Fairfax holds off Iolani
By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer
Iolani came within one basket and a few heartbeats of the biggest upset in Hawai'i boys basketball history last night, losing to Los Angeles power Fairfax 61-59 before an overflow home crowd of about 1,200.
UCLA-bound Evan Burns scored on a layup with three seconds remaining to lift the Lions, who lost to USA Today's No. 1-ranked team (Westchester-Los Angeles) 86-84 less than two weeks ago. The Raiders advanced the ball to halfcourt with two seconds left and called time, but the ensuing inbounds pass was intercepted at halfcourt.
Fairfax will play Central California power Clovis West (Fresno) in an Iolani Prep Classic semifinal at 8 p.m. tonight. Iolani (6-2) will play Miami power Nortwestern in a consolation game at 5.
Nationally renowned programs have been a fixture at the previous 17 Classics, but a Hawai'i team has never beaten any of them. The Raiders, who led 57-54 with 1:27 remaining, came agonizingly close.
"We were fortunate," Fairfax coach Harvey Kitani said. "Iolani did a good job of controlling the tempo and as the score got close and they took the lead, they played even better."
Iolani led 10-7 after one period, but the Lions grabbed a 29-18 lead by halftime after stepping up their defensive pressure. The Raiders' Bobby Webster drained three 3-point shots in the third period to help Iolani close the score to 41-37 going into the final quarter.
Iolani's hot shooting continued early in the fourth, as Bobby Nash's 3-pointer gave the Raiders a 42-41 lead with 6:35 left. The teams traded shots for the next five minutes, and Jon Grobe's layup off a Derrick Low assist put Iolani up 57-54 with 1:27 remaining.
Burns sank two free throws to tie it at 57-57 with 59 seconds left, and Joshua Shipp scored on a putback with 24 ticks remaining to give Fairfax a 59-57 lead. Two free throws by Low tied it again with nine seconds left, but the Lions' Kevin Bell zoomed up the court and dished it to Burns for the winning score with three seconds remaining.
"It came down to our inability to stop their dribble penetration," Raiders coach Mark Mugiishi said. "Part of that was fatigue. We also got beat on the boards, but I don't know what we could have done about that. I can't really tell our guys, 'Jump higher.' I was proud of their effort."
Burns, a 6-foot-7 forward who has been rumored to be a possible NBA draft entry, finished with 17 points to lead Fairfax. Low, a 6-foot sophomore, had 17 to lead Iolani.
"He was outstanding," Kitani said of Low. "You can tell that the players here are taking basketball more seriously, and with the coaching they have available, they're only going to get better. There seems to be more of a commitment than before."
Kitani has brought five teams here, the first in 1987. That team was led by NBA veteran Chris Mills.
Don Crenshaw, a Nike representative visiting from the Mainland, told Mugiishi, Nash and Low after the game that high school basketball "doesn't get any better than that" anywhere in the country.
"Westchester is No. 1, and Fairfax lost to them by two points," Crenshaw said. "You guys almost beat Fairfax. That's the highest you can get; there isn't a different level."
• Montrose Christian 64, Kalaheo 40: In a quarterfinal game later, 14th-ranked Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) easily handled defending state champion Kalaheo.
Montrose jumped out to a 14-4 lead in the first quarter and Kalaheo never got closer than 10 the rest of the way.
Linas Kleiza, a 6-foot-8 center, dominated the inside, scoring 30 for Montrose. He had 18 in the first half.
Senior Ikaika Alama-Francis led Kalaheo with 16 points. Kalaheo senior DC Daniels, hampered by an injured foot, finished with five points.
FAIRFAX 7 22 12 20 — 61
IOLANI 10 8 19 22 — 59
High scorers—Fairfax:: Joshua Shipp 11, Evan Burns 17,Kevin Bell 14. Iolani: Bobby Nash 12, Jon Grobe 11, Bobby Webster 15, Derrick Low 17.
KALAHEO 4 14 12 10 — 40
MONTROSE CHRISTIAN (Md.) 14 18 17 15 — 64
High scorers—Kalaheo: Ikaika Alama-Francis 5 6-6 16. Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.): Linas Kleiza 12 6-6 30, Eric Price 4 1-2 10,
