Maryknoll wins, goes for first title since 1984

They’re the top seeds for a reason.

Now this might be Maryknoll’s championship season.

The Spartans got 14 points from Joshua Burnett, including two breakaway dunks, to outlast Konawaena 45-32 on Friday night in the Division I semifinals of the Hawaiian Airlines/HHSAA Boys Basketball State Championships.

Maryknoll is chasing its first state title since 1984, when Tony Sellitto, who was in attendance Friday night, was the coach.

"It was kind of weird playing a team from a neighbor island," said Burnett, a ball hawker who had seven boards and four steals. "They walked it up and that ate up a lot of clock. We made our free throws down the stretch. We studied the video today and saw Kona traps on the screen, so we were ready."

A crowd of 1,900 at Blaisdell Arena saw the Wildcats stay within striking distance. The BIIF champions kept the pace slow, walking the ball up throughout the second half, but cold shooting betrayed them. Konawaena shot 1-for-17 from the 3-point arc, and second-chance shots were minimal.

Maryknoll had a 41-29 edge on the boards, getting 18 caroms from 6-foot-5 Hyrum Harris and 12 from 6-9 Tobias Schramm. Harris was an animal on the glass early, hustling for 10 rebounds in the first quarter alone.

"I don’t care if he grabs it or I grab it," said Schramm, who had 10 points.

"I thought we played pretty well," Spartans coach Kelly Grant said. "We still have to tell the kids to throw the ball inside. They’re so eager to attack the lanes, but once we throw it inside, we’re effective. Toby and Hyrum are good passers once they get the ball."

Danny Danbara added 11 points, including going 7-for-8 at the foul line in the fourth quarter. Harris spent much of the game chasing Konawaena’s forwards, Nick Mims and Kenan Gaspar, on the perimeter.

"He did a good job," Grant said.

Mims led Konawaena (28-4) with 10 points, but like his teammates, there was rarely an open look against a swarming man-to-man defense. The ‘Cats shot 24 percent from the field (12-for-49) and took just nine free throws, making six.

Maryknoll (25-2) was 23-for-32 at the foul line (72 percent). The disparity in fouls and free-throw shots troubled Konawaena coach Donald Awa, who noted that the game had an official from the ILH, but none from the BIIF.

"I think the fouls could’ve been more level. Instead of 10-4 in the first half, it could’ve been 10-6 or 10-7," Awa said. "I like the shots we got. If we hit half of our shots like we normally do, we win this game. It’s disappointing our off night happened on this night."

Despite a rough first quarter — Maryknoll shot 3-for-20 against Konawaena’s man defense — the Spartans led 11-7. They tried the same 1-2-2 halfcourt trap that gave Baldwin fits in the quarterfinals, but scrapped it and went back to the man defense.

That helped the ILH champs close the half with a 5-0 run, including a steal and drive for a lefty layup by Burnett, who finished with seven rebounds and four steals.

Maryknoll extended its 22-13 halftime lead with an 8-2 run to start the second half. Schramm hit a reverse layup and Burnett hit two foul shots for a 30-15 lead. Brenton Shropshire, Konawaena’s 6-8 center, went to the bench with his fourth foul.

Still, Konawaena rallied with a 9-1 run, getting two layups from Mims, a baseline jumper from Jonah Bredeson and a 3-pointer by Trevor Tanaka. But after getting within seven, at 31-24, by the end of the third quarter, the ‘Cats got no closer.

The Spartans limited Konawaena to three points in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, and Burnett’s second dunk, also off a steal, brought Spartans fans to their feet. Maryknoll led 38-27 with 3:38 to play, and Konawaena got no closer than nine the rest of the way.

Kaleb Gilmore had just five points and had a technical foul after a no-call on a bump on the baseline. He wasn’t aware that two technical fouls would’ve meant an automatic one-game suspension.

"Coach said to relax and play our game," the sophomore said.

Schramm was steady with 10 points, hitting six of his seven free-throw attempts.

"I think we have a chance against Kalaheo," he said.

Kalaheo, the OIA champion, has not played Maryknoll all season.

"They’re a great shooting team. We’re all going to have to execute on defense," Burnett said.