Harrison’s Surfriders: A Different Team With A New Defense
By Jack Danilewicz
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When coach Tim Harrison sized up the bracket for this week’s OIA Division II post-season tournament, he knew Kailua would have to go the long, hard route.
The silver lining is that should they secure one of the league’s two state tournament berths, they’ll come out of the fray seasoned enough to make some noise.
For the present, however, Kailua (10-2) only has eyes for Wednesday’s opponent, Nanakuli, whom they host at approximately 7 p.m.
Kailua is the defending DII state basketball champion from last year, lest anyone forget, but Harrison is quick to point out that only one starter - senior Corey Lau - is back in the lineup from that team.
“It’s a different team,” he said. Indeed, Kailua also is a different team than the one that beat Nanakuli 57-53 on the road back on Jan. 25.
“We’re playing our best basketball right now, but I think we also can play better. Nanakuli is going to be a tough game. They’re very athletic, and we need to play defense and not let them get easy baskets. They can shoot three(-pointer)s.
“The game will be decided on the defensive side.We need to play better defense, and I think we will. We’re a different team now.”
A win over the Golden Hawks on Wednesday would give them another shot at Waianae in a tournament semifinal Thursday. The Seariders are the No.1 seed out of the West and handed Kailua one of only two losses for the season.
“We weren’t prepared last time when we played them, and they took it to us,” Harrison said of a 74-65 loss at Waianae Jan.16.“Hopefully, we will be this time if we get there.”
Wins over both Nanakuli and Waianae would send Kailua into Saturday’s championship game (5 p.m., OC-16) and earn the program one of the OIA’s two seeds for the DII State Tournament, set for March 3-6 at various sites.
On paper, it may look as if Kailua picked up where it left off last year when it defeated Castle in the state finals, but there’s no direct line to a repeat performance.
“We’re in the rebuilding mode, with only three seniors and only one starting, but we have some really good young kids,“Harrison said.“It’s a nice mix.”
If they can maintain their recent level of defensive play, their ability to create opportunities on offense could get them over the hump.
“Offensively, we’re settling in now, and we’ve been playing better,” said Harrison, who also had high praise for assistant coaches Tony Hoolulu and Jeff McGivern. “We’re pushing the ball more, and we’ve been shooting (and converting on) more threes. If we can continue to do that, we’ll be OK.”
Lau has been the catalyst to date with his play at the point. “He picks up the pace of the game when he’s in there. He’s a very intense guy. He’s quick and handles the ball exceptionally well. He also plays good on-the-ball defense.”
Lau is joined by Isaiah Vasconcellos, Rhys Nakakura, Ethan Mahaulu and Chevy Mikaele. Six-foot-3 center Jordan Decourte, the leading scorer, also figures big in the rotation, along with Luis Valenzuela and Austin Tilton.
Kailua had exactly one week to prepare for Wednesday’s OIA tourney opener after ending White Conference play with a riveting overtime road win over Roosevelt last Tuesday, 55-47. Kailua sent that game into overtime on a shot with less than three seconds left.
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