Damien sophomore forward Shaun Apiki and Hawaii Prep junior midfielder Marlie Mandaguit produced in key postseason games for their respective teams Saturday. ScoringLive photo illustration

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Male Athlete of the Week: Shaun Apiki, Damien basketball
Shaun Apiki had been in a funk as of late.

The sophomore forward on the Damien boys' basketball team was having a solid preseason, according to his coach, but started to struggle when the regular season rolled around. Saturday, Apiki finally broke through with a strong effort off the bench, going for 23 points and snatching 16 rebounds, in a 69-52 win over Hanalani.

"He was a starter early in the season, then I had to reduce his role because of his struggles," Monarchs' coach Alvin Stephenson said of Apiki. "We had to ease him back in there to raise his confidence, then in the last week of practice I told him that the team will be on his shoulders and that if he doesn't give us 20 (points) and 10 (rebounds), we're not going to states."

Apiki, who helped the JV team to a championship as a freshman last year, answered his coach's challenge, besting his previous-high in a single game by nine points. The win secured the Interscholastic League of Honolulu single-elimination tournament title for the Monarchs and the accompanying second league berth into the eight-team D2 state tournament, which gets underway Thursday.

"His confidence was flowing through the roof Saturday," Stephenson said of Apiki, whose first love is hockey. "For him, the sky is the limit. He has so much potential and so much more to learn in basketball. He plays off pure heart and hustle. He's still learning post moves and recognizing defenses, so I think coming from the JV to the varsity was kind of confusing him a little bit."

With front court standouts Kapiina King and Rocky Mori in foul trouble Saturday, Apiki picked up the slack. He shot 10 of 19 from the field and scored 21 of his game-high 23 after halftime.

"Shaun is a very, very humble kid. I would tell him 'Don't defer to (King). I need you to be aggressive on the other side,' and I guess he finally got the picture against Hanalani," Stephenson said.

King and Mori will both graduate this year, leaving Apiki with some big shoes to fill next season.

"I pulled Shaun and Kapi to the side earlier this season and I told Kapi that this is the kid he would release the reins to, so to teach him everything he knows, be patient with him and he'll pick it up," Stephenson said. "He's going to be huge toward how we do in the future."

The Monarchs have accumulated an 11-3 record in the competitive ILH D2 and have won five straight games heading into states.

"Our league was unreal this year," Stephenson said. "You had HBA, Hanalani, Le Jardin, UH Lab is always tough, so it gives us a lot of confidence going forward. We played against some tough OIA teams in the preseason and (Kaiser) is a very good team. We will give our best effort."

Tip off between Damien and Kaiser is set for 7 p.m. Thursday at Kalani.

Female Athlete of the Week: Marlie Mandaguit, Hawaii Prep soccer
The Hawaii Prep girls' soccer team successfully defended its Division II state championship over the weekend and among those who pitched in was junior midfielder Marlie Mandaguit.

Mandaguit scored a pair of goals in Saturday's title match against Mid-Pacific, which Ka Makani won, 5-1. She was one of six HPA players selected to the All-Tournament Team.

"We're a very balanced team," Ka Makani coach Steve Perry said. "We have four or five girls with eight, nine, 10 goals between Gabbie (Ewing), Marlie, Bri (Vallente) and Kaui (Taylor). Each of them has that capability to score multiple goals for us."

HPA was the top seed in the eight-team tournament and reached the final after a 1-0 quarterfinal win over Kauai Thursday and a 2-1 semifinal victory over Pac-Five Friday.

However, the Owls were first to score in the game's 20th minute on a goal by Kayla Watanabe.

"I think we were a little disappointed, because we knew what they were doing," Perry said. "We knew they were looking for Kayla. We lost her for a second and she did a great touch and shot, but this team is always resilient. We gave an early goal against Pac-Five, too, but they were confident that they would come back eventually."

Mandaguit, who has started since her freshman season, tied it in the 30th minute on her first goal.

"That was just a quick strike. She was out on the left side, about 35 yards out, turned on it and she was kind of flat-footed, but she ripped one of her shots and it found the upper (corner) on the short side," Perry recalled. "It had some pace on it. She's got great hips and a strong leg and when she times it all right, it's powerful."

Just four minutes later, Mandaguit found the back of the net again, which gave HPA a 2-1 lead at halftime.

"That was basically off a throw-in on the side to one of our backs and she volleyed it about 25 yards up to Marlie, who one-timed it with her left foot, over her head and into the box and into the goal," Perry said. "It was impressive."

Ka Makani went on to add three goals in the second half. It was the most goals scored in a D2 state title match.

"Marlie really ignited it," Perry said of Mandaguit, who plays outside half. "Not just with the goals, but just before her first goal she hit the post on the left side earlier and she was getting up and down the pitch. When she's on it diversifies what we can do, because it means they can't double up on our middles."

Perry said the team never took the label of defending champions for granted.

"Last year we won on a header in sudden-death OT and from that moment forward this group never took a day off," Perry said. "They knew they wanted to get back there and they always worked extremely hard. I've never had a team that worked harder than this team and that helps to have that focus and drive to do it again."

If a three-peat lies in the future for Ka Makani, Mandaguit would figure to be a major factor toward that happening, especially with the graduation of center mid Gabbie Ewing, who was named Most Outstanding Player of the D2 state tournament.  

"She's going to be integral," Perry said. "Her and (junior center mid) Kaui (Taylor) are coming back and we may be sliding Marlie in and taking over that middle, since we lost Gabbie and (senior center mid) Teia (Knoll). Having Marlie's skill set from day one next year will be real important to our success. She's a motivated, driven kind of kid that will want to finish on top or at least close to what we did this year."

BOYS BASKETBALL
Huthifah Abdel-Jawad, McKinley — Scored 18 points in a loss to Moanalua

Keinan Agonias, Pahoa — Scored 28 points in a win over Kohala

Anson Canencia, University High — Scored 18 points in a win over Le Jardin and 18 points in a loss to Damien

Jonathan Charbonneau, Honokaa — Scored 30 points in a win over St. Joseph

Kealan Figueroa, Kohala — Scored 17 points in a win over Honokaa

Jomar Jett Gapusan, Campbell — Scored 23 points in a win over Moanalua

Zach Gelacio, Iolani — Scored 21 points in a win over Maryknoll

Kaleb Gilmore, Kalaheo — Scored 23 points in a loss to Farrington and scored 27 points in a win over Leilehua

Cameron Hanish, Seabury Hall — Scored 17 points in a win over Molokai

Kupaa Harrison, Kalaheo — Scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a loss to Farrington

Mikala Jordan, Kohala — Scored 30 points in a win over Honokaa

Akoni Kahala-Guevara, Kamehameha II — Scored 17 points in a win over Punahou II

Chance Kalaugher, Kaiser — Scored 19 points in a win over Kalani

Kapiina King, Damien — Scored 16 points in a win over Hanalani

Joshua Luna, Christian Academy — Scored 19 points in a loss to Saint Francis

Robby Mann, Iolani — Scored 16 points in a loss to Punahou

Kyrie McRaven, Moanalua — Scored 26 points in a win over McKinley and 24 points in a loss to Campbell

Milton Monico, University High — Scored 17 points in a win over Le Jardin

Zane Pantil, Hanalani — Scored 28 points in a win over Island Pacific and scored 16 points in a loss to Damien

Tolby Saito, Pahoa — Scored 19 points in a win over Kohala

Wesley Salboro, Honokaa — Scored 19 points in a loss to Kohala

Jeff Schaake, Hanalani — Scored 28 points in a win over Island Pacific

Jake Smith, Farrington — Scored 25 points in a win over Kahuku

Justice Sueing, Maryknoll — Scored 19 points in a loss to Iolani

Alexander Tungpalan, Kalani — Scored 21 points in a loss to Kaiser

Tua Unutoa, Farrington — Scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds in a win over Kalaheo

Kyle Wong, Maryknoll II — Scored 17 points in a loss to Iolani II

Kyle Yoshino, Punahou II — Scored 16 points in a win over Iolani II

BOYS SOCCER
Jaren Ariyoshi, Baldwin — Scored two goals in a win over Hilo

Dylan Cabalang, Moanalua — Scored two goals in a win over Kalaheo

Nathen Fuluvaka, Kahuku — Scored the lone goal in a win over Baldwin

Spencer Ho, Iolani — Scored the lone goal in a win over Kapolei

Shandon Hopeau, Kapolei — Scored a goal and assisted on two others in a win over Hilo

Duncan McKenna, Punahou — Scored two goals in a win over Kalaheo

John Jet Toner, Punahou — Scored three goals in a win over Kealakehe

GIRLS SOCCER
Kaitlynne Bukoski, Kauai — Scored three goals in a win over Nanakuli

Caitlin Cantorna, Kauai — Scored two goals in a win over Waialua

Kaisha Davis-Caberto, Kapaa — Scored the lone goal in a win over Kamehameha-Hawaii

Kristen Hori, Iolani — Scored two goals in a win over Campbell

Kasey Isobe, Mililani — Scored the lone goal in a win over Iolani

Chevy Rae Morgan, Nanakuli — Scored two goals in a win over Waipahu

Bri Vallente, Hawaii Prep — Scored the lone goal in a win over Kauai

Kekai Wong Yuen, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored two goals in a win over Waipahu, three goals in a win over Kalani and three goals in a win over Kauai

SWIMMING & DIVING
Makoa Alvarez, Campbell — Set state-meet record time of 49.55 seconds in 100-meter backstroke

Kanoe Kaleoaloha, Kamehameha — Set state-meet record times of 20.27 seconds in 50-meter freestyle and 44.93 seconds in 100-meter freestyle

Aukai Lileikis, Punahou — Set state-meet record times of one minute, 36.75 seconds in 200-meter freestyle and 4:28.60 in 500-meter freestyle

Rebecca Walton, Mid-Pacific — Set state-meet record time of four minutes, 57.27 seconds in 500-meter freestyle