Opponents Can Score No More Than 37 Against Pearl City
By Jack Danilewicz
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One of the by-products of Pearl City’s deep roster is the built-in accountability that goes with it. Indeed, longtime head girls basketball coach Mike Morton’s starting lineup is never set in stone - a fact not lost on his players.
“It’s all about practice - if you have a good practice, you’ll probably get the start,” Morton said. “It’s good to have those options. I’ll say we’re about nine-deep (into the roster) right now.”
While seniors Jordan Ahakuelo, Glacen Florita and Markeshia Manning have been mainstays in the lineup to date, Morton has called on Leina Vasquez, Shanise Gabriel-Yomes, Sabrina Angle, Alana Kaili and A.J. Sylva to fill out his starting lineup, depending on the team they are playing and who among them has been the most productive at practice.
Pearl City started its OIA’s Red West Conference season at 5-0, having posted wins over Campbell, Waianae, Kapolei, Aiea and Radford to date. As in past years, solid defense has helped them along, as they have given up no more than 37 points in any of their four encounters. The signature win on their resume was a 35-33 win at home over a surging Kapolei team, which had led by four points late in the game. Indeed, the second meeting between the teams Jan. 8 at Kapolei will likely go a long way toward deciding the Red West crown.
“Kapolei is tough,” Morton admitted.
It was Ahakuelo’s senior leadership that helped drive the Chargers across the finish line in their recent win over the Hurricanes.
“She’s the one that really picked us up,” Morton said. “She turned it on a little, getting an offensive rebound and driving the ball well to the basket at the end. But everyone has been playing well. We haven’t had to rely on one person like some of the other teams. We were like that ourselves last season.
“The chemistry has been really good, and our experience is paying off for us right now. They’re getting better at knowing what the situation is.”
Even injuries and illness have failed to undermine momentum. Vasquez is dayto-day with back spasms and wasn’t able to practice last Friday on the eve of Pearl City’s game with Aiea, while Gabriel-Yomes had been dealing with a hand injury
last week. Both players’ status was not known for this week’s games, which includes trips to Mililani and Campbell on Wednesday and Saturday, respectively.
The matchup at Campbell begins the second round of the Red West’s regular season.
First up, Wednesday’s meeting with Mililani looms. “We have to control their 3-point shooters and help out on the inside,” Morton said. “We plan to pressure the ball and, hopefully, we can force some turnovers. It all starts with the defense. We try to hold teams under 35 points (per outing).”
Barring an unlikely collapse, Pearl City is all but assured of going to the OIA post-season. While Morton preaches getting better each day, he and the Chargers are hoping to be playing their best basketball at playoff time.
“We haven’t beaten an East team in the playoffs since 2002, when we beat Kalani,” he noted. “We’re looking to get that monkey off of our back. Playoff time is what it’s all about.”
Pearl City’s final regular-season game versus Mililani Jan. 21 has been moved to Kalani High School for TV coverage. The game will begin at 5 p.m. and will be shown live on OC-16.
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