Youthful Lady Lunas continue dominance in MIL

At this point, Todd Rickard doesn’t know exactly what the longest win streak in Hawaii high school basketball is.

The Lahainaluna Lunas have won 152 consecutive games in Maui Interscholastic League play. No. 2 Lahainaluna improved to 7-0 with a 48-20 win at Kamehameha-Maui on Saturday.

“The truth is I don’t count,” said Rickard, who has coached the Lady Lunas for a quarter-century. “I thought last year, we ended at 148. We played seven games already. So I don’t know. I lost count.”

The Lunas are trouncing MIL foes, but the team isn’t quite at a level that would recall previous state champions or contenders only because of youth.

“We’re the youngest that we’ve been in forever. I don’t recall having a team as long as this, having freshmen and sophomores as four of the starters,” said Rickard, who has an all-state player of the year candidate in Susitina Namoa. “Last night, (KS-Maui) played us a zone. We’ve got to be able to hit outside shots. They focus on Susi. It can make or break you.”

The Lunas are riding on a deep front court that includes Taioalo Wolf and Erin Hookano. The backcourt includes sophomore sisters Abigail and Ashley Akamine.

“It’s a lot of learning. The two sisters really can shoot, they’re fast as heck,” Rickard said. “They make a lot of young mistakes as far as turning over the ball. Only playing time and more games will get them better. They need experience.”

Rickard has always had a sort of impossible dream of seeing his team play in the ILH, simply for the constant, almost gut-wrenching level of competition. The MIL hasn’t been very balanced, not since Kami Kapaku was an all-state guard at Baldwin.

“Sometimes we scrimmage with our alumni and JV boys. I’m pretty sure Konawaena does the same thing. A lot of schools who get that opportunity will do it, to get that aspect of playing faster and stronger,” Rickard said, noting that the alums include former all-state player of the year and Gonzaga guard Maiki Tihada (Viela during her playing days).

“Maiki and them play in an alumni league and they win it every time. We try to get the controlled scrimmage when we can,” Rickard said.

Ishida lifts Eagles with eight 3-pointers

With Damien and University already off to hot starts, the Hawaii Baptist Eagles needed to get on track.

Justin Ishida was ready. The senior marksman drilled eight 3-pointers for 24 points, both career highs, in a 54-38 win over Hanalani on Saturday. That evened HBA’s record at 1-1 in Interscholastic League of Honolulu Division II.

With senior stretch-5 Max Wiemken (19 points per game) unavailable, Ishida (12 ppg) was clutch. In fact, in two league games, all of his points have come on 3-pointers. That’s 12 treys, to be exact.

In two league games, the Eagles have splashed 19 3-pointers. Counting preseason games, Ishida has made at least two treys in every game.

”He was relatively efficient,” said HBA coach George Weeks, whose team averaged nine made 3s per game. “I tell them to shoot it before we turn it over. If we miss, at least we can get the rebounds.”

Division II Governors rising in the polls?

There has been, and possibly will continue to be, a disruption in the force. Farrington is making certain of this. The unranked Governors pulled off a 70-68 win over No. 9 Kalaheo on Friday night and are now 3-0 in the East Division of the Oahu Interscholastic Association.

In the big picture, it makes minimal difference for Farrington, which is slotted in Division II once the regular season ends. So the Govs are the x-factor in the East D-I chase. With wins over then-No. 7 Moanalua, McKinley and now Kalaheo, the coveted home-court edge and first-round byes for the top two teams in the division will hinge partly on how contenders deal with the team in maroon and white.

Raefe McEnroe, a 6-foot-3 senior, is a key ingredient. When the multi-talented McEnroe is aggressive, the Govs perform at an elite level. His ability to rebound, challenge shots and start the fastbreak are no surprise. McEnroe’s ability to push the ball upcourt and make plays as a scorer and passer are much less common. He had 16 points and 17 rebounds, with five assists and four blocks, in a 59-55 win over Moanalua. He’s a different kind of player in comparison with older brother Jacob McEnroe, who was a high-flying southpaw with more of a scoring bent.

Baby brother Raefe, who missed part of preseason with a contusion on an elbow, is a matchup problem for most opponents.

“I always look for my big guys inside,” said McEnroe, who usually operates at the elbow area.

Farrington is far from a one-man team. The roster is stocked with experienced guards and forwards who know precisely what coach Steven Leopoldo expects. That means turnovers are down and good looks are up.

With St. Francis, the two-time reigning D-II state champion, now in D-I, the only other D-II foe more formidable than Farrington is No. 3 Damien.

The two teams, located just one block apart, did not meet in preseason. The Monarchs have only two losses, to No. 1 Punahou and No. 5 St. Francis, teams they also have victories over. Farrington could see a move into the poll at this point, and as long as McEnroe asserts himself, the Govs will likely close the gap with their neighbors on Houghtailing Street.