For all of the success that Lanaki Apele and Shaun Kagawa have enjoyed as the premier backcourt in Hawaii boys basketball, what separates them from most duos is one simple, often underappreciated element.

Defense.

That emphasis isn’t just a choice. It’s a way of thinking that has prevailed for Kamehameha-Hawaii (22-5, 13-1 Big Island Interscholastic Federation) and its primary feeder team, the Hawaii Warriors, since Apele was a kindergartner.

It takes skill and savvy to dominate on the offensive end, but defense requires a thirst for battle that can only be quenched by gritty, physical, enduring effort. Apele and Kagawa simply love inflicting pressure on every opponent over every inch of a 94-foot basketball court. When they have the ball, the Warriors will push hard and score at a pace fitting for a track meet. But the opposite end of the floor is about taking control of the opponent’s ballhandlers, securing them in a tiny space. More akin to boxing, jabbing and positioning, feet always moving, body to body in a gradual, deliberate suffocation.

Any unprepared point guard struggles to find breathing room. Apele and Kagawa find satisfaction in destroying opposition that way, something only a basketball purist — or pugilist — can love.

“They’re a tremendous duo. It’s hard to pick your poison. They create a lot of havoc,” Warriors coach Dominic Pacheco said.

Pacheco, a Radford graduate (class of 1986), knows defense well. He was an all-state defensive back under then-coach Bobby Stevens and played basketball for Jim Alegre. He has continued the winning tradition started by former coach Nelson Wong at KS-Hawaii, bringing the team to Oahu as often as possible. The Warriors played in two Oahu tournaments, showing flashes of what their long, nimble posts can do against local and mainland talent.

But it was Apele, a senior, and Kagawa, a junior, who did the legwork in crunch time. Down five points against Kahuku at the St. Francis Merv Lopes Classic, the duo locked down and forced a torrent of turnovers in the final 2 minutes as KS-Hawaii rallied for a 50-42 win.

“Lanaki is not a rah-rah type of person,” Pacheco said. “He’ll lead by example more, not the verbal-type person like we’ve had. Shaun is quiet and he’s our spark plug. He brings athleticism to the game, the stuff you look at on video and go, ‘Wow!’ ”

GETTING DEFENSIVE isn’t always a given on the Big Island, particularly in boys basketball. Historically, east-side teams have loved the run-and-gun game. Hilo, the league’s runner-up, has cracked the 80-point mark a few times. KS-Hawaii keeps it more basic, using a straight-up man defense geared to unleash Apele (11 points per game) and Kagawa (14).

Apele’s father, Randy, was a high-scoring guard at St. Joseph back in the day. He never saw his dad play hoops in his prime, but he knows all about it.

“Yeah, every now and then he’ll stick the newspaper clippings in my face,” Apele said.

Yet, playing for his dad and Pacheco on the Hawaii Warriors offseason team brought out the defensive tendencies and killer instinct in ‘Naki.

Kagawa grew up playing tennis under the guidance of his grandparents, Richard and Shirley Kagawa. He started playing almost from the day he could walk. After putting more attention in team sports, he came back to tennis when he was 12 and hasn’t stopped since. Last year, Kagawa and doubles partner Keoni Wong became the first from KS-Hawaii to qualify for the state tourney.

It’s on the football field, however, that Kagawa has drawn the most attention. He played cornerback, safety and slotback last fall, then graded out as the No. 2 athlete at the recent Nike Sparq combine. That led to a phone call from UH coach Norm Chow to former UH coach Bob Wagner, the athletic director at KS-Hawaii, last week. By the time Kagawa phoned Chow, a scholarship offer was on the table.

Wagner wasn’t surprised. Graduates like Mana Silva and Kolten Wong landed at UH and thrived.

“He rates up there with Mana and Kolten,” Wagner said.

Kagawa didn’t play Pop Warner football. Raised by his grandparents — the tennis lifers — he had to leverage his way into playing JV football as a freshman.

“They thought it was too dangerous,” he said. “They said I was too small, but all my friends were playing, so I begged them.”

Now 5 feet 11 and 175 pounds, he and his family have come to recognize football as his door of opportunity.

“I feel like UH is one of my options, but, at the same time, I want to see what else is out there. When I was a kid, I wanted to go away to college and UH isn’t far away, but it’s Division I and I’ll get a college education,” said Kagawa, who ran a 4.53 40-yard dash at the Nike combine.

It’s interesting and telling that he refers to Richard and Shirley as his “parents,” but it’s fitting. They took him in when he was 11 days old. “They watched every single practice I’ve ever had,” he said.

They’ll get to see him play for a state championship again. Last year’s team lost to Kamehameha, which went on to win the state title. This year, the BIIF champions are fueled up and ready to prove doubters wrong. Before beating Kahuku in late December, KS-Hawaii lost to the Red Raiders 57-53 at the ‘Iolani Classic 10 days earlier. Being seeded below Kahuku set some KS-Hawaii fans off, but Kagawa doesn’t put much energy into uncontrollable aspects.

“To be the best, you’ve gotta beat the best,” he said.

Apele hopes to leave a lasting impression.

“The last time we were in the state final was my eighth-grade year. I was the team manager,” he recalled. “This year, we’re going all the way.”

KS-Hawaii will play the AOP-Pearl City winner on Thursday.