New, Young Faces In Chargers Line-up For Summer Play

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With eight of its 16 members having just completed their freshman year, the Pearl City girls basketball team enters summer league play this week at Kalaheo as one of the younger teams in the Oahu Interscholastic Association.

But if the Chargers are short on varsity experience, they more than compensate with their work-manlike approach, to hear Pearl City coach Mike Morton tell it.

“It’s all about learning and competing. Their work ethic is their strength. We have a close group of good kids, who have good attitudes. The wins will come (as a result).”

On that note, the Chargers’ summer schedule is one plainly fit for a championship program. In Kalaheo’s summer league, where Pearl City will play every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday through mid-July, Morton’s team will meet Kamehameha, Kalaheo, Iolani II, Radford, Farrington, Kahuku and Hawaii-Select, in addition to the host Lady Mustangs. Highlighting the field is the Hawaii-Select team, which is coached by Kalaheo boys (and former girls) coach Chico Furtado. Featuring all-stars from around Oahu, Hawaii-Select was a runner-up at the Vision Sports National Youth Tournament in Las Vegas last July and won national tournaments in 2004 and 2005.

Pearl City, which is coming off an 8-4 season this spring, will have many fresh faces in its lineup, having graduated Jazmin PahukoaMalia, Desiree Luis and Tiffany Gadingan recently.

“We’re looking at some kids from the JV team to step in and play right away. We’re looking at them challenging for starting positions. They’re a very competitive group.”

The Chargers will depend on the leadership of returnees Kaiona Auyong and Tearaina Meyer early on. Auyong had a strong second half in the recently completed spring season, averaging 10 points a game, which was second on the team to Pahukoa-Malia.

“It will be Kaiona’s fourth year on the varsity,” Morton said.“She brings leadership, and she can do a little bit of everything. She really became more committed in her junior year.”

Meyer is a 6-foot center, who will be a sophomore in the fall. She was a reserve the varsity this spring.

“She saw more and more time as the year went by,” Morton said. “She’s really committed to basketball, and she has a lot of potential. She has a presence - she’s hard to block out, and she’s hard to guard.”

Morton is also expecting sophomore-to-be Jordan Ahakuelo to have an immediate impact for the Chargers. She was the leading scorer for the Charger’s JV team this spring.

“She can be a force,” he said. “She averaged 16 to 18 points a game for the JV team - three-quarters of their points. She’s very aggressive. She looks like she’ll be a starter.”

The Chargers are practicing twice a week in addition to their three games a week. Pearl City’s JV team is also playing in a tournament at Radford.