Lady Mustangs: Tough Games Ahead In OIA Basketball
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usFor the Kalaheo girls basketball team, first priority on game night is to get out of their own way. Not that they don’t value the chance to scout an opponent, but head coach Jac Thomas points out the emphasis is always on his own team.
“You are your worst enemy,“said Thomas, whose team took a 1-1 record into the weekend. “That’s us in a nutshell. It’s the same story. We have to play our game. We have to focus on not making mistakes and be consistent in doing the right things, and we can’t have lapses.”
Although the OIA White Conference race is still fresh, this week still should figure big in the regular season. Kalaheo, which was to meet an up-and-coming Kaiser team Tuesday, hosts Leilehua Thursday and travels to Kaimuki Friday. The meeting with Leilehua is the only regular-season game between the schools, while the Mustangs will get another crack at both Kaiser and Kaimuki since they also play in the East region. For their part, the Mustangs hope for a solid first round that would position them nicely for the second round. Moreover, both teams should offer a formidable challenge.
Of the matchups, Saturday’s game at Kaimuki figures to have a more direct impact on the league race. The Bulldogs certainly got everyone’s attention in their league-opener Jan. 3 be defeating Kahuku 54-48. While the Red Raiders were not at full strength for that game, having had a handful of key players including Nile Te’o off island for volleyball, Thomas was still impressed with Kaimuki, which has one of Division II’s top guards in Olivia Phommachanh as well as arguably the OIA’s top freshman in Dejah Fa’asoa, who scored a game-high 22 points in the win.
“Kaimuki looks strong,“Thomas admitted.“They were prepared for Kahuku when they played them. Their preparation is what accounted for their win. They put their players in a position, defensively, to limit them to one shot.”
Kalaheo, which won its opener over Nanakuli (49-27) before dropping a game to Kahuku (69-56) last Wednesday, went 3-4 in pre-season. They were without point guard Kourtni Thomas for four preseason games, but she’s back at 100 percent and has played in all of the team’s OIA contests.
A two-year starter for Kalaheo, she brings a string of 28 straight starts into Thursday’s game with Leilehua and helps set the Mustangs’ pace.
“As a team, I feel like we’re coming around,” Kourtni said. “With each game, we’re learning how to play with each other. We’re all close friends, and you can tell in a game.”
On that note, the Mustangs credited a Maui trip just before Christmas with helping their cohesiveness. “We gained a lot of trust on the Maui trip,“Jac Thomas said.
In addition to Kourtni Thomas at the point guard spot, the starting lineup also features Hi’i Olson, Kaua Cale, Caira Pires and center Nicole Cobb, while Mele Adams, Jordy Smith and Tiffany Harada are all in the rotation. Cale scored 17 points to lead Kalaheo in scoring in its opener, while Cobb added 10.
The Mustangs also will face a balanced team in Leilehua on Thursday. The Mules had 13 different players score in their win over Waipahu last week, led by Chelsea Fontes’ 11. Leilehua had lost 35-21 to Kaimuki in its league opener.
“Leilehua has some tall girls, and they have a guard who can really shoot,” coach Thomas said.“They were in our tournament, so we had a chance to see them play. If we can play good man-to-man defense, I think we’ll be OK.”
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