points.
“He showed he can go battle in there,” Marciel said. “We matched up weight-wise at least, not height-wise, and we practiced with him posting up as Toby. What we worked on in practice, we showed today and the kids deserved the win.”
Maryknoll had only two baskets from within the paint in the second half and turned the ball over seven times in the fourth quarter alone. Twice they went seven straight possessions without scoring, once in the third quarter and again in the fourth.
“They pushed us around underneath the basket, every single time we had a chance to get the ball in the basket they stole it from us,” Maryknoll coach Kelly Grant said. “We weren’t playing the way we played against these guys last time.”
The Dolphins were desperate to stop their first losing streak since early December, falling to ‘Iolani by two points at home a week ago and to Kamehameha on the road on Tuesday. The Spartans appeared to erase AOP’s hold on second place in the first half Thursday, leading 16-14 at the break behind nine points by hustling power forward Austin Gaskins. But the Dolphins came out of the locker room as if their season were on the line, and Gaskins, who led the team with 13 points, was not enough to deny them.
Wilson MacLeod followed a 3-pointer with a jumper to square the score right out of the break, and David Daniel hit a putback and a foul shot to move AOP’s first lead of the night to three points. They doubled it by the time the fourth quarter started on baskets by Bret Kanoa, MacLeod and Daniel. MacLeod, who led all scorers with 17 points, buried a pair of 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter to run the margin to 10 and the Dolphins cruised the rest of the way.
“Wilson has been injured all year. He has been working on his shot,” Marciel said. “Once he starts clicking and starts knocking down his shots, it showed tonight he can hit the trey.”
The Spartans (6-5) dropped out of the race for second but can spoil Kamehameha’s (6-4) chances when they play on Tuesday. AOP (8-3) hosts Punahou (10-1) on Tuesday. University (6-4) is also a game and a half behind AOP and visits Damien (3-7) on Thursday.
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At Maryknoll
| AOP (8-3) |
4 |
10 |
14 |
14 |
— |
42 |
| Maryknoll (6-5) |
7 |
9 |
6 |
10 |
— |
32 |
AOP—Shai Brown 0, Carter Kauwenaole 0, Malu Akiona 4, Mattia Raebel 2, Arkadiy Mkrytychyan 2, Drew Viena 6, Artur Mkrytchyan 0, David Daniel 7, Wilson Macleod 17, Marshall Gourley 0, Bret Kanoa 2.
MARYKNOLL—Kaleb Gilmore 0, Kekoa Welsh 0, John Mayer 0, Danny Danbara 0, Isaiah Dowdell 8, Tobias Powell 0, Joshua Burnett 8, Austin Gaskins 13, Wyatt Pedro 0, Tobias Schramm 3.
3-point goals—Maryknoll 3 (Burnett 2, Dowdell), AOP 3 (Macleod 3).
ILH DIVISION I BOYS
University 50, Saint Louis 45
Guy Aires scored 19 points and Nalu O’Connor 10 to lead the Jr. ’Bows past the Crusaders. Acen Cabral led Saint Louis with 16.
At Saint Louis
| UHS (6-4) |
7 |
11 |
11 |
21 |
— |
50 |
| SL (2-8) |
9 |
6 |
13 |
13 |
— |
45 |
UNIVERSITY—Makena Suan-Rothenberg 9, Anthony Canencia 6, Ian Akamine 0, Peter Fee 2, RJ Realubit 0, Cameron Conant 4, Nalu O’Connor 10, Gui Aires 19.
SAINT LOUIS—Ricky Ahlo-Pinera 0, Jimmy Nunuha 8, Acen Cabral 16, Nate Mantanona 8, Ihaka Johnson 0, Jaron Hall-Monis 0, Robert Sawinski 6, Kamalei Correa 5, Elu Aydon 2.
3-point goals—University 3 (Rothenberg, O’Connor, Aires). Saint Louis 3 (Mantanona 2, Correa).
Damien 78, Mid-Pacific 70
Jaylen Layco fired in 37 points to lead the Monarchs over the Owls, who hit nine 3-pointers.
At Mid-Pacific
| Damien (3-7) |
19 |
20 |
16 |
23 |
— |
78 |
| MPI (0-10) |
18 |
23 |
11 |
18 |
— |
70 |
DAMIEN—Aaron Myahira 0, Syles Choy 0, Alex Fant 0, Dobie Ching 2, Rusty Kauahikaua 10, Ocean Le 0, Kolton Jacobs 7, Dominique Arakaki 3, Ashton Obrero 15, David Lindsay 0, Austin Gonzalez 0, James Roy 0, Jaylen Layco 37, Kapi‘ina King 4.
MID-PACIFIC—Brian Chung 0, Jordan Matsumoto 18, Kenny Artymiak 2, Trey Kubota 10, Brennan O’Connell 3, Matthew Ohtani 0, Thomas Blanco 15, Ryan Swanson 9, Tyler Yamachika 3, Alex Poon 0, Rory Pidot 1, Shane Kanemitsu 2, James Woo 5, Gavin Nishizawa 2, Jacob Murray 0.
3-point goals—Damien 2 (Jacobs, Arakaki). Mid-Pacific 9 (Matsumoto 3, Blanco 2, O’Connell, Swanson, Yamachika, Woo).
ILH DIVISION II BOYS
St. Francis 59, Lanakila Baptist 25
Austin Ursua scored 21 points and Keoni Tom-Millare 19 as the slow-starting Saints steamrolled the Warriors.
At Hanalani gym
| SF (9-0) |
6 |
20 |
20 |
13 |
— |
59 |
| LB (2-9) |
8 |
5 |
8 |
4 |
— |
25 |
SAINT FRANCIS—Austin Ursua 21, Sosiua Havea 2, Keola Kealoha 0, Kaohukea Sanborn 0, Shabir Lynton 4, Keoni Tom-Millare 19, Kai Sun 4, Blayne Won 6, K. Lau 3.
LANAKILA BAPTIST—Jeremy Clark 0, Isaac Shubert 0, Hikaru Kamikubo 0, Branden Johnson 0, Roycen Routt 4, Matthew Kakilala 9, Richard Pajarillo 0, EJ Butler 4, Jordan Cabato 5, Andrew Walker 3, Colton Salvador 0.
3-point goals—St. Francis 5 (Ursua 2, Tom-Millare 2, Lau). Lanakila Baptist 1 (Routt).
‘Iolani 55, Island Pacific 50
The Raiders outscored the Navigators 27-13 from the free-throw line and 22-13 in the fourth quarter to rally for the win.
At ‘Iolani
| IP (6-3) |
17 |
7 |
13 |
13 |
— |
50 |
| ‘Iolani (6-2) |
10 |
10 |
13 |
22 |
— |
55 |
ISLAND PACIFIC—Josiah Gabriel 0, Jason Brenner 9, Royce Ilar 2, Jamison Kirk 6, Ian Schumaker 8, Jackson Durrett 6, Dalton Wood 0, Malsom Okeke 18, Colt Wallace 1.
‘IOLANI—Maika Kealoha 5, Trey Muraoka 9, Shane Killeen 3, Brandon Kaiura 2, Brey Kobashigawa 1, Schuyler Shigemura 0, Taylor Lau 6, Alden Wong 5, Scott Tan 7, Adrian Kwok 7, Austin Gima 3, Troy Young 7.
3-point goals—Island Pacific 1 (Brenner). ‘Iolani 4 (Lau 2, Kealoha, Killeen).
