Timing is everything for the Maryknoll Spartans.
After languishing against a scrappy Baldwin squad for a half, top-seeded Maryknoll unleashed its 1-2-2 halfcourt trap, frazzled the Bears and went on to a 64-54 win on Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the Hawaiian Airlines/HHSAA Boys Basketball State Championships.
Timing was not so good for Baldwin, which lost center Bradley Bowlin, the team’s shotblocking senior, to an ankle injury in a win over Kapolei on Wednesday. When he played against Maryknoll during the Punahou Invitational, the game was a low-scoring battle, 35-32.
“We had close to 40 rebounds, I’d say. They had one less guy to defend and rebound (with Bowlin out),” Maryknoll coach Kelly Grant said. “We wore them down by the fourth quarter.”
Baldwin (11-5) was the runner-up from the MIL but played big under the state-tourney lights.
“Our kids showed up today. We didn’t have our big man. He would’ve been our big presence inside.
Maryknoll wouldn’t have gotten as many rebounds. He did well against them in December (preseason),” Bears coach Wayne Gushiken said. “We didn’t have enough firepower at the beginning.
Maryknoll has some good 3-point shooters and those two big men. It’s hard to stop them.”
A raucous crowd of about 1,800 filled McKinley Student Council Gymnasium. The fans saw Maryknoll (12-1), the ILH champion, struggle against Baldwin’s precise halfcourt offense and physical defense.
The Spartans led 25-23 at the half, but after Grant put 6-foot-3 Josh Burnett at the top of his trapping defense, Baldwin lost its mojo.
“I feel it out. It’s like offense. We’ll run a play and if it’s not working, I’m not going to force things on my team like some coaches do,” Grant said. “Their point guard (Kody Takushi) is a dynamic player. The fact is, he’s small. When he has Josh in front of him, he’s really intimidating. It’s hard to get around him.”
The Bears could do little as Tobias Schramm, a 6-9 senior, and Hyrum Harris (6-5) dominated the paint while guard Kaleb Gilmore attacked Baldwin’s man and zone defenses.
Gilmore finished with a team-high 20 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter. But he credited his teammate, Burnett, for his defensive prowess.
“It’s a matter of time before they end up falling right into our trap. Josh has those long arms,” he said.
Schramm added 14 points for Maryknoll.
Burnett sparked the decisive run with a drive for a bucket early in the fourth quarter. After Gilmore hit a trey, two free throws and went coast-to-coast for a deuce, Burnett poked the ball away from a Baldwin guard and finished with a resounding dunk to bring Maryknoll’s fans to their feet.
“He got that dunk and the energy shifted over to us. The momentum. We needed a spark,” Gilmore said.
The Spartans led 53-44 with 1:34 left, but their work was far from done.
Teva Eldridge, who had a game-high 21 points, continued to battle. The 6-2 junior scored 15 points in the final quarter, hitting a couple of treys. He scored six points in a span of 23 seconds to bring the Bears within 58-54 with 34 seconds left, but free throws by point guard Danny Danbara and Gilmore stretched the margin to seven points.
A technical foul on Baldwin’s Tyson Kaloa added to the Bears’ slide. Gilmore hit two more foul shots for a 63-54 lead with 18.4 seconds left, sealing the win.
At McKinley
Maryknoll (12-1) 13 12 8 31 — 64
Baldwin (11-5) 12 11 8 23 — 54
MARYKNOLL—Danny Danbara 9, Kaleb Gilmore 20, Joshua Burnett 13, Hyrum
Harris 7, Tobias Schramm 14, Tobias Powell 0, Tamamoko Green 1, Johnny Meyer
0, Tyson Kaloa 0, Sean Ogata 0, Varrick Suezaki 0, Mickey Morikawa 0.
BALDWIN—Kody Takushi 8, Ryan Garces 8, Philip Thomas 15, Randy Wong 0, Teva
Eldridge 21, Jeremiah Badillo 0, Jacob Valle 2, Kainalu Rundle 0, Taje Akaka 0.
3-point goals—Maryknoll 3 (Gilmore 2, Danbara). Baldwin 4 (Takushi 2, Eldridge 2)
