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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, June 8, 2003

Islanders' four-game winning streak ends

Advertiser Staff

The Hawaiian Islanders' franchise-best four-game winning streak ended yesterday with their worst loss in the past 20 games.

Ricky Hebert completed 19 of 32 passes for 261 yards and four touchdowns as the Arkansas Twisters jumped out to a big lead and cruised to a 58-39 victory over the Islanders in an arenafootball2 game at North Little Rock.

The Islanders (7-3) were hurt by two interceptions, a fumble and 13 penalties for 86 yards.

On the game's first possession, Arkansas had a fourth-and-goal inside the 10, but it received an automatic first down after the Islanders jumped offsides. Hebert hit Chris Robinson on a 4-yard touchdown pass to put Arkansas up 7-0.

The Twisters (5-4) scored on their next two possessions after missed field-goal attempts by the Islanders' Kimo Naehu. Herbert threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Prince Williams late in the first quarter and a 45-yard scoring pass to Lennie Johnson to go up 21-0 three minutes into the second.

"They jumped on us pretty good," Islanders head coach Cal Lee said. "We tried to battle back in the second half, but we dug too big a hole."

The Islanders scored their only points of the half on a 41-yard pass from Mike Tillis to Arkansas native Darrell Jones to cut the deficit to 21-7 with 10:30 left before halftime.

A play that epitomized the half came during an interception return by the Islanders' Eddie Klaneski just before halftime. Klaneski returned the ball near midfield, but Jones collided with Klaneski and he fumbled the ball, which was recovered by Arkansas' Kevin Williams.

Arkansas capitalized by scoring on Kevin Williams' 1-yard run on the final play of the half to increase its lead to 35-7. On the drive, the Twisters benefited from a defensive pass interference call on a third-and-goal and an offsides penalty on a fourth-and-goal. Both penalties led to automatic first downs.

"They were very costly penalties," Lee said. "We're not disciplined enough. We need to correct that."

The Islanders maintained their one-game lead in the National West Division because the Wichita Stealth (6-4) lost to the Tennessee Valley Vipers, 66-31, yesterday.

The Islanders will host Peoria on Saturday at Blaisdell Arena.

ISLANDERS (7-3) 0 7 18 14—39

TWISTERS (4-5) 14 21 6 17—58

First Quarter
Ark—Chris Robinson 4 pass from Ricky Hebert (Mark Norris kick)
Ark—Prince Williams 40 pass from Hebert (Norris kick)

Second Quarter
Ark—Lennie Johnson 45 pass from Hebert (Norris kick)
Haw—Darrell Jones 41 pass from Mike Tillis (Kimo Naehu kick)
Ark—Reggie Cooley 1 run (Norris kick)
Ark—Kevin Williams 1 run (Norris kick)

Third Quarter
Haw—Nian Taylor 16 pass from Tillis (kick failed)
Ark—Johnson 4 run (kick failed)
Haw—Anthony Arceneaux 38 pass from Tillis (pass failed)
Haw—A. Arceneaux 11 pass from Tillis (kick failed)

Fourth Quarter
Ark—P. Williams 47 pass from Hebert (Norris kick)
Ark—Cooley 1 run (Norris kick)
Haw—Taylor 7 pass from Tillis (pass failed)
Ark—FG Norris 24
Haw—Vai Notoa 1 run (Notoa rush)

RUSHING—Islanders, Tillis 3-5, Notoa 1-1. Twisters, Cooley 9-16, Johnson 2-6, Hebert 2-4, K. Williams 2-3, Darron Collins 2-0.

PASSING—Islanders, Tillis 12-23-2—231. Twisters, Hebert 19-32-2—261; K. Williams 0-2-0—0; Team 0-0-0—(minus 8).

RECEIVING—Islanders, A. Arceneaux 5-84, Taylor 3-50, Jones 2-51, Isaac White 2-46. Twisters, Ted Alford 6-50, P. Williams 5-110, Johnson 5-79, K. Williams 1-12, Bruce Bailey 1-6, Robinson 1-4.