Lady Chargers Ring In New Year On The Basketball Court
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usNew Year’s Eve is often a time for reflection. For the Pearl City girls basketball team, the morning was spent on the practice floor, business as usual - just the way coach Mike Morton likes it.
“Everyone was back in at 9:30,and they worked hard for two hours, which was good,” he said.
The Chargers’collective response to their huge win over highly regarded Mililani the evening before (Dec. 30) can only bode well for a team whose identity had long been linked to tireless defense and blue-collar work habits.
“The Mililani game was a big win for us, but we’re not satisfied. We want to improve every day and every week, and then who knows what could happen.”
While the win over Mililani came in only the first game of the regular season, it was certainly thought-provoking for the Charger fan-base, given the Trojans’ 85-70 dismantling of defending OIA champion Kalani in a preseason game in mid-December. Pearl City finished just 4-9 in 2007-08 following an 8-4 campaign the year before, but hopes remain high for the program - especially with the bulk of the roster back from last year (when most had been sophomores).
The Chargers are hoping to regain their form of 2002 and 2003 when they won back-to-back OIA Red West regular-season titles. Pearl City last made the state tournament in 2002. At 7 p.m. Wednesday, the Chargers will get another opportunity to make a statement when they host rival Aiea.
Like Pearl City, Na Ali’i also were impressive in their league opener last week, defeating Radford 62-53 on the road, and they feature veterans in Natasha Fong and Natasha Helsham.
“They have a lot of weapons and experience,” Morton said of Aiea. “We have to play a solid game, be disciplined, and play good defense, which is what we’re always focused on. They won’t make a lot of mistakes. They’re really disciplined.
“Natasha Helsham is definitely a scorer,“he added.“We have to play good, all-around, team defense and not let any of them get off (and put up big numbers). It’s a cliche, but you have to beat the best to be the best, and they should definitely be the favorite in our league. They’re a team to be reckoned with.”
Pearl City counters with a deep rotation of its own. Ten different players saw action in the Mililani game, including Jordan Ahakuelo, Markeshia Manning,Glacen Florita, Shanise Gabriel-Yomes, Victoria Victor and point guard Charmagne Monis,the lone sophomore in a junior-dominated starting lineup. Ahakuelo remains the team’s leader, according to her coach.
“She’s just a work horse who plays hard every day,” Morton said.“She won’t tell you when she’s injured. She always gives 110 percent. Her intensity is good for us. She’s our rock.
“We have a lot of girls we can put in,“he added.“We have an unselfish group of girls who know their roles on the team. They’ve been practicing hard and playing hard.”
Although Pearl City was dealt a heavy blow when projected starter Kalei Adams was lost for the season to an ACL injury, two additions in the off-season have helped bolster their lineup. Five-foot-10 sophomore Keani Passi, a standout on JV last year, has joined the fold and been a key contributor, while Lanai-transfer Leina Vasquez has also proved a good fit.
“Leina’s getting a lot of minutes, and Keani has a lot of potential even though she is young,” Morton said.“She’s a difference-maker who is good in three sports (softball, volleyball and basketball). Her athleticism makes up for a lot (youth).”
Pearl City will have an open date on its schedule this weekend before returning to action against Radford at home next Tuesday. Aiea visits Mililani for a key Red West game Friday. Tip-off for OIA games is at 7 p.m.
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