Surfriders Ride Defense Into Div. II State Tournament
By Jack Danilewicz
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Del.icio.usAlthough the Kailua boys team is a relative newcomer to the DII State Basketball Tournament - it’s their third time since 1982 - it’s ideally built for post-season.
Size and quickness are a good mix, after all, especially on a team with a defensive mind-set. “Our defense is what runs us - we win with defense,“coach Tim Harrison said. “We’ve been able to be consistent there.We can score if we put a game together. We’ve played some great quarters, but not a full game. We’re still looking for that.”
There’s no better time than now. Pairings for the tournament, which runs Wednesday through Saturday at various sites, were to be released late Sunday afternoon. Kailua was anticipating earning either the OIA’s first or second seed. The Surfriders entered the weekend with a 13-2 mark,having defeated Castle 65-54 last Thursday night in an OIA championship round game. The teams were to meet again in a winner-take-all title game Saturday. Kailua had entered the OIA Tournament as the No. 1 seed out of the East ahead of Castle, which was the only team to defeat Kailua to date, winning two of their four games heading into last weekend.
Kailua’s state tourney appearance is a real boost, as it had made the play-in game for the OIA’s final berth three times during Harrison’s tenure, only to lose.
“We’re very happy to be where we are,“he said.“Hopefully we can have a good showing. It will be a good tournament with the teams from the ILH and the outer islands.”
While counting on defense for scores, they’ve been able to use their balance to gain an edge in most games. They also compare with most opponents in size, producing a lineup at times that includes players stretching to 6-foot-4.
“With our size and quickness, we can match up,” said Harrison, who is assisted by Tony Hoolulu, Tyler Harrison and Jeff McGivern. “It helps to have guys coming off of the bench who have the same kind of size, obviously. The one thing about this team is that different guys have stepped up to be our leading scorer. We haven’t had anyone consistently be the best guy all of the time.”
Lately, the starters have included Corey Lau, Kenny Ellis, Dylan Farias, Ali’i Kaiama and Kauila Miller, the team’s defensive leader.
“Kauila is a guy we rely on on the defensive side,” Harrison said of Miller, a Kamehameha transfer who tallied a game-high 16 points in the win over Roosevelt last week.“He’s our stopper. With his length and quickness, he can slow a guy up.”
Ellis has averaged 10 rebounds a game through 13 games to lead the team. He was a First Team All-Conference selection for Kailua in Division I in 2007-08.
Farias and Lau transferred from Demascus High (Maryland) and Saint Louis School, respectively, and have fit in nicely for the Surfriders. “Dylan runs our offense. He’s been in a little bit of a shooting slump, but once he gets that going again, we’ll be tough. Corey’s extremely quick - he’s a great ballhandler, and he also plays great onthe-ball defense.”
Chevy Mikaele, Calen Friel, Rhys Nakakura,Luis Valenzuela,Tesi Fisilau and Jordan Decorte have also contributed for the Surfriders.
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