Kailua senior forward Naia Graham and Kaimuki sophomore guard Victoria Kintz led their respective teams to a league championship last week. ScoringLive photo illustration

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Male Athlete of the Week: Naia Graham, Kailua soccer
Scoring goals has never been difficult for Naia Graham.

As evidenced by Waipahu Saturday — who Graham torched for four goals to lead Kailua to a 6-0 win for the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division II championship — the senior forward has put the ball in the back of the net many times, but facilitating often hasn't come as easy for Graham.

Graham, a member of both the Honolulu Bulls soccer club and Olympic Development Program, already had a decorated prep career that includes co-player of the year honors in the Oahu Interscholastic Association Eastern Division last season, but his coach felt there was room for improvement elsewhere.

"His whole focus has been, since the first day I met him as a freshman, was all about scoring goals," Kailua coach Steve Dignam said. "I've tried to work with him as far as becoming a more complete player. He's off the chart as far as ball skills, but at some point he will run into a team with really good defenders and he'll have to lay the ball off and let somebody else score for the good of the team, and he's done that his year."

Dignam recalls a conversation with Kalani coach Michael Ching during Graham's freshman year.

"His first (high school) game was against Kalani and Mike and I were exchanging pleasantries after the game and he said 'that number 10 is a really good player, but he needs to get everyone around him playing better,' and that's what I've been trying to get him to understand," Dignam said.

That's just what Graham, who has scholarship offers from Cal State Fullerton, Chico State and Notre Dame de Namur, has done over the past four season, according to Dignam. He has scored a league-best 25 goals this year.

"If my guys can defend against him, they don't have a problem against some of these other players," said Dignam, who coached the Surfriders to a D2 league title in 2010. "He's so competitive. He wants to win, he wants to score goals and he's a real talent."

Dignam said Graham's focus began to change after his sophomore year.

"Last year, it surprised me — almost stunned me — because we talked about him being the leading goal scorer and he said 'I don't care about that, I want to win championships,' and I thought 'this is not the same guy I knew three years ago," Dignam said. "He's matured and it's good to see. He's one of our leaders, one of our captains."

Having a star player can be a bit of a distraction, as well, Dignam said.

"The one drawback of having him is that the other players often get mesmerized and watch and stand around instead of getting down the field and supporting him," Dignam said. "We have to remind them that he's not Superman, although he will do fabulous things sometimes, we still have to support and have those other guys there."

Graham and the Surfriders will have two weeks off before taking part in the eight-team Outrigger Hotels & Resorts Division II Boys Soccer State Championships at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex.

Female Athlete of the Week: Victoria Kintz, Kaimuki basketball
The past year has marked a lot of firsts for Victoria Kintz.

The sophomore is in her first year of school Kaimuki, after transferring from Mid-Pacific Institute, and is a first-year starter for the girls' basketball team, which captured its first league title since 2010 with Saturday's 45-43 win over Castle in the championship final of the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division II Tournament.

As she has been all season for the Bulldogs, Kintz was instrumental in the win. The 5-foot-5 guard scored a game-high 20 points and had five assists, two rebounds and a steal.

"She works hard, she tries everything I ask of her and I do depend on her a lot," Kaimuki coach Mona Faasoa said. "She's really the only basketball player on my team. The rest are volleyball players, softball players, but she leads them very well as a sophomore. She still has a lot to grow, but she's come a long way."

Kintz shot 8 of 12 from the field (75 percent), including a perfect 6 of 6 on 2-pointers, and made 6 of 8 from the free-throw line. She is averaging 17.4 points per game this season, which ranks second in the OIA D2.

"It was a slow start. This is just her first year playing for me, so it's different and she's still trying to adapt," Faasoa said. "I had to bench her a couple of games — one game just to make her understand just how important her role is on the team — but I feel it's been a tremendous success on her part."

On six different occasions this season Kintz has broken the 20-point plateau, including a season-high 26 twice.

"She brings the offense to the team," Faasoa said. "We basically don't have great shooters, we don't have slashes, we just have girls who hustle, so we try to base our team off of defense. We have one offensive player and the rest of the team has to play solid defense. She's adapted a lot faster than I thought she would, honestly, and she's become a better basketball player."

Faasoa said Kintz got a jumpstart on the transition by playing under her during summer league.

"We kind of got to understand each other. It's a growing process, like it is for every kid going into a new program," Faasoa said. "Even from then she understood her role of trying to make everybody better, because by herself she won't win any games — and she knows that — and from the summer till now, her game has improved tremendously."

Kintz and the Bulldogs, who are seeded fourth in this week's New City Nissan/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division II State Championships, have a first-round bye Tuesday and will take on the Molokai-University winner at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

BOYS BASKETBALL
Taje Akaka, Baldwin — Scored 25 points in a loss to Maui

David Benevedes, Castle — Scored 24 points in a loss to Farrington

Anson Canencia, University High — Scored 18 points in a loss to Damien

Kamanao Dureg, Anuenue — Scored 17 points in a loss to Farrington

Kekoa Fields, Mililani — Scored 17 points in a win over Radford

Kaleb Gilmore, Kalaheo — Scored 20 points in a win over Roosevelt and scored 21 points in a win over Moanalua

Joseph Gouty, Leilehua — Scored 17 points in a win over Campbell

Avery Guillermo, Maryknoll II — Scored 18 points in a win over Iolani II

Kupaa Harrison, Kalaheo — Scored 19 points in a win over Moanalua

BJ Hosaka, Hawaii Baptist — Scored 29 points in a win over Saint Francis and scored 23 points in a win over Christian Academy

Valen Inaura, Roosevelt — Scored 21 points in a win over Kalani

JB Kam, Punahou — Scored 18 points in a win over Iolani

Cyrus Kama, Lahainaluna — Scored 17 points in a win over Baldwin

Kapiina King, Damien — Scored 16 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in a win over University High

Chas Kubo, Hanalani — Scored 20 points in a win over Christian Academy

Jansen Kupau, Saint Francis — Scored 17 points in a win over University High

Kelsey Lewis II, Kaiser — Scored 18 points in a win over Kailua

Isaac Liva, Hawaii Baptist — Scored 13 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in a win over Christian Academy

Xavier Matthews, Christian Academy — Scored 12 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in a loss to Hawaii Baptist

Kyrie McRaven, Moanalua — Scored 27 points in a loss to Kalaheo

KJ Ng, Castle — Scored 20 points in a loss to Castle

Tristan Nichols, Maui — Scored 25 points in a win over Baldwin

Macjun Otarra, McKinley — Scored 18 points in a win over Kalani and scored 20 points in a loss to Kaimuki

Brent Quakenbush, Roosevelt — Scored 21 points in a win over Kalani

Jordan Riley, Radford — Scored 21 points in a win over Waianae

Kimo Romena, Anuenue — Scored 28 points in a loss to Moanalua

Jeff Schaake, Hanalani — Scored 19 points in a win over Christian Academy and scored 21 points in a win over Le Jardin

Justice Sueing, Maryknoll — Scored 27 points in a win over Kamehameha

Elijah Taimatuia, Waipahu — Scored 18 points in a loss to Waialua

Abdel-Kader Ziane, Kapolei — Scored 30 points in a win over Nanakuli and scored 25 points in a win over Waialua

BOYS SOCCER
DJ Chinen, Castle — Scored the lone goal in a win over Pearl City

Tate Ebel, Waianae — Scored two goals in a win over Waialua

Jhonah Felipe, Kalaheo — Scored the lone goal in a win over Castle

Jamin Fonseca, Mililani — Scored the lone goal in a win over Kalani

Isaiah Harris, Waipahu — Scored the lone goal in a win over McKinley

CJ Harvey, Kapolei — Scored two goals in a win over Kahuku and scored twice in a win over Kalaheo

Jayson Ho, Saint Louis — Scored two goals in a win over Damien

Marc Matas, Mililani — Scored the lone goal in a win over Kalaheo

Gabriel Pinheiro-Alves, Kahuku — Scored two goals in a loss to Kapolei

Mikel Sodini, Kahuku — Scored two goals in a win over Moanalua

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Riana Arima, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored 18 points in a loss to Honokaa

Folau Hafoka, Lahainaluna — Scored 22 points in a win over Kamehameha-Maui

Molimau Heimuli, Farrington — Scored 23 points in a loss to Leilehua

Brooke Ho, Kaiser — Scored 22 points in a loss to Mililani

Vee Vee Li, McKinley — Scored 16 points with 10 rebounds in a loss to Kaimuki

Kizzah Maltezo, Honokaa — Scored 24 points in a win over Kamehameha-Hawaii

Tyra Moe, Punahou — Scored 17 points in a win over Iolani

Cherilyn Molina, Konawaena — Scored 20 points in a win over Hilo

Jasmine Moody, Radford — Scored 27 points with 13 rebounds in a win over Kailua and scored 19 points with 12 rebounds in a loss to Roosevelt

Keala Quinlan, Roosevelt — Scored 12 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a win over Nanakuli

Starr Rivera, Roosevelt — Scored 16 points in a win over Nanakuli

Aloha Salem, Konawaena — Scored 24 points in a win over Keaau

Nani Santos, Saint Francis — Scored 18 points in a loss to University High

Naai Solomon-Lewis, Kohala — Scored 17 points in a loss to Kamehameha-Hawaii

Melina Souza, Damien — Scored 27 points in a win over Le Jardin

Patria Vaimaona, Kailua — Scored 18 points with 15 rebounds in a loss to Radford

Delcie Williams, Kailua — Scored 17 points in a loss to Radford