Sabers Blaze Through First Round OIA Red West Play

Wednesday - January 28, 2009
By Jack Danilewicz
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The by-product of Campbell High’s 5-1 run through the OIA Red West’s first round is that they’re guaranteed of getting every opponent’s best shot the second time around.

“You have to come to play every night and never take a day off - that’s something we’re trying to communicate to the kids,” Sabers basketball coach Zaricke Jackson said. “We’re taking it one game at a time. When you play a team you beat, it’s tough to get them a second time. We have to focus in and execute. A lot of the teams in our league are also young, and now those kids are becoming more seasoned.”

Among the teams hoping to salvage a split with the Sabers in their respective season series is Leilehua, which hosts Campbell at 7 p.m. Wednesday in what will mark the third of four straight road games for Jackson’s team. Campbell won the first meeting between the teams 64-55 Jan. 3 at home, but Jackson came away from that encounter impressed with the Mules and is looking for a championship-caliber defensive effort in Wednesday’s rematch.


 

“We have to stop their dribble penetration,” said Jackson, whose team led by only one point through three quarters in their first meeting with Leilehua. “They want to spread the floor and drive to the basket and get the ball to their big men. We gave up way too many lay-ups the last time we played them.”

Their only loss in the first round of the West race was last Thursday when they were defeated by defending OIA champion Mililani 77-66 on the road. In the long run, the loss could be a boost, in Jackson’s view.

“It might have been a blessing in disguise because it showed us a lot we have to work on,” said Jackson, whose team was to play at Waipahu last Saturday.“I won’t say these things were covered up by winning, but kids don’t think they have to work as hard after they’ve won. This is going to make us work a lot harder.”

The Sabers have more than held their own in the area of athleticism to date with a rotation that includes veterans Zach Manual, Patrick Ward, Nicholas Daniels and Tim Hurd, as well as juniors Kristian Manuel, Josh Harris, Clayton Darity and Chris Storment. Jackson praised the defensive play of both Hurd and Daniels in the Sabers’ most recent outings. The pair have alternated as of late in covering the opposing team’s top backcourt scorers, Radford’s Daryl Lee and Nick Demusis of Mililani.

“Tim and Nick have played great defense the last couple of games,” Jackson said.“Kristian Manuel and Chris Storment have been very strong defensively, as well.”

Offensively, the Sabers are looking to maximize their possessions. “Versus Mililani, we had bad shot selection, and we missed a lot of free throws,” he said.“We were just 52 percent at the line in that game, where we usually shoot in the 80s. We shot 37 percent from the field, so they pressured us and played well.”


Senior point guard Hoku Kama leads Leilehua, which entered the West’s second round at 3-3 after a 46-44 win over Aiea last Thursday night.

The Sabers’ much-anticipated rematch with co-league leader Mililani is set for Feb. 7 at Campbell. They close out the home portion of their regular-season slate Feb. 11 when they host Kapolei.

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