Chargers Gain Experience In Busy Summer Schedule

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Should the Pearl City girls’ basketball team once again be in the mix in the Oahu Interscholastic Association’s Western Division race next season, the Chargers will likely look back on their busy summer schedule of ‘07 as a contributing factor.

Pearl City’s varsity team competed in the Kalaheo Summer League while its junior varsity took part in Roosevelt’s Summer League this past month.With a large crop of incoming sophomores likely to fill roster spots in the fall, many of Pearl City’s players were able to take part in both leagues.

“It’s been a great summer for us,” Pearl City coach Mike Morton said. “The girls have bought into the program, and they’ve shown a lot of improvement. They’re coming together. We have mostly sophomores and seniors, so there’s a big (age) gap between the two groups, but they’re all working together. Their strength is their effort.”

For their part, the Chargers will enter the 2007-08 season as one of the more noteworthy teams to track in the OIA. The last team to win the West before Radford began its ongoing string of four consecutive West regular-season titles, the Chargers went 8-4 last season and are heavy on young talent. Pearl City finished third behind Hawaii-Select and Kamehameha in Kalaheo’s Summer League recently and was to participate in the league’s post-season over the weekend.Hawaii-Select is an all-star team coached by Kalaheo boys’ (and former girls’ ) coach Chico Furtado. Radford and Kalaheo were also part of the Mustangs’ Summer League, making for a competitive field akin to what the Chargers normally face during their OIA West regular season.

“Summer League gave us the time to get the girls a lot of experience,” Morton said.“A lot of new girls had a chance to get a lot more playing time, so it’s been a positive thing for us. They’re still trying to find their roles.”

In Jazmin Pahukoa-Malia,Desiree Luis and Tiffany Gadingan, the Chargers lost a solid trio of players to graduation recently, but Morton sees more balance with his current group on the offensive end.

“In every game, we’ve had someone else step up as our leading scorer, so it hasn’t been like one person has been having to carry the load,” Morton said.

Pearl City’s best offense has been its defense in recent years, but Morton saw more assertiveness collectively from his team this past month, offensively. Among the relative newcomers he expects to provide more offense is sophomore-to-be Jordan Ahakuelo, who was the leading scorer on the Chargers’junior varsity in the spring.

“She’s a scorer - she can do a little bit of everything,“Morton said of Ahakuelo.“She can shoot from the outside, and she can drive. That’s a big asset for us because we’ve struggled to score at times the past few years.”

Kaiona Auyong, Tearaina Meyer and Ariel Komomua also have figured big in Pearl City’s rotation this summer.Auyong, who will be a senior next season, was the team’s second leading scorer last year at 10 points per game. She played as a power forward the past three years but is making the transition this summer to the back court.

“It’s a little different role for her - she’s gone through some growing pains, but she’s doing well overall,“Morton said of Auyong.“She’s scoring a little more.

“Tearaina has been logging a lot of minutes, and she’s improved a whole lot since last year,” he continued of Meyer.“She’s really taken to the game, and we look forward to her getting better and better. She can be a force. Ariel is a slasher. She loves an assist, but we’d like her to shoot a little more, and she’s been doing that. Overall, it’s a team with a lot of potential, and we’re looking forward to the coming year.”