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Sabers Are Major Contenders In OIA’s West Conference

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Campbell’s Patrick Ward goes for
a basket shot against Kapolei in a
Jan. 2 matchup. Photo by Byron
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In Hawaii prep basketball, championships are won in February, but they’re earned, in large part, in January.

Should the Campbell High School boys basketball team realize its goal of a third straight tournament appearance next month, head coach Bobby Samson will likely link the Sabers’ success back to a critical period in his schedule when his team played six consecutive road games.

Campbell came out of that predicament with a 4-2 record, with both losses last-second defeats, so the Sabers would appear right on target.

“We’re definitely progressing,” said Samson, who spoke by phone minutes before catching a flight to San Francisco to attend to a private matter.

“The kids did a remarkable job in coming out 4-2. They’re confident, but we’re not taking anything for granted.”

Samson was expected to miss the Sabers’ next four contests, including games this week at home against Waianae on Tuesday and versus Pearl City on Thursday (at Mililani High School). Campbell assistants Glenn Flores and Gel Agcaoili were left in charge of the team.

“The team will not miss a beat - they’re in capable hands,” Samson said of his assistants. Samson also praised his athletic director, Sam Delos Reyes, and principal Gail Awakuni with being really supportive. “It’s because of them that we’ve been able to do a lot of things with our program.”

Campbell, which has made the Final Four of the Oahu Interscholastic Association Tournament the last two years, was tied for second (behind Mililani) with Leilehua and Radford in the OIA’s Red West conference heading into the weekend. With so much balance in the West, the second half of the season should be as contested as any league statewide. The top five finishers will make this season’s OIA Tournament.

“One possession can make all the difference between winning and losing a game (in the West),” Samson said. “(It will come down to) teams that can finish in games, and maybe there’s a little luck involved. You prepare the best that you can, and that’s all you can really do. Preparation is the key.”

Campbell won its first four games before back-to-back losses to Mililani (62-61) and Radford (50-47).

Against Mililani, the Sabers had the ball and a one-point lead with four seconds remaining in overtime when Campbell’s Mike Makinano was called for traveling in a call Samson considered questionable. A foul called on Campbell following the change of possession sent Mililani to the free-throw line where the Trojans won the game with less than one second to play.

Against Radford on Jan. 16, the Rams had 17 more free throw attempts than the Sabers.

With the OIA’s change in scheduling to a round-robin format this past off-season, the Sabers will have opportunities to avenge both of those losses.

“It’s a good thing that you get to play each other twice,” Samson said.

As his team began the second half of its season, Makinano had remained Campbell’s most consistent performer, averaging 25 points per game through the Sabers’ first six regular-season encounters.

“Mike is steadily improving,” Samson said. “People haven’t yet seen the best of Mike. He’s only a junior, so he’s still learning, but he’s a gifted athlete.

“People have tried to play a box-and-one on him,” he added. “They double and triple team him occasionally, but he still gets his points, and he contributes in many ways. He’s averaging about six assists per game. That’s 12 more points that can be (attributed to) his average.”

A solid supporting cast that features Walter Daniels, Jayden Delizo and Joseph Atimua has also aided Campbell’s cause to date. Daniels has become a defensive specialist for the Sabers, often drawing the assignment of guarding the opposition’s best player.

“Against Radford, we put him on their center, who was 6-foot-5, and he did a wonderful job,” Samson said. “In the second half we put him on their point guard, who is 6-foot-5. He is deceiving. He has deceptive speed and long arms. He’s very versatile.”

Campbell’s game with Pearl City on Thursday is set for a 6:30 p.m. tipoff and will be shown live on statewide television by Oceanic 16. Campbell’s game with Mililani on Jan. 31 has been moved to McKinley High School and will be televised live (time to be announced at a later date) by OC-16 as well.