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Zion Milare

Maryknoll basketball  •   #12  G  Senior

It was quite the week for Zion Milare and the Maryknoll boys basketball team. 

Milare, a 5-foot-8 senior guard for the Spartans, hit not one, but two game-winning, buzzer-beating shots in a pair of one-point wins in a three-night, mid-week span. He punctuated his prolific week with a game-high 23 points in a road win over then-No. 1 Saint Louis Saturday night. 

"I'm happy he's with us; He's been a blessing," Maryknoll coach Kelly Grant said of Milare, who is averaging a team-best 14.2 points per game in Interscholastic League of Honolulu games this season. 

Milare delivered late-game heroics in much-needed wins over No. 6 Iolani (37-36) Tuesday and then-No. 7 Kamehameha (36-35) two nights later. In both contests, Milare drained a 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation. 

"I think both of them were kind of a broken down play — the second one definitely was a broken down play," Grant recalled. 

He went on to describe the game-winner against the Warriors.

"It was a loose ball, fifty-fifty ball and Kaniala (Woo) got on the ground and tossed it to Zion in the corner and he made the shot, but what was really impressive about that one was he wasn't just standing in one spot waiting for the shot — he was on one side of the court and sprinted around to the other side to get open — so that's a testament to his understanding the situation and knowing how to move without the ball," Grant described. 

Milare's triple from the corner came only 48 hours after his buzzer-beating, straightaway 3 to complete the Spartans' comeback against the Raiders, who led 34-25 after three quarters. 

"Against Iolani he hit the game-winning shot and I showed a little bit of emotion — like, ‘OK, act like we've done this before' — but when he did that again two nights later, I lost it. I mean, I couldn't believe it," Grant exclaimed. "It was the first time in my 35 years of coaching that's ever happened, so it's a special and rare moment and for myself, coaching for so long, there are some things that will be highlighted in your memory bank and that's gonna be one, for sure."

Milare is in his third full varsity season and his second as a starter. He has increased his scoring with each year. As a sophomore Milare averaged 3.8 points per game in ILH play. Last year he posted 7.2 points per game, third-best on the team. This season Milare's 14.2 average leads the Spartans and ranks second among all ILH D1 players. 

"Before the season we had a meeting with him and he set his goals really high. He's put in a lot of hard work over the years and he wanted to have a really good senior season and the ultimate goal for any player — and he mentioned this — is to win a state championship and he's meeting expectations right now; He's playing really well," Grant said. 

Grant went into describing the varied skillset that Milare possesses. 

"He's quick, he's very good with his ball-handling skills — he can dribble and attack the basket equally with both hands — he's able to stop on a dime and pull up for a jump shot, which is one of the things that makes him dangerous. He's hard to defend because he can shoot the 3 and his first step off the dribble is extremely quick," Grant said. 

Although Milare's scoring has garnered much attention, he's worked just as diligently on the defensive end, Grant points out. 

"We tell everybody, yes, offense is important — you gotta score points — but the way he's playing defense has been huge and defense has been the staple of our program over the years and he understands that. He's an extremely good on-ball defender and he's gotten so much at off-ball this year and that's really helping us; His defensive skills are way above average," Grant added. 

Milare put his dual-ability on display in Saturday's 54-36 win over the two-time defending state champion Crusaders in front of a packed house at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletic Center. 

He made four 3-pointers and shot 7 of 8 from the free-throw line and also recorded four steals and three rebounds. 

"That one was just a solid all-around game for him: offense, defense. He took quality shots, which is what we preach. He played very good defense, he just played a complete game," Grant said. 

The win over Saint Louis was Maryknoll's first in nearly three years and gave the Spartans a third straight win after an 0-2 start to the ILH season. 

"(The ILH season) is just a gauntlet. We could have easily been 1-4 right now if Zion hasn't hit those shots," Grant said.

He also made note of the collective ball-handling from the trio of Milare, fellow-senior Hunter Marumoto and junior guard Nixis Yamauchi, a Kamehameha-Hawaii transfer. 

"It's the first year in as long as I can remember that we're consistently under 10 turnovers a game. Nixis, Hunter and Zion are doing a really good job taking care of the ball and keeping our turnovers down while playing the majority of the game," Grant said. 

Grant added that Milare is hopeful of finding an opportunity to play college basketball somewhere.

"He definitely wants to extend his basketball career. He's done the full circuit of summer basketball and traveling and he just needs an opportunity because he's definitely good enough to play. Some coaches tend to get turned off when they see a 5-foot-8 guy, but if you really watch how hard he plays, you'd see how passionate he is and how smart he is, so he can definitely help a team," Grant said. 

Maryknoll, the No. 3 team in this week's ScoringLive Power Rankings, saw its three-game winning streak come to an end with a 52-42 loss to No. 1 Punahou Tuesday night. 

Milare and the Spartans (3-3) will look to bounce back Thursday night at Mid-Pacific. 

BOYS BASKETBALL

Jericho Adolpho, Molokai — Scored 20 points in a win over Lanai and scored 20 points in a win over Lanai 

Alika Aho, University Lab — Scored 17 points in a win over Saint Louis II

Mateo Browning, Roosevelt — Scored 17 points in a win over Farrington

Ivan Domingo, Maui — Scored 19 points in a loss to Baldwin

Bromo Dorn, Seabury Hall — Scored 19 points in a win over Kihei Charter

Timothy Dorn, Mililani — Scored 17 points in a win over Waianae 

Josh Ellis, Campbell — Scored 20 points in a win over Aiea

Logan Godbey, Kealakehe — Scored 21 points in win overChristian Liberty 

Jayden Hook, Kohala — Scored 30 points with 12 rebounds, one steal anda block in a win over Honokaa 

Miles Hornage, Campbell — Scored 17 points in a loss to Nanakuli

Kache Kaio, Kahuku — Scored 26 points with 10 rebounds, two seals, one assist and a block in a win over Moanalua 

Keaka Kauhane, Kapaa — Scored 17 points in a loss to Island School

Layden Kauka, Kohala — Scored 18 points with six rebounds, two steals, one assist and a block in a win over Honokaa 

Isaiah Kimbrough, Moanalua — Scored 16 points with 14 rebounds, two blocks, one assist and one steal in a loss to Kaimuki 

Tramir Ladipo, Moanalua — Scored 17 points with six rebounds and one steal in a loss to Kahuku

Mana Lau Kong, Iolani — Scored 14 points with 10 rebounds, one assist and a steal in a win ove Kamehameha 

Kelani Lewis, Waimea — Scored 21 points, including five 3-pointers, in a loss to Kapa

Heath Lopez, Molokai — Scored 18 points a win over Lanai

Daysen Lupica, Kaimuki — Scored 19 points with 11 assists, three rebounds, three steals and a block in a win over Moanalua 

Joaquin Manaligod, Kalani — Scored 18 points in a win over Kaiser 

Logan Mason, Mid-Pacific — Scored 18 points in a loss to Saint Lois 

Ronin Naihe, Kahuku — Scored 23 points, including five 3-pointers,in a win over McKinley 

Abraham Ogata, Konawaena — Scored 25 points in a win over Waiakea 

Stefan Ognjanovic, Aiea — Scored 22 points in a loss to Kapolei and scored 19 points in a loss to Campbell 

Joshua Rego, Kauai — Scored 20 points in a win over Island School and scored 20 points in a win over Waimea 

Joshua Schutter, Kalaheo — Scored 17 points in a win over Kaimuki 

Tristen Scully, Kapaa — Scored 17 points, including five 3-pointers, in a win over Waimea 

Eli Shibuya, Hawaii Baptist — Scored 31 points in a loss to Le Jardin 

Mathew Shigetani, Hawaii Baptist — Scored 17 points in a win over Iolani II 

Raiden Silva, Damien — Scored 18 points in a win over Le Jardin 

Lucas Summerhays, Island School — Scored 21 points, including five 3-pointers, in a loss to Kauai and scored 22 points in a win over Kapaa 

Jackson Swirsky, Le Jardin — Scored 18 points in a win over Hawaii Baptist 

James Taras, Punahou — Scored 18 points in a win over Kamehameha

Kaizen Torres-Umi-Napoleon, Molokai — Scored 17 points in a win over Lanai 

Trey Toyama, Kaiser — Scored 18 points in a loss to Farrington 

Ayndra Uperesa-Thomas, Punahou — Scored 17 points in a win over Saint Louis and scored 19 points in a win over Mid-Pacific 

Brennan Wastell, Kapolei — Scored 17 points in a win over Aiea 

Jeremiah White, Kaimuki — Scored 20 points with nine assists, seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks in a win over Moanalua and scored 25 points in a loss to Kalaheo 

Caden Williams, Radford — Scored 24 points in a win over Waialua and scored 21 points in a win over Waipahu 

Twain Wilson, Leilehua — Scored 19 points in a win over Waianae 

Tyree Wilson, Leilehua — Scored 18 points in a win over Waianae 

BOYS SOCCER

Logan Aurio, Kapolei — Scored four goals in a win over Nanakuli Christopher Choy, Saint Louis — Scored two goals in a win over Le Jardin 

Elijah Hayes, Moanalua — Scored two goals in a win over Kalaheo 

William Henderson, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored two goals in a win over Kealakehe 

Manoa Joao Monteiro, Pearl City — Scored five goals in a win over Leilehua and scored four goals in a win over Waialua 

Landen Kauhi, Roosevelt — Scored two goals and assisted on another in a win over Kaimuki 

Roen McGuire, Kaiser — Recorded eight saves in goal in a loss to Kalani 

Levi Miyabuchi, Moanalua — Scored three goals in a win over McKinley 

Aziah Nelson, Waiakea — Scored two goals in a win over Honokaa and scored four goals in a win over Makua Lani 

Omar Perez, Kapaa — Scored the lone goal in a win over Island School 

Connor Reece, Kailua — Scored two goals in a win over Farrington 

Sye Sandobal, Aiea — Scored two goals in a win over Waianae 

Barnabas Voros, Radford — Scored five goals in a win over Nanakuli and scored four goals in a win over Waipahu 

Caleb Whetten, Kahuku — Scored three goals in a win over Farrington 

Keanu Huihui

KS-Hawaii basketball  •   #24  F/C  Senior

Whether it's with her play or with her words, Keanu Huihui is the unquestioned leader of the Kamehameha-Hawaii girls basketball team. 

Huihui, a 6-foot senior post and three-year starter for the Warriors, has been a steady force on the hardwood this winter. Huihui is averaging a gaudy 26.6 points per game in the regular season for Kamehameha-Hawaii (10-0), which sits in first place atop the Division II standings in the Big Island Interscholastic Federation. 

"She's aggressive," said second-year Warriors coach Donald Yamada. "She wants to go from top to bottom and attack the basket. Sometimes she'll post up with her back to the basket, but majority of the time she's like a freight train going from top to bottom."

The progression has taken years for Huihui to get to this point. Yamada believes much of the intangibles that Huihui possesses comes from the fact that she grew up playing against boys often times, including younger brother Kawohi, a sophomore on the KS-Hawaii boys basketball team. 

"That pretty much got her to what she is today: playing and practicing against boys. It got her pretty damn tough. She would get hit around, pushed around even being 6-feet tall, but when she goes against girls her size or smaller, it made her a lot stronger against them. That toughened her up physically and emotionally and now going against girls her size or her caliber, she's not afraid to take the hits or attack the basket; She won't be afraid to put a little more physicality into that," Yamada affirmed. 

Another byproduct of her hard-nosed upbringing is Huihui's ability to handle the basketball in high-pressure situations. 

"She plays against boys in summer league and against her brother over the years and it shows what she's developed with her ball-handling skills. Her handles are really good and she's not afraid to attack anybody. I would say she's one of the better ball handlers on the island," Yamada described. 

With her height, however, Huihui has had to learn to be smart with her how she imposes her physicality against often-smaller defenders. 

"That's showed up in a few games this season for us where she's going straight downhill toward the basket and gets called for (charging) fouls that probably wouldn't have been a foul against anybody her own size and even on defense, she's had to learn that when people are coming downhill that she can't just be a wall and expect not to get called for a foul — just because of how she's standing taller than everybody and it makes it look a lot worse than it really is — so she's gotten smart about how to use that toughness and gotten very good at that," Yamada distinguished. 

For as skilled as Huihui is on the basketball court, it's the steady and consistent leadership that she brings to the Warriors that Yamada speaks most highly of. 

"Every time we've asked her for something we need — defense, leadership, points, rebounds — she's stepped up and answered that call every single time. As a leader she's the voice on the court making sure that everybody is on the same page. I'm just impressed with how her leadership has grown leaps and bounds from last year and how well she's taken on that role. If not for her leadership on the court, we're not where we are today," Yamada said. 

Kamehameha-Hawaii pulled off an upset of momental proportions early last week and Huihui had a huge hand in it. She scored a game-high 22 points, including 17 after halftime, to lead the Warriors to a stunning 63-62 win over perennial state contender Konawaena. 

Huihui also grabbed seven offensive rebounds to help KS-Hawaii snap the Wildcats' 42-game league winning streak that dated back to 2019. 

"We knew it would be a test for us to see where we stand and it kind of gave these girls life knowing that we can compete and play with the best so I'm glad this senior group got to have this with the work that they've put in. That game could have gone either way no matter how we put it, but I'm glad this group did it with all the adversity within the game with everything that was going in Kona's favor," Yamada said. 

Beyond her scoring and rebounding, Huihui also influenced the game on the defensive end, where she serves as the top defender in the Warriors' staple 1-2-2 zone defense. 

"Her length makes it difficult for teams to pass it over the top and her just being long and tall keeps them on one side of the court and it's difficult for some teams to match up on that," Yamada explained. 

In addition to her work on both ends, it was, once again, Huihui's work in-between plays and in huddles that pushed the Warriors over the top. 

"As tough as that game was and the adversity we had to fight through from the first half, there was a point that Keanu said, ‘Coach, I got it. Leave us alone, I'm talking to them,' and it was like, ‘Oh, OK,' that's what impressed me the most, especially in a game like that," Yamada said. "That made me proud, how she handled that. By the end of the game she was both mentally and physically exhausted but she was giving and giving and giving and that won't show up in no box score. She did all those extra things to make sure we were still in it."

After she averaged 25.1 points per game in BIIF play last season to earn First Team All-Hawaii honors, Huihui, who has signed to play at UH-Hilo, has set her sights even higher this year. 

"If she continues what she's doing, she'll be player of the year in the BIIF and player of the year in the state and who knows, maybe lead us to a D2 state championship?," Yamada said. "Starting from last year all the way up until now, Keanu has been the biggest piece to this team with her skill development and her leadership and her hunger to be the best on this island and even the state. She's a competitor who doesn't want to lose at any aspect of the game; She just wants to win at all costs."

Kamehameha-Hawaii, the lone remaining undefeated BIIF team, moved into the ScoringLive Power Rankings at the No. 10 spot this week. 

Huihui poured in 30 points and fellow-senior co-captain Maela Honma had 32 to lead the Warriors in a 76-39 win over Hawaii Prep Monday night. 

KS-Hawaii continues league play against Honokaa Wednesday night. 

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Shynastee Ahina, Hawaiian Mission — Scored 24 points in a win over Island Pacific 

Isabella Arrisgado, Maryknoll — Scored 15 points in a win over Hanalani 

Isabelle Baker, Kaiser — Scored 16 points in a loss to Kailua 

Adalyn Ballard, Parker — Scored 15 points in a loss to Hawaii Prep 

Briley Ballard, Parker — Scored 16 points in a loss to Hawaii Prep 

Gabby Bowles, St. Andrew's — Scored 26 points in a win over La Pietra 

Shayniah Cabato-Machado, Farrington — Scored 19 points in a win over Castle 

Jazlyn Corpus, Kauai — Scored 20 points, including five 3-pointers, in a loss to Waimea 

Lola Donez, Lahainaluna — Scored 19 points in a win over Kamehameha-Maui 

Miyah Galdeira, Kailua — Scored 15 points in a win over Kaiser 

Kaitea Galletes, Konawaena — Scored 20 points in a win over Christian Liberty 

Hunter Garcia, Farrington — Scored 20 points in a win over Castle 

Trinity Guillen, Kapaa — Scored 16 points in a win over Waimea 

Madison Guillermo, Maryknoll — Scored 17 points in a win over University Lab 

Puaena Harrington, Waiakea — Scored 17 points in a win over Parker

Tavina Harris, Konawaena — Scored 24 points in a win over Christian Liberty

Amelia Heimuli, Waipahu — Scored 24 points in a win over Waialua 

Maela Honma, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored 19 points in a win over Konawaena 

Kiani Hoolulu, Kailua — Scored 19 points in a win over Roosevelt 

Leila Hooper-Phifer, Molokai — Scored 15 points in a loss to Lanai 

Haley Hosino, McKinley — Scored 19 points in a win over Kaimuki 

Telia Iaeli, Honokaa — Scored 16 points in a win over Keaau 

Veniza Jackson, Lanai — Scored 26 points in a win over Molokai 

Makana Kamakeeaina, Kahuku — Scored 18 points in a win over Roosevelt 

Kassi Kaneshiro, Hawaiian Mission — Scored 15 points in a win over Island Pacific 

Olivia Malafu, Kapaa — Scored 25 points in a win over Kauai 

Jolie Mantz, Waiakea — Scored 22 points in a win over Parker 

Hailey Mata, Waimea — Scored 19 points in a loss to Kapaa and scored 17 points in a win over Kauai 

Maesha Muaau, Nanakuli — Scored 16 points in a win over Mililani 

Taysia Molina-Schulte, Campbell — Scored 20 points in a win over Waianae and scored 25 points in a win over Kapolei 

Heather Neumann, Baldwin — Scored 19 points in a loss to Maui 

Rheanna Nobleza, Moanalua — Scored 16 points in a win over Kalaheo 

Cayden Parado, Campbell — Scored 18 points in a win over Kapolei 

Makelah Richardson, Roosevelt — Scored 21 points in a loss to Kailua and scored 15 points in a loss to Kahuku 

Brooke Samura, Hawaii Prep — Scored 36 points with nine steals, seven rebounds and four assists in a win over Kau, scored 44 points with nine rebounds, three steals and one assist in a win over Parker and scored 42 points in a win over Keaau

Ava Santos, Waiakea — Scored 16 points in a win over Parker 

Jaycelyn Shinagawa, Mililani — Scored 15 points in a win over Kapolei 

Lilyanah-Tiare Tavale, Kapolei — Scored 15 points in a loss to Campbell 

Rylee Velasquez, Honokaa — Scored 21 points in a win over Keaau 

Jirah Villanueva, Radford — Scored 23 points in a win over Pearl City 

Tailele Wily-Ava, Kahuku — Scored 22 points in a win over Roosevelt 

Kenna Wengler, Damien — Scored 20 points in a win over University Lab 

Karma Westbrook-Cueto, Waianae — Scored 16 points in a loss to Radford 

GIRLS SOCCER 

Czhallen Absher, Nanakuli — Scored three goals in a win over Radford 

Amanda Ancheta, Iolani — Scored two goals in a win over Damien 

Ashlyn Dowda-Gates, PAC-5 — Scored three goals in a win over Damien 

Anuhea Ilae, Punahou — Scored two goals in a win over Kamehameha 

Deizha Lyn Jacinto, Waipahu — Scored three goals in a win over Waialua 

Kekai Lansdale, Hawaii Prep — Scored four goals in a win over Keaau 

Lana Mahi-Murray, Waiakea — Scored three goals in a win over Honokaa 

Kayla Manipon, Campbell — Scored two goals in a win over Waianae 

Kira-May Nosse, Kalani — Scored the lone goal in a win over Kaiser 

Jayda Smith, Baldwin — Scored three goals in a win over Lahainaluna