Hawaii Grown notebook | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Mississippi State forward Tolu Smith, a Kahuku High alum, reached for a rebound against Tennessee On Jan. 10 in Starkville, Miss. Mississippi State won 77-72 in what Smith called a “must-win” game.

1/1

Swipe or click to see more

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Mississippi State forward Tolu Smith, a Kahuku High alum, reached for a rebound against Tennessee On Jan. 10 in Starkville, Miss. Mississippi State won 77-72 in what Smith called a “must-win” game.

Select an option below to continue reading this premium story.

Already a Honolulu Star-Advertiser subscriber? Log in now to continue reading.

Get unlimited access

From as low as $12.95 /mo.

Subscribe Now

MEN’S BASKETBALL

>> Brandon Chung (Hawaii School for the Deaf and the Blind), Gallaudet: Missed only a single shot (5-for-6 from the field and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line) and scored 16 points in a 67-65 loss to St. Mary’s of Maryland. Three days earlier, he scored nine points against Penn State-Abington, leaving him one point short of registering double figures in points in successive contests for the first time in more than a year.

>> Jake Holtz (Damien), Whitworth: Scored 16 points and pulled down seven rebounds in 28 minutes of an 80-73 win over George Fox in a battle of unbeatens in the Northwest Conference. He is second in the loop in scoring with 17.1 points per game.

>> Ryder Hsiung (Punahou), Willamette: Hit five 3-pointers and scored 22 points in a 90-89 loss at Puget Sound on Friday. It was his third time this season over 20 points and he logged a season-high 37 minutes. His final 3-pointer came as time expired.

>> Tolu Smith (Kahuku), Mississippi State: Made his first start of the season and scored 23 points in 29 minutes in a 77-72 upset of No. 5 Tennessee on Jan. 10. Smith called it a “must-win” game and delivered.

“Just off the top of my head — and I asked a couple of the coaches about it in the coach’s locker room … I don’t remember a game where he played any better,” Bulldogs coach Chris Jans said of Smith. “If he did, it wasn’t by much. He had a look about him. He wanted to win that game.”

>> Christmas Togiai (Kamehameha), Embry-Riddle: Scored 10 points in a 62-52 loss to Westcliff of California with six rebounds. He had 10 points in his previous contest, running his streak of games in double-figure scoring to six.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

>> Malie Marfil (Kamehameha), Mount Mercy: Made a game-tying layup with 20 seconds left in an 87-84 loss to No. 4 Clarke on Thursday. Marfil played 32 minutes, scoring nine points and pulling down five rebounds.

WOMEN’S WRESTLING

>> Waipuilani Estrella-Beauchamp (Baldwin), Providence: Won the 59 kg class at the Golden Bear Open in Canada with an 8-4 decision over Jade Trolland of Simon Fraser. Estrella is ranked No. 2 in the NAIA at 136 pounds behind Adaugo Nwachukwu of William Penn.

MEN’S WRESTLING

>> Rysan Leong (Kalaheo), Menlo: Is at No. 2 in the NAIA rankings at 165 pounds, behind only Keller Rock of Embry-Riddle. Leong won last week’s match by an 18-6 major decision. Leong is the defending national champion, but Keller beat him 7-2 this year.

>> Kanai Tapia (Kamehameha), Menlo: Moved up to No. 4 in the NAIA rankings at 157 pounds. He jumped over the reigning champion after beating him two weeks ago. Tapia took this week off when Menlo’s meet in Oregon was canceled due to adverse weather.

>> Kysen Terukina (Kamehameha), Iowa State: Beat Yusief Lillie by a 9-1 major decision with more than a minute of riding time to start off the Cyclones’ 44-3 win over Utah Valley. He is 8-4 and has won four matches in a row since a loss to Cornell’s Greg Diakomihalis in December.