Strategy trumps style.

Or is it the other way around? After Maryknoll’s 15-13 win over ‘Iolani last week, a whole lot of fans were aroused and even annoyed by the stall tactics of ‘Iolani. They vented to fellow fans. On talk radio. In text messages.

Maybe it’s upsetting to see a storied program such as ‘Iolani enter Maryknoll’s castle of hoops to play a chess match rather than run-and-gun basketball. After all, just a week or so earlier, the Spartans and Punahou had rocked and rolled to a highly entertaining 70-66 game, won by Maryknoll.

But, clearly, at least two factors come to mind in light of the slowdown in Makiki:

» ‘Iolani coach Dean Shimamoto had tired of his team’s prolonged shooting slump.

» The Raiders had been routed 61-43 by Maryknoll just a few weeks earlier.

The Raiders had a chance to win the 15-13 game. Zach Buscher’s 3-pointer missed at the buzzer, but Raider nation buzzed and admired the strategy that gave the No. 4 team in the state a chance to upset No. 1.

And it took two to tango. After picking up a handful of fouls, including two by Josh Burnett, Maryknoll pulled back defensively, rather than try to trap ‘Iolani and force a faster pace and tempo. It wasn’t the first time Maryknoll coach Kelly Grant had been involved in a game with such a slow pace.

Years ago, as an assistant at Pearl City, he was on the bench when the Chargers won a game by the same 15-13 score. Grant, who led Kaimuki to a state crown in 2007, doesn’t fear the stall. Nor would he — or most coaches — fear a shot clock.

The national high school federation does not require the use of a shot clock, leaving it up to individual state associations. Only a handful of states use a shot clock in high school.

However, a shot clock, which is used to quicken the pace of the game, doesn’t guarantee higher-scoring games. There wasn’t even a 3-point line or shot clock when Kalaheo beat Farrington 102-94 in a matchup of OIA powerhouses in 1985. Scoring in the NCAA has gone down since the shot clock was implemented in 1985. But a clock would prevent the stall-ball strategy.

Coaches were asked via email where they stood on strategy versus style.

"Yes, strategy trumps style," St. Francis coach Sol Batoon said. "I can’t see holding the ball and not playing. But if ‘Iolani had won the game, the fans would have embraced the style of play or strategy that they used. Who are we to second-guess the coach? He did what he had to do. It takes a lot of work to prepare your team to hold the ball. It’s not as easy as it looks."

Roosevelt coach Steve Hathaway sees it as a personnel decision.

"My team has no chance in a halfcourt style of game because my biggest kid is 5-foot-9, so we have to run and make the game helter skelter. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But I know it gives us the best chance to win. Slowing the game down gave ‘Iolani the best chance to win," he said.

Former McKinley coach and ‘Iolani player Bob Morikuni agreed.

"(Former ‘Iolani boys coach) Doc (Mugiishi) ran this type of strategy in the past, but hardly anyone knew about it since the type of (media) coverage then was different. Notre Dame last year ran a ‘burn offense’ to run the shot clock, to shorten the game and give their team the best chance to win," he said.

Frank Mauz, who covered high school sports for the Honolulu Advertiser as a freelancer, has seen nearly every girls basketball state tourney since its inception in 1977. He is not a fan of slowdown tactics.

"It was overcoaching by ‘Iolani. Let them play the game! If the ‘good strategy’ had produced a win, it would have been a hollow victory," he said.

For fans, is it really about paying the $6 or $7 for admission — demanding entertainment value from high school kids? Or is there a moral force behind their bias?

"There is nothing wrong with patiently executing in order to work for a defensive breakdown. However, when the strategy doesn’t involve attempting to find a way to score the basketball, then the game has lost its way," Mid-Pacific boys coach Jason Hopkins said. "Unless Maryknoll’s homecoming included retro-themed peach baskets, stalling has no place in today’s game. As ambassadors of the game, as long as we have fans that are paying money to watch our athletic contests, it does nothing but help our sport lose footing in an already difficult market dominated by football, baseball and leisure sports. We need to install the shot clock."

Until then, coaches will do whatever it takes, and it doesn’t matter what era it is.

"We tried to do this in 1967 against Saint Louis when I was at ‘Iolani," former Campbell coach Glenn Flores said. "They had Jim Nicholson and Howard Dunham, two 6-5-plus guys, and sharpshooter Ray Lum, Glenn Hookano, Larry Frank and many more weapons. We lost something like 20-18, I can’t remember. We just could not match up with them."

Bill Naylor has King Kekaulike in first place in the MIL, but remembers a different situation requiring an extreme strategy.

"When I coached at St. Anthony back in the ’80s, we held the ball and won the game 18-13. Our opponent (Molokai) was bigger, quicker and more talented than we were, so I tried the slowdown game. Real slow," he said. "I hated it, even though we won. I was ripped by the fans (away game). I had things thrown at me on the bench, but I really wanted to outsmart the other coach and team and secure the win. Never did it again. I saw other teams do it over the years and had fans wanting their money back at halftime. What do I really think? We need a shot clock in Hawaii."

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See more responses from coaches, current and retired, at hawaiiprepworld.com.