Mililani rolls past Kaiser to reach OIA Division I semifinals

Mililani’s Tui Tukimaka (0) shoots the ball against Kaiser during the first quarter of the OIA Division I Boys Basketball Championship quarterfinals at Mililani HS Gymnasium. CJ Caraang | SL

The drive for five continues.

Mililani pressed its size advantage and let its defense do the rest in a 59-29 win over Kaiser to reach yet another OIA Division I semifinals, taking the Trojans one step closer to reaching a fifth straight league title game.

"It would be our fifth OIA championship apppearance, we've won one (league title) but it's hard for a team to make it to five straight championship games," junior guard Tui Tukimaka explained. "That's really been the first goal for us."

Title game appearance or not, the Trojans are once again headed to the Division I state tournament regardless.

Tukimaka led the way with a game-high 13 points, but Mililani took control of the contest mainly through exploiting a decided size advantage, as Richard Windsor and Taye Marxen kept possessions alive with offensive boards and strong finishes on the blocks.

"When we've faced teams that aren't very big they kind of face guard us," Tukimaka remarked. "So we have certain sets we run."

Winsdor eventually was hampered by foul trouble, but had 10 points and five rebounds and hit a three-point dagger that stretched the margin early. He, along with Marxen (five points, eight rebounds) simply overmatched the Cougars' front line for much of the evening.

"Rich has been a great player for us, he can go in and out, and him and Taye did well on the boards," said Tukimaka.

Mililani built its lead to double-digits by halftime, and broke the game open in the final quarter, allowing its bench to be emptied in the final minutes. Speaking of the Trojans' bench, its reserves contributed 26 points, just three less than the Cougars' total, led by Paul Gardner with nine and Bronson Lei who added seven.

Kaiser was led by Kyler Larson (seven points, two threes) and Mason Hill (six points, 6 of 6 FTs), despite both players coming off the bench.

Mililani will face off with East top seed Kailua in the semifinals, while Kaiser takes on Moanalua at home with a ticket to states on the line. Both games are set for Monday.