Four teams vie for OIA basketball crown

By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer

After surviving the death trap that was the O'ahu Interscholastic Association boys basketball quarterfinals, tonight's semifinalists can re-focus on what they set out to do when practice began in November.

Kaimuki's Daniel Tautofi, left, and Kalaheo's Sam Wilhoite will play in the OIA semifinals, along with Leilehua and Mililani. Advertiser library photo

Two-time defending champion Kalaheo (9-3), which finished fourth in the OIA Eastern Division but knocked out West champ Radford Friday, plays at East runner-up Kaimuki (10-1). Mililani (9-3), which was fourth in the West but eliminated East champion Roosevelt, travels to West runner-up Leilehua (10-1).

Both games are set for 6:30.

Even Kaimuki and Leilehua got to this point by the skin of their teeth. Kaimuki needed four overtimes to edge Moanalua, 67-64, and Leilehua needed a free throw by Zacarius Rivera with 2.9 seconds remaining to clip Castle, 37-36.

"Sometimes, you gotta get one bad game during the season, and I think that was our bad game," Leilehua coach Keith Spencer said. "But we won anyway, which is good. We still haven't played our best, we have the potential but we just haven't put it all together."

Mililani appears to be putting it together after emerging from a three-game losing streak last month. That included a 49-48 loss to Leilehua on Demetrius' Washington's free throw with four seconds left.

"I thought it was a '2,' so I told them to foul," Coito said.

Spencer expects the same kind of exciting finish tonight.

"When Leilehua plays Mililani, we both could be 0-10 and it would still be a thriller," Spencer said.

Coito agrees.

"We got beaten off the boards in that (Jan. 30) game, and Leilehua has quite a few guys who can put the ball in the basket," Coito said. "Rivera is a slasher and a scorer, and Andrew Talaeai did a good job against us."

Mililani has since run off five straight wins, including a 42-41 win over Kahuku in the first round of the playoffs and a 52-49 triumph at Roosevelt. In the Kahuku game, Simeon Tavares hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 2.9 seconds remaining for the winning basket.

Tavares pulled a hamstring against Leilehua and missed the next three games. The Trojans graduated all five starters from the team that took second in the OIA and fourth in the state last year, including first-team Advertiser All-State guard Rashaun Broadus.

"We're very happy to be where we are," Coito said. "We easily could have lost more games."

Tavares and high-scoring guard Brandyn Fidel were key reserves last year and have stepped up as veteran leaders, but Spencer said he also has been impressed with senior guard Alex Patykula.

"He does a lot of things; I think he's a key for them," Spencer said. "To me, he's a big-time player."

Kaimuki has perhaps the OIA's best big-time player in senior Daniel Tautofi, a 6-foot-2, 230-pound "point forward." Tautofi is a powerful rebounder and inside scorer with additional moves off the dribble. He's also a threat from beyond the arc and brings the ball up the floor against full-court pressure.

Against Moanalua, Tautofi scored 37 points, the most by any O'ahu player in the past two seasons.

The Bulldogs also have one of the OIA's best scorers in junior wing Jimmy Miyasaka, a 6-foot-1 junior who can hit 3-pointers and also score on inside drives or spin moves. Center Nick Milan, a 6-4 junior, has improved steadily over the course of the season and senior Junior Maiava, a 6-3 forward who was a key reserve on the team that took third in the state last year, recently re-joined the team and provides added board strength.

Kalaheo is riding a four-game win streak and appears to be in the form that took it to 13 straight state tournament berths heading into this season.

Center Sam Wilhoite scored 24 points in a first-round playoff victory over Kapolei, and point guard Zane Cabral has taken on more of the scoring burden, notching 13 in the win over Radford.

Kalaheo's best weapon, however, may come from the bench. Coach Pete Smith has led the Mustangs to the state tournament in each of his 18 years at the helm (1984-87, 90-03).

"You gotta give Kalaheo credit," Spencer said. "That's why they're one of the better programs in the state."

ILH

• UNIVERSITY HIGH 68, HAWAI'I BAPTIST 34: Ric Kodama scored 14, John Duro 12 and James Cabras 11 as the Junior 'Bows defeated the Eagles to move on in the ILH tournament that will decide the league's third state tournament berth.

HAWAI'I BAPTIST 8 6 9 11—34
UNIVERSITY HIGH 14 15 19 20—68

HAWAI'I BAPTIST—Andrew Kurata 2, Micah Tokuda 0, Brandon Arquero 5, Chris Chan 0, Aaron Kamemoto 0, Steven Ito 6, Will Stinton 14, Jared Gandia 6, Mark Stinton 0, Bain MacKintosh 0, Luther Beck 1. Totals 11 11-18 34.

UNIVERSITY HIGH—Jeris Nakamasu 0, John Duro 12, Ben Nishimoto 8, David Johnson 7, Tommy Chun-Ming 6, Ric Kodama 14, Sam Naone 2, James Cabras 11, Shawn Matsumoto 6, Scott Nishimoto 0, Micheal Tenario 0, Lucion Holyfield 2. Totals 29 6-7 68.

3-point goals—Hawai'i Baptist 1 (Arquero). University High 4 (B.Nishimoto 2, Cabras 1, Johnson 1).

WRESTLING

• Waipahu boys, Pearl City girls win: The Waipahu boys and Pearl City girls wrestling squads won the O'ahu Interscholastic Association Western Division championships Saturday at Mililani High School.

Waipahu's boys amassed 175 points to beat second-place Pearl City (129).

Pearl City's girls tallied 129 points to edge Leilehua (127).