Lunas, Farmers advance to state semis

By Fred Guzman

MauiNow.com

The top two teams in the MIL showed they are worthy of lofty expectations in the state girls’ basketball tournaments by registering decisive quarterfinal victories Wednesday night. As a result, both teams advanced into Thursday’s semifinals.

Second-seeded Lahainaluna meets No. 3 Puhanou in a 7 o’clock Division-I game at the Blaisdell Arena that will be televised on OC 16.

Top-seeded Molokai faces Kahuku in a 5 o’clock D-II game at Kalani High.

The Lunas jumped out to a 21-6 lead after one quarter and romped past Roosevelt, 68-46. Maiki Viela had 23 points and four steals before fouling out, while Milika Taufa added 17 points and 15 rebounds.

In other D-I quarterfinal games, Punahou held on for a 55-50 win over Waiakea, while unseeded Iolani beat No. 4 Farrington 63-58 in overtime to set up a semifinal showdown with top-seeded Konawaena, which romped to a 59-31 win over Kapolei.

Molokai rode a monster performance by junior center Kalei Adolpho in a 67-56 win over Kaiser. Adolpho had 24 points, 21 rebounds and three blocks for the defending state champs, while Dana-Lynn Juario-Hooper added 21 points.

In other D-II quarterfinal games, Kahuku crushed No. 4 Kamehameha-Hawaii 67-48, while No. 2 Kaimuki routed HPA 56-28 and Kapaa upset No. 3 Sacred Hearts 64-49.

The MIL’s two other entries were eliminated after suffering losses in the consolation brackets. D-I Baldwin fell 50-39 to Pearl City and D-II Seabury lost 48-35 against University High.

BOY’S HOOPS: There’s only one guarantee going into Thursday’s semifinals of the MIL boy’s basketball tournaments at War Memorial Gym:

Lahainaluna is assured of a berth in the state hoopfest. The MIL’s two other spots at states remain up for grabs, as are both of the league’s overall titles

Although the Lunas are the top seed in D-I, they are coming off a stunning loss to previously winless King Kekaulike over the weekend, giving the other teams renewed hope.

Lahainaluna is seeking to avoid a playoff for the overall title. The Lunas meet Maui High in the 6 p.m. semifinal. The Sabers stayed alive with a 43-25 play-in victory over Kekaulike on Wednesday.

The game with seemingly the most on the line Thursday tips off at 7:30. Barring an upset loss by the Lunas, Kamehameha and Baldwin will meet in a virtual state qualifying contest and, as an added bonus, the winner also will keep alive its hopes of forcing a playoff for the overall title by winning the MIL tournament.

Both of the D-I games will be aired on Maui’s ESPN 550.

Seabury steamrolled through its D-II schedule to win the regular-season title and is an overwhelming favorites to dominate the MIL tournament, as well. The Spartans meet Hana at 3 o’clock. The Dragons overcame a five-point halftime deficit for a 41-31 over St. Anthony. Molokai and Lanai meet in the 4:30 semifinal.