A year ago, an upset in the Oahu Interscholastic Association title game put a wrench in the seedings and pairings for the Snapple/HHSAA Boys Basketball State Championships.
This year, there was an outright disturbance in the force thanks to one small school in Manoa Valley. St. Francis came very close, but did not qualify for the state tourney this season. The team’s move from Division II to D-I made a big impact this season. With one more team in its D-I field, the ILH now has three state-tourney berths instead of two.
The ripple effect leaves the Oahu Interscholastic Association with five berths rather than six. That’s good news for ‘Iolani, which edged St. Francis in the tiebreaker game for third place in the ILH. Bad news for Mililani, which lost to visiting Kalaheo in the OIA’s fifth-place contest.
Here’s a look at today’s opening-round matchups.
Kapolei (17-8) at Baldwin (12-11)
>> Status: Kapolei is the OIA 3 after losing to Kailua 60-58 in the league semifinals, then defeating Kahuku 68-64 for third place. The Hurricanes were ranked No. 9 in last week’s Star-Advertiser Top 10.
Baldwin spent the opening week of preseason on Oahu, losing to Roosevelt and beating Waipahu at Kailua’s Surfrider Holiday Hoops Classic. Then, on the third day of action, they lost at Farrington in a 10 a.m. game, then went back to windward Oahu and surprised host Kailua 71-67.
The Bears edged Maui 58-53 for second place in the Maui Interscholastic League.
>> Vs. Top 10: Kapolei went 5-8 against ranked opponents, beating St. Francis, Kalani, Mililani, Kalani and Kahuku. Baldwin is 1-7 against top-10 teams.
>> Skinny: A opponent of each team is Farrington. Baldwin lost that game in the Governors’ gym back on Dec. 1. Kapolei visited Farrington 10 days later and lost 81-73, but starting point guard Ja’Shon Carter was out of the lineup with a hamstring injury.
Another one is Kailua. The Bears have that early win over the Surfriders. Kapolei, fortified by Carter’s return, fell to Kailua in the OIA semifinal round.
The Bears were radically hot and cold through the first half of the season, but are now playing their best basketball. They pushed eventual league champion Lahainaluna hard before losing 54-46 last week.
>> X-factor: Carter is the engine that makes Kapolei go. Mililani limited him to seven points in a defensive battle late in the OIA West regular season. Baldwin is deep in the backcourt, but can anyone stop Kapolei’s leading scorer?
>> Next: The winner will face the top seed, Interscholastic League of Honolulu champion Maryknoll, on Thursday at McKinley.
Kalaheo (17-16) at Kailua (18-12)
>> Status: Kailua has won all three previous meetings with Kalaheo by scores of 62-60, 61-50 and 58-55.
The Surfriders went all the way to the OIA final before losing in overtime to Moanalua 56-49. Their neighbors at Kalaheo, a team with just one senior, had a roller-coaster ride with a 5-6 OIA East mark. The Mustangs did it the hard way, winning at Leilehua, then losing at Kailua in the league quarterfinals. Kalaheo had to beat Kalani and Mililani on the road to secure the fifth and final OIA state berth.
Kalaheo is unranked. Kailua was ranked No. 8 in last week’s Top 10.
>> Vs. Top 10: Kailua is 8-10 against ranked foes with wins over Kamehameha, Kalaheo (three times), Mid-Pacific, Moanalua, Kahuku and Kapolei. Kalaheo is 4-15 against the Top 10. The Mustangs have wins over Lahainaluna, St. Francis, Kalani and Mililani.
>> Skinny: There probably could not have been a more epic matchup for the opening round between two schools that are a few miles apart. Kalaheo, with its tall, long posts who can shoot the 3, has proven to be a matchup problem for system-heavy teams. Kailua, though, is equally as tall and long, and center Isaiah Hopson has been very active in the paint recently.
>> X-factor: Kalaheo has a sharpshooter in senior Ryan Pardini, but can they contain Kailua marksman Everett Torres-Kahapea?
>> Next: The winner plays Big Island Interscholastic Federation champion Waiakea, the fourth seed, at McKinley on Thursday.
‘Iolani (20-11) at Hilo (15-14)
>> Status: The Raiders finished third in the ILH, but were also ranked No. 3 in the state last week. Hilo struggled with three losses in a row to close the regular season, including a 66-60 defeat at D-II powerhouse Hawaii Prep. Then the Vikings knocked off Konawaena 48-39 in the BIIF playoffs to qualify for the state tourney.
>> Vs. Top 10: ‘Iolani is 16-11 against Top 10 teams. The Raiders have beaten virtually every team that has shown up in the top five except for Maryknoll and Punahou. Hilo has met two Top 10 teams, losing to Kamehameha (70-32) and Kalani (52-33) at the Punahou Invitational.
>> Skinny: The Vikings have overcome injuries to finish BIIF play strong and being at home should provide a boost. ‘Iolani will likely be undaunted. Only one team played more Top 10 level competition statewide. When they last played off island, the Raiders went to California and beat Servite and Diamond Bar.
>> X-factor: ‘Iolani normally is dependent on lockdown defense and its 3-point shot. They will have a significant size advantage on the Vikings. Hilo will need a perfect game to upset the Raiders.
>> Next: The victor will take on second-seeded Moanalua on Thursday on Moanalua’s home court.
Kahuku (18-10) at Punahou (26-5)
>> Status: The Buffanblu fell short of the ILH title, losing to Maryknoll in the playoffs. Punahou is ranked No. 2 in the Top 10. Kahuku finished fourth in the OIA, losing to Moanalua in the semifinals then falling at Kapolei.
>> Vs. Top 10: The Red Raiders are 3-8 against ranked teams with wins over Kalaheo (twice) and Mililani. They lost to Punahou 92-54 on Dec. 10 at the St. Francis Classic. Punahou is an amazing 20-5 against Top 10 teams.
>> Skinny: The Buffanblu dictate the pace with their fast break and fullcourt press. Only Maryknoll has slowed them down. Punahou has scored 49, 39 and 42 points in three losses to the Spartans. Punahou usually wins at any speed, going heavily to center Duke Clemens on the block when the game slows down. Ethan Erickson and Marcus Damuni can battle in the paint, but neither has the girth of Clemens, a future UCLA offensive lineman.
>> X-factor: Kahuku, which is 5-3 in games on an opponent’s court, has a puncher’s chance. They were 6-for-8 from the 3-point arc in the first half against Moanalua.
>> Next: The winner plays Maui Interscholastic League champion Lahainaluna, the third seed, on Thursday at Moanalua.
