Raiders rout Cathedral Prep in Iolani Classic

By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer

First-day routs have been the norm in the 18-year history of the Iolani Prep Classic, and it's usually been the Hawai'i basketball teams on the wrong end of lopsided scores.

Iolani's Tyler McCready tries to get past the defense of Cathedral Prep of Erie, Pa. The Raiders won, 65-36. Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser

Bobby Nash finished with 20 points and four rebounds to lead Iolani, and Derrick Low and Tyler McCready each added 12 points. Bobby Webster contributed 10 points for the Raiders, who lost only three players from last year's state runner-up team.

"They'd definitely be one of the better teams in our league," Cathedral Prep coach Andy Sisinni said. "They have good height, they handle the ball, they shoot well and they're well-coached. They've got all the tools to compete for a championship."

Iolani will play Los Angeles power Fairfax in a 7 p.m. quarterfinal tomorrow night. The Raiders showed early on last night that they intend on making a statement in the Classic, which they have never won.

Starting out in a man-to-man defense, Iolani switched to a 1-3-1 halfcourt trap and then a 2-3 zone. The Ramblers managed one field goal in the first period and only five in the second as the Raiders took a 25-14 lead at halftime. Nash had 11 of his points in the first half and McCready had 10.

"I'm very pleased," Iolani coach Mark Mugiishi said. "Sometimes when you mix up defenses, you confuse your own team. I'm glad this time it looked like we confused the other team and not ourselves."

Nash, a 6-foot-6 junior, played in the prestigious ABCD and Double Pump camps on the Mainland last summer and sat out the volleyball season to concentrate on basketball. The results showed last night, as he scored from inside, outside and in transition.

"My team helped me a lot by getting me the ball with great passes," Nash said. "It's always a privilege to beat a Mainland team, because the Hawai'i teams are always the underdogs. We showed that we do have some ball players in Hawai'i, and we come ready to play."

Sisinni, for one, is a believer.

"They have a lot of talent," he said of the Raiders. "I was impressed with how athletic they are; they've got the skills. They have all the ingredients to be a good team."

In a later game, Punahou hung tough with Miami power Northwestern before falling 52-40. Northwestern led 12-9 after one period and 22-19 at the half.

Punahou tied the score at 25 in the third quarter before Northwestern went on a 14-3 run to lead 39-28 going into the fourth period.

CATHEDRAL PREP 3 11 11 11 — 36
IOLANI 10 15 20 20 — 65

CATHEDRAL PREP: Andy Kubinski 4 3-5 11, Mark Chase 5 2-3 12, Mike Sertz 1 0-0 2, John Yaple 1 0-0 2, Steve White 1 0-0 2, Nick Tarasovitch 1 0-0 2, Joe Jones 1 0-0 2, Phil Stewart 0 0-0 0, Bob Barber 0 1-2 1, Dan Fetzner 0 0-1 0, Casey McCloskey 1 0-0 2. Totals 15 6-11 36.

IOLANI: Jon Grobe 3 0-0 6, Derrick Low 6 0-0 12, Bobby Webster 4 0-0 10, Bobby Nash 7 5-6 20, Tyler McCready 4 4-5 12, Joe Udell 0 0-0 0, Robert Mageo 0 0-0 0, Zach Tollefson 2 1-1 5, Matt Choy 0 0-0 0, Chad Miller 0 0-0 0, Gage Eberlin 0 0-0 0, Todd Blankenship 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 10-12 65.

3-point goals: Webster 2, Nash.

Northwestern (Miami) 52, Punahou 40

High Scorers — N: Cedrick McGowan 12, Devon Pearson 12, Randolph Alvin 11. P: Alex Fergus 14.

Montrose Christian (Rockville. Md.) 71, Miliani 54

High Scorers — MC: Linas Kleiza 30, Nick George 18. Mil: Rashaun Broadus 21, Simeon Tavares 13.

Wilson (Florence, S.C.) 86, Damien 31

High Scorers — W: Raymond Dorsey 19, Major Wingate 17, Ryan Mack 17. D: Ranson DeCosta 11.