Frustrating day for MIL basketball teams

By Fred Guzman

It was a highly frustrating Thursday for the MIL in the state boys basketball tournaments.

By the time the night was over, all three MIL teams had suffered losses. One was ousted from the competition and the two still standing had been relegated to the consolation brackets of their respective divisions.

To its credit, Baldwin put on a much better performance after being routed 86-38 by Kamehameha-Oahu in its opener on Wednesday.

On Thursday, against a Roosevelt team that was more comparable to the Bears in talent, Baldwin led by three points going into the final period.

But the Bears managed just three points over the final eight minutes to suffer a 39-36 setback in a Division-I consolation game.

Fourth-seeded Lahainaluna overcame a slow start against highly-touted Kahuku and came within a missed offensive tip of reducing its deficit to five points late in the fourth quarter before suffering a 66-56 quarterfinal loss despite a 24-point effort by senior guard Luke Willimas.

The Lunas meet Radford in a 1 p.m. consolation game today at the Stan Sheriff Center.

In a D-II quarterfinal, Seabury Hall took a three-point lead into the final period only to be outscored 26-19 in the fourth quarter and suffered a 55-51 loss. The Spartans next play against McKinley in a 5 o’clock consolation game at Kalanai High.

While MIL teams were finding the going tough, the final fours are set for today in both divisions of the state’s oldest prep championship event.

In Division-I, three teams from the powerful ILH qualified for the semifinals. Academy of the Pacific will tangle with Kamehameha-Oahu at 5 p.m. followed by a 7 o’clock battle of the Raiders featuring top-seeded Iolani and Kahuku.

AOP, the new kids on the state prep hoops block, advanced with a 51-50 comeback win over second-seeded Moanalua. Kamehameha followed up its opening rout of Baldwin with an 80-51 romp past its cousins from the Big Island.

On the other side of the D-I bracket, Iolani put on a clinic at the expense of overmatched Radford, routing the Rams 64-24.

In the D-II semifinals at Kaimuki, second-seeded Pahoa of the Big Island will meet No. 3 Island Pacific of the ILH at 5, followed by Farrington of the OIA versus University High of the ILH at 7.

Pahoa needed overtime to defeat McKinley 68-64. Farrington held off St. Joseph and University defeated Kapaa of Kauai in Thursday’s other championship bracket games.

The tournament concludes on Saturday with all games set for the Stan Sheriff Center.