Leilehua senior post Koa Kauhi and Punahou junior guard Kamaile Kandiah helped their respective teams go unbeaten on the hardwood last week. ScoringLive photo illustration

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Male Athlete of the Week: Koa Kauhi, Leilehua basketball
Koa Kauhi does a lot of things that don't show up in the statbook, but are integral to the success of the Leilehua boys basketball team.

The 6-foot-6 senior has at least one fan in Mules' coach Russ Fitzgerald.

"He's taken 31 charges the entire season," Fitzgerald said. "He's getting cracked twice a game, but he stands in there, put himself in the right position and it just shows his willingness to sacrifice for the team."

Kauhi, one of two captains for Leilehua, helped the sixth-ranked Mules clinch the the top seed out of the Western Division by going to 8-0 with victories over Pearl City and Waianae last week. He scored nine points in a 61-46 win over the Chargers Tuesday and 13 points in a 63-44 road win against the Seariders Friday.

"For us, there's three guys that we couldn't afford to lose and he's one of them," Fitzgerald said. "He's the vocal heart of this team. He's the guy who's putting guys in his car to take them to games, to drive them to sleepouts, he's the first person they contact for practice schedules or to find out what we're wearing for a game and he's just a great example of the ‘student-athlete.' He's a 3.5 (GPA) student, so he gets the job done in the classroom, in the community and on the court."

Kauhi scored a season-high in points against Waianae, in addition to his usual hard-nosed effort on the defensive end of the floor.

"He took six charges in that game," Fitzgerald said. "He always anchors our defense from back to front."

Fitzgerald said there was a discrepency with the scorebook that led to Kauhi fouling out of the game.

"It's really funny because Koa, Liam (Fitzgerald) and Nick (Duran) wear numbers 21, 23 and 24 and they're all kind of tall and in a split second it's easy to get them confused, but throughout the course of the season I think they've shared fouls, shared points and other stats," Fitzgerald laughed. "If you look at the scorebook sometimes it doesn't jive with ours or what I see on tape afterward."

Kauhi is also one of the top rebounders on the team and has a knack for grabbing big boards.

"Koa stays in there on the defensive end and gets tough rebounds," Fitzgerald said. "If I need a guy to get a rebound for a free throw to win the game, he's one of the two guys I'm putting on the bottom and they're going to get me that board."

Fitzgerald credited Kauhi, a third-year varsity member and fixture in the starting lineup for the last two-plus seasons, for bulking up in the offseason by gaining about 20 pounds of muscle.

"The way he plays takes a toll on his body and that's why he spent a lot of the offseason doing heavy weight training to get stronger," Fitzgerald said. "He had his knee scoped over summer, and it took a long time for him coming back and he's still not 100 percent. We'll need him down the stretch."

For that reason, Fitzgerald said he may rest Kauhi for the Mules' final two regular-season games.

"If we don't need to, we're not playing him or Liam (against Radford Tuesday), because both are nursing big injuries," Fitzgerald said.

Kauhi is nursing a slew of ailments, including a badly-swollen elbow, while Fitzgerald — the son of the coach — is dealing with a bad hip.

"Last year having Campbell in the last game of the season kept us sharp all the way through," the elder Fitzgerald said. "We needed to win that last game to win the West. Hopefully this time it'll translate to us getting some rest for some of our guys like Liam and Koa, but the challenge will be to remain focused to know what our end goal is."

Sixth-ranked Leilehua concludes the regular season against Aiea Thursday at Paul T. Kobayashi Gymnasium.

Female Athlete of the Week: Kamaile Kandiah, Punahou basketball
Even before she became her coach, Elizabeth Kam had an appreciation of Kamaile Kandiah.

Kandiah, a 5-foot-5 junior guard for the Punahou girls basketball team, made an impression on her would-be coach back when the latter was in charge at Mid-Pacific the previous two seasons.

"She always stood out as a guard to me in the league," Kam said of Kandiah. "I knew from coaching against her that she was a driving type of guard and with her continued development of her jump shot, her overall game has improved and she's not just a driver and a slasher and coming off screens, but she can spot up and hit from outside, too. Coaching against her definitely helped me gain a better grasp of her game and how to help her become more well-rounded, but we always knew she would go hard every time we played them."

Kandiah was a member of the state championship-winning Buffanblu team in 2014 and moved into the starting lineup by the end of the season, where she has been ever since. However, she was somewhat overshadowed as a sophomore by the play of ILH First-Team all-stars Tyra Moe, Vae Malufau and Elle Uyeda.

This season, Kandiah is coming into her own and is averaging a team-best 14.6 points in league play.

"She's filling into her role very nicely with the last three games," Kam said. "She understands her role a lot better now and how she contributes to the team. Each and every one of them is a piece of the puzzle and so it's nice to see her getting in that groove and definitely contributing in a positive way for her team."

In wins over Kamehameha, Iolani and Sacred Hearts last week, Kandiah scored a total of 51 points to help Punahou go to 9-1 in the ILH Division I standings.

"Every game in the ILH is tough, so it's always nice when you can pull off a win," Kam said. "Every night is so competitive; for us, we're just focusing on taking it one game at a time and never being satisfied and continuing to try to get better, but those wins did give us a little boost in the right direction. We're still very hungry to continue."

Against the Warriors Tuesday, Kandiah scored 16 points. She followed that up with 14 points against the Raiders Thursday and wrapped up the week with a 21-point effort — including a season-high five made 3-pointers — against the Lancers Saturday.

"I think the outside shooting makes her more of a well-rounded player now, being that she's not just a n attack, but teams have to respect her as an outside threat as well," Kam said.

Kam noted that with more and more teams double- and triple-teaming Moe and Malufau in the posts, the Buffanblu's perimeter players need to keep defenses honest by hitting open outside shots.

"It's really nice because having the bigs down there really sets Kamaile up for a lot of scoring opportunities and Kamaile's continuing to learn how to read the defense as a point guard and when to go and drive or when to pull up and take that shot," Kam said. "The last three games shows that she's understanding when to push and when to hold up as far as tempo. I told her that point guard is the toughest spot on the floor and it's not easy, but it's something that's going to take time, but she's willing to put in the time and she's willing to learn."

Kandiah has a knack for finishing tough baskets at the rim, but her prowess on defense often goes unnoticed, Kam said.

"She plays an uptempo type of defense," Kam said. "She's very aggressive, she brings in-your-face, on-the-ball pressure and lots of energy. She works hard on defense and is someone I can count on to pressure the ball."

The fourth-ranked Buffanblu visit Kamehameha Thursday and conclude the regular-season against third-ranked Maryknoll Saturday.

BOYS BASKETBALL
Tyshun Archie, Moanalua — Scored 18 points in a win over Castle

Airon Castaneda, Waipahu — Scored 18 points in a win over Radford

Kainoa Coarsey, Assets — Scored 17 points in a win over Hawaiian Mission

Nicholas Duran, Leilehua — Scored 27 points in a win over Pearl City

Logan Earles, Hawaiian Mission — Scored 17 points in a loss to Damien II

Joseph Gouty, Leilehua — Scored 18 points in a win over Waianae

Isaiah Harris, Christian Academy — Scored 21 points in a loss to Hanalani and scored 21 points in a loss to Hawaii Baptist

Mitchell Hashimoto, Le Jardin — Scored 19 points in a loss to University Lab

Ryan Hobus, University Lab — Scored 18 points in a win over Le Jardin

Mana Kaululaau, Island Pacific — Scored 25 points in a win over Hawaiian Mission

Reid Kim, Hawaiian Mission — Scored 17 points in a loss to Island Pacific

Chris Kobayashi, Punahou — Scored 21 points in a loss to Saint Louis

Alex Layi, Kalaheo — Scored 23 points in a win over Kaimuki

Aaron Leong, Hanalani — Scored 20 points in a win over Christian Academy and scored 18 points in a loss to Damien

Supilani Mailei, Saint Francis — Scored 21 points in a win over Hawaii Baptist

Keoua Mahiko, Kaiser — Scored 18 points in a loss to Roosevelt and scored 28 points in a win over McKinley

Robby Mann, Iolani — Scored 17 points in a loss to Maryknoll and scored 23 points in a loss to Kamehameha

Cole Mausolf, Punahou — Scored 18 points in a win over Mid-Pacific

Jeremy McGoldrick, Castle — Scored 20 points in a loss to Moanalua

Christian Mejia, Kailua — Scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a win over Kalaheo

Jared Miller, Damien II — Scored 26 points in a win over Assets

Ty Minatoya, Hawaii Baptist — Scored 17 points in a loss to Saint Francis

Micah Mitchell, Hawaii Baptist — Scored 19 points in a loss to Saint Francis and scored 22 points in a win over Christian Academy

Kameron Ng, Saint Francis — Scored 22 points in a win over Hawaii Baptist

Tristan Nichols, Saint Louis — Scored 19 points in a win over Maryknoll

Jaymason Nunuha, Saint Louis — Scored 20 points in a win over Maryknoll

Steven Park, Aiea — Scored 17 points in a win over Waialua and scored 19 points in a win over Campbell

Saige Pulu, Moanalua — Scored 19 points in a win over Roosevelt

Noa Purcell, Saint Louis — Scored 22 points in a win over Punahou

Zion Shepherd, Mid-Pacific — Scored 18 points in a loss to Punahou

Iverson Sione, Nanakuli — Scored 21 points in a loss to Waialua

Pehonsis Sisra, Castle — Scored 18 points in a loss to Kahuku

Kellen Takatsuka, Hawaii Baptist — Scored 20 points in a win over Christian Academy

Gilbert Tapat, Pearl City — Scored 18 points in a win over Radford

Royce Tashiro, Waialua — Scored 22 points in a win over Nanakuli

Manu Taukolo, Waianae — Scored 19 points in a loss to Leilehua

Brian Washington, Maryknoll — Scored 17 points in a loss to Saint Louis

Captain Whitlock, Kalaheo — Scored 27 points in a loss to Kailua

James Wilkins, Moanalua — Scored 20 points in a win over Castle

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Camy Aguinaldo, Iolani — Scored 15 points in a win over Sacred Hearts

Jasianna Ah Nee, Campbell — Scored 18 points in a loss to Nanakuli

Seleni Bartley, Kapolei — Scored 15 points in a win over Waialua

Shaelie Burgess, Radford — Scored 17 points in a win over Waipahu

Kaylee Cambra, Kamehameha-Maui — Scored 19 points in a win over Maui

Hope Carter, Mililani — Scored 17 points in a win over Waianae

Cydney Curran, Campbell — Scored 16 points in a win over Pearl City

Stephanie Dang, Hawaii Baptist — Scored 15 points in a win over Le Jardin

Kimani Fernandez-Roy, Kamehameha-Maui — Scored 24 points in a win over King Kekaulike and scored 15 points in a win over Maui

Kamanaopono Grace-Kekawa, Anuenue — Scored 23 points in a loss to Kalani

Sharlei Graham-Bernisto, Hilo — Scored 21 points in a win over Pahoa

Jessica Hanashiro, Sacred Hearts — Scored 26 points in a loss to Iolani and scored 18 points in a loss to Punahou

Kaedy Hatchett, Waialua — Scored 20 points in a loss to Kapolei

Moli Heimuli, Farrington — Scored 40 points in a win over Moanalua

Brooke Ho, Kaiser — Scored 25 points in a win over Kahuku

Kaimi Kalei, Saint Francis — Scored 15 points in a win over University Lab

Ciera Kameehonua, Mid-Pacific — Scored 26 points in a win over Hanalani

Mandi Kawaha, Hilo — Scored 17 points in a win over Kohala

Ashley Kiko, Roosevelt — Scored 16 points in a win over Castle

Victoria Kintz, Kaimuki — Scored 15 points in a win over McKinley

Sierra Koki, Castle — Scored 16 points in a loss to McKinley and scored 18 points in a loss to Roosevelt

Jazmina Lafitaga, Mililani — Scored 16 points in a win over Waianae

Nala Leiputo, Kahuku — Scored 21 points in a loss to Kaiser

Katie Loeak, Hilo — Scored 26 points in a win over Kohala

Tori Maeda, Iolani — Scored 19 points in a loss to Maryknoll

Cherilyn Molina, Konawaena — Scored 29 points in a win over Hawaii Prep and scored 15 points in a win over Kohala

Hunter Muranaka, Keaau — Scored 18 points in a win over Hawaii Prep

Doris Naulu, Lutheran — Scored 15 points in a win over Hawaiian Mission

Emily Nomura, Iolani — Scored 16 points in a win over Sacred Hearts

Alana Nuuanu, Nanakuli — Scored 25 points in a win over Campbell

Keala Quinlan, Roosevelt — Scored 20 points in a win over Kailua and scored 21 points in a win over Castle

Kayla Rasavanh, McKinley — Scored 17 points in a win over Castle

Rose Shimaoka, Kaiser — Scored 19 points in a win over Kahuku

Melina Souza, Damien — Scored 22 points in a loss to Mid-Pacific and scored 15 points in a loss to Hawaii Baptist

Mikayla Tablit, Konawaena — Scored 18 points in a win over Hawaii Prep

Tara Takata, Kailua — Scored 16 points in a loss to Roosevelt

Jennica Tamura, Maui — Scored 22 points in a loss to Kamehameha-Maui

Tanniya Uchida, Konawaena — Scored 24 points in a win over Hawaii Prep

Ihi Victor, Konawaena — Scored 22 points in a win over Kohala

Ally Wada, Hawaii Baptist — Scored 19 points in a win over Hanalani

Tylee-Kanani Wong, Mid-Pacific — Scored 16 points in a win over Damien

Taylor Wu, Iolani — Scored 15 points in a loss to Punahou

Karley Ann Yoshioka, University Lab — Scored 15 points in a loss to Saint Francis and scored 18 points in a win over Le Jardin

BOYS SOCCER
Thomas Focht, Kalaheo — Scored two goals in a win over Kaimuki

Jamin Fonseca, Mililani — Scored three goals in a win over Aiea

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

Nick Jager, Castle — Scored two goals in a win over McKinley

Takahiro Kosins, Kalani — Scored three goals in a win over Moanalua and scored three goals in a win over Farrington

Jorell Pontes-Borje, Waianae — Scored two goals in a loss to Campbell

Makana Srivonsana, Kaiser — Scored five goals in a win over Farrington and scored five goals in a win over Roosevelt

Zac Trevorrow, Pac-Five — Scored three goals in a win over Damien

Elijah Tucker Smith, Radford — Scored two goals in a win over Waipahu

David Tupper, Campbell — Scored two goals in a win over Leilehua and scored two goals in a win over Waianae

Chad Uyejo, Mililani — Scored three goals in a win over Aiea

Daniel Woo, Pearl City — Scored two goals in a win over Aiea

Hunter Yamanaka, Kaiser — Scored two goals in a win over Farrington

Kai Zimmerman, Castle — Scored two goals in a win over Kailua

GIRLS SOCCER
Michele Bonifacio, Kapolei — Scored three goals in a win over Waianae

Hannah Cabral, Kalaheo — Scored two goals in a win over Kaimuki

Asia Canon, Campbell — Scored two goals in a win over Waianae

Alexis Domingo, Campbell — Scored two goals in a win over Waianae

True Dydasco, Punahou — Scored two goals in a win over Pac-Five

Leah Feato, Kamehameha — Scored two goals in a win over Sacred Hearts

Sunshine Fontes, Pearl City — Scored two goals in a win over Aiea

Tia Furuta, Mililani — Scored two goals in a win over Aiea

Kate Hennion, Sacred Hearts — Scored two goals in a win over Saint Francis

Tommi Hintnaus, Kaiser — Scored five goals in a win over Farrington

Kylee Kim-Bustillos, Iolani — Scored two goals in a win over Mid-Pacific and scored three goals in a win over Saint Francis

Kaile Halvorsen, Punahou — Scored two goals in a win over Pac-Five

Ali Lorenzo, Campbell — Scored two goals in a win over Waianae

Briana Luge, Kalaheo — Scored two goals in a win over Kaimuki

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

Anastasia Saili, Sacred Hearts — Scored three goals in a win over Saint Francis

Kaitlyn Shon, Kamehameha — Scored two goals in a win over Sacred Hearts

Daysha-Ann Solidum, Kalani — Scored two goals in a win over Farrington

Taylor Strong, Kailua — Scored the lone goal in a win over Castle

Maria Wallace, Kalaheo — Scored two goals in a win over Kaimuki

Dalles Young-Toledo, Waialua — Scored four goals in a win over Leilehua