Top Performers
Pascua, Naeata led Lunas, Red Raiders last week




Male Athlete of the Week: Reece Pascua, Lahainaluna basketball
It doesn't take Lahainaluna boys basketball coach Jason Justus long to start gushing about Reece Pascua.

Pascua, a 5-foot-11 senior guard, is more than just a coach on the floor for the Lunas (1-0).

"I hope someday that he comes back to Maui and he takes my job because he's definitely somebody whose basketball IQ is off the charts, and you really can't ask for a better kid," Justus said of Pascua. "If you ask him to run five miles, practice for three hours and then run five miles back, he would. His character is something that I hope that these kids recognize and want to be like."

On the court, he's pretty good, too.

Pascua proved his worth last Tuesday when he led Lahainaluna to a come-from-behind 49-46 win at King Kekaulike with a game-high 23 points.

"Scoring wise, it was pretty speed out. He got a few steals, but he also got a couple inside shots, too, which was nice," Justus said. "(King Kekaulike) actually switched defenses and switched between guards and bigs on him, so he went inside when he had smaller guys on him and then when bigger guys were on him, he ended up outside and taking them to the basket."

Justus also praised the work Pascua put in on the defensive end of the floor against Na Alii.

"That's probably what impressed me most. He defended one of their best players and shut him down. I take great pride in his defense, but he's such a great all-around player for us that he can do everything for us. He's become probably of the best all-around basketball players that I've seen out of Lahaina in a long time," Justus said.

It's not just the on-the-court expectations for Pascua that are lofty. As one of just three seniors on the Lunas roster and the only four-year varsity player, Justus will rely on Pascua for his leadership ability this season as well.

"He's definitely a leader for our squad. He's definitely been somebody who's always been a go-to guy, especially this year he's going to have a lot of the load on his shoulders just because of how many seniors we graduated, but he's one of those kids who no matter who we play against, he takes the load off of other guys both offensively and defensively," Justus said.

Among those the Lunas lost to graduation in the offseason were forwards Koa Evalu-Robinson and Aukai Kama, along with guard Iverson Turno. All three were first team All-Maui Interscholastic League selection by The Maui News last season and Turno was picked by league coaches as the MIL Division I Player of the Year.

"You always want vocal leaders and I want that a lot for Reece. He's not a big talker, but more a leader that shows by example and with all the games that he's played and all the experience that he's gathered, the kids look up to him, they look up to his game and as a competitor and they do nothing but follow him. When he says something or does something, they definitely respond," said Justus, the reigning MIL Coach of the Year.

Pascua has been in the Lunas' starting lineup since his sophomore season and can play every position but center, Justus noted.

"He can play all around for us; he's an outstanding ball player. His basketball IQ is pretty much off the charts. He's one of those kids that can see something before it happens, so he's definitely like a coach on the floor, but he's got a big chore ahead of him because he has to groom our kids for next year," Justus said. "He's gonna be teaching these guys how to time-manage the game, when to shoot, when not to shoot and pull them under his wing and get some quality time with him before he graduates. He pretty much can call the plays and I have all the confidence in the world with him."

In the win over King Kekaulike to open MIL play last week, the Lunas held a four-point lead at halftime, but trailed by a half-dozen going into the fourth quarter. Pascua was instrumental in helping Lahainaluna rally in the final stanza.

"Offensively, he knew when there was a mismatch or not and then defensively he shut down one of their scorers on their team, but when the other guy started flaring up, he ended up wanting to switch to that guy, so he looks for the challenge and he wants to accept it. When he makes a deflection or something that, that actually gets the other players going, so one small play by Reece usually becomes an eight-point, nine-point swing," Justus said.

Justus said Pascua, who was an All-Hawaii honorable mention selection as a junior, has worked diligently over the years to improve his defense.

"As a freshman he asked me what he needed to improve on for the summer time and I had told him that his defense is a huge part," Justus recalled. "Baseline to baseline he was fast, but he needed to get quicker sideline to sideline and he's taken that and he has become one of our better defenders and I believe he's one of the best defenders in the state. He doesn't look so quick, but he's very smart and very crafty and he doesn't have to work as hard because he's smarter than a lot of the other players that he's playing against."

Last month, Pascua opened the preseason by scoring 26 of his team's 38 points in an eight-point loss to Kalaheo on the opening day of the James Alegre Invitational at Radford.

"He's very cool, calm and very smooth. He's not of these guys that is not gonna jump up and down and pull on his jersey and pound on his chest; he's a kid who will act like he's been there before," Justus said. "He's played in a lot of games and he takes it very hard when we lose. He's a passionate player, a competitor and he learns from both the losses and the wins. He's a player who has been a dream to coach."

Pascua, who holds a 4.3 grade point average, hopes to play collegiate basketball on the west coast after graduating from Lahainaluna next spring.

"He definitely won't get outworked, so if he goes to the next level I'm sure the coach will definitely be pleased with his work ethic," Justus said.

Pascua and the Lunas, who have won 39 consecutive MIL games, host Saint Francis in a non-league game Wednesday night before returning to league play against Baldwin Thursday. They will close out the weekend by taking on Mission Viejo (California) and Rex Putnam (Oregon) Friday and Saturday, respectively.


Female Athlete of the Week: Leiah Naeata, Kahuku basketball
When Leiah Naeata first joined the Kahuku girls basketball team last year, coach Latoya Wily saw enough out of her to tab her as a captain, despite being just a freshman.

This season, the 5-foot-7 guard has taken her game — and her leadership — to another level.

"For me and my coaching staff, it was about putting that responsibility on her as a freshman because we were looking to build this program and we needed somebody that can grow all four years with the program," Wily said. "Her freshman year, basketball-wise she definitely had the skills to be a captain, but it was about trying to instill in her that leadership role and now, as a sophomore, she's taken the reins big time, she knows what it's all about, what we expect from her. All of our girls, we expect them to be leaders regardless, but she's taken on that role very seriously."

Naeata, who runs the point for the ninth-ranked Red Raiders (6-0) but can also play shooting guard or small forward, led her team to its biggest win of the season last week Tuesday, when she scored a season-high 22 points in a pivotal 51-48 road win over then-No. 6 Kalani.

"It was huge," Wily said of the victory over the Falcons, which put her team in sole possession of first place in the Oahu Interscholastic Association's Division I East standings.

"I mean, every game is a big one for us and that's something that we always tell our girls is, regardless of whoever we're playing or what their record is, we treat every single game like it's the big show and I was just proud of the girls because to me, I feel like every team needs that one game that could just give them even more confidence than before and Kalani is an awesome team, so of course, it's important, but we're also expecting that just like us, they're gonna get better throughout the season, but that was definitely one of the bigger ones for us this season."

Kahuku held a one-point lead at halftime, but railed by five after three quarters. Wily said Naeata was a big part of the fourth quarter, when the Red Raiders outscored the Falcons, 16 to 8.

"Absolutely. Defense-wise, our main goal was to keep getting stops. There were a few close moments, but she stayed calm, she did a good job defensively as well as on the boards," Wily said. "She's been a lot more active on the boards this season than last season and that's awesome to see that she's improving and growing. She's just adding a lot more versatility to her game, so it's nice to see that."

Naeata's offensive production against Kalani was not limited to just scoring.

"She did great. I mean, they all did," Wily said. "They all came together. Leiah definitely played her role. She attacked defenses as needed, she dishes the ball as needed; it just depends on what the defense gives her. She's incorporating her teammates whether it's finishing a layup or dishing it out to an open teammate because she's getting double- or triple-teamed off of her drives. They all kind of feed off of each other."

Wily said the most fitting word to describe Naeata's performance last Tuesday is "perseverance."

"Our team motto this year is ‘look up, lift up,' and as one of the team captains, just for her to keep her head and stay in the game mentally was what impressed me. It was a little bit rocky throughout the game, we were down at times, but she didn't let it get to her and her teammates and she just kept persevering to get us back on top. She hit some key free throws, grabbed some key rebounds and she just persevered to keep her teammates going, keep pushing and she kept lifting up teammates up."

Naeata's role grew to an even larger one with an injury to senior forward Sisilia Kaufusi that she sustained in the preseason and will keep her out for the rest of the year.

"At the beginning of the season I had the girls write out what their goals are that they want to accomplish as a team and then what they're gonna do individually to contribute to our team goals," Wily said. "When we lost Sisi we had a conversation as a team and I pretty much told the girls that it doesn't matter who is here, or who comes, who goes, our goals are never gonna change as a team. We're still gonna be shooting for our goals and we expect nothing less. Leiah took that upon herself — all of our players took that upon themselves — that even though we don't have Sisi, our goals are not gonna change."

For the season, Naeata is averaging 18.2 points per game through league play. It was the third time she eclipsed the 20-point mark in a game this year.

"She's a slasher, she loves to attack the basket. She can finish, she can hit free throws. Defensively, we can put her on one of the best guards on the other team and expect her to do her part successfully. She gets physical, we can throw her inside to post-up a guard and also she's just scrappy. I would say she's an all-around player and then this year she's added another threat to her game being able to shoot from the perimeter," Wily said. "She's someone that is definitely gonna always be improving no matter how successful she is."

Wily described Naeata as "all business" on the court, but "fun loving" off of it.

"She's just a great kid overall. This group is a close-knit bunch of girls. They're very outgoing and it's awesome to see that they can be serious when they need to be and they're all good students. They can take care of business on the court and still enjoy being teenagers off the court," Wily said.

Naeata and the Red Raiders will host Kailua Thursday before visiting Kaiser Saturday. Tip-off for both games is scheduled for 7 p.m.


BOYS BASKETBALL
Izayah Chartrand-Penera, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored 18 points, including four 3-pointers, in a win over Hawaii Baptist

Les Falatea, Punahou — Scored 19 points in a win over Kalaheo

Leif Fautanu, University Lab — Scored 25 points in a win over Hawaii Baptist and scored 21 points in a win over Hanalani

Kealoha Garvin, Assets — Scored 23 points in a win over Island Pacific

Jydon Hall, Damien — Scored 22 points in a win over Maryknoll and scored 27 points, including four 3-pointers, in a win over Kamehameha

Jake Holtz, Damien — Scored 24 points in a win over Kaiser and scored 25 points in a loss to Punahou

Isaiah Hopson, Kailua — Scored 18 points in a loss to Saint Francis

Kukilakila Kahalekai, Nanakuli — Scored 26 points in a win over Castle and scored 23 points in a loss to Kaimuki

Jakob Kimura, Punahou — Scored 18 points in a win over Kalaheo

Logan Lasell, Leilehua — Scored 26 points, including four 3-pointers, in a win over Kalani

Isaiah Lee, Kalani — Scored 19 points in a win over Hawaii Baptist

Kaulana Makaula, Punahou — Scored 31 points in a win over Damien

Raefe McEnroe, Farrington — Scored 22 points in a loss to Campbell

Kameron Ng, Saint Francis — Scored 30 points, including five 3-pointers, in a win over Kailua

Kordel Ng, Saint Francis — Scored 20 points in a loss to La Lumiere. scored 32 points, including seven 3-pointers, in a win over Campbell and scored 18 points in a win over Kailua

Duke Nojima, Castle — Scored 20 points in a loss to Nanakuli

Ken Ogihara, Christian Academy — Scored 20 points in a win over Lanakila Baptist

Sky Okumura, Christian Academy — Scored 18 points in a win over Island Pacific

Ryan Pardini, Kalaheo — Scored 21 points in a win over Leilehua

Lokahi Pauole, Kamehameha — Scored 24 points in a win over Hilo

Derek Payne, Island Pacific — Scored 21 points in a loss to Hawaiian Mission and scored 23 points, including five 3-pointers, in a loss to Assets

Colin Ramos, Mid-Pacific — Scored 19 points, including 11-of-13 shooting on free throws, in a loss to Kailua

Geremy Robinson, Moanalua — Scored 25 points in a win over Hawaii Prep and scored 23 points in a win over Campbell

Lydell Romero, Kailua — Scored 18 points in a loss to Saint Francis

Kui Ross, Baldwin — Scored 18 points in a win over Kamehameha-Maui

Ty Shishido, Roosevelt — Scored 18 points in a win over Farrington and scored 20 points in a win over Hawaii Prep

Cyrus Singelman, Kaiser — Scored 23 points in a loss to Hawaii Baptist

Kanoa Smith, Kalaheo — Scored 18 points in a win over Kapolei and scored 19 points in a loss to Punahou

Christmas Togiai, Kamehameha — Scored 19 points in a win over Kalaheo

Everett Torres-Kahapea, Kailua — Scored 18 points in a loss to Oak Ridge and scored 23 points, including four 3-pointers, in a win over Mid-Pacific

Valentinas Ulinas, Hawaii Prep — Scored 24 points in a loss to Moanalua

Ridge Wada, Hawaii Baptist — Scored 21 points, including four 3-pointers, in a loss to University Lab

Sam Wheeler, Iolani — Scored 21 points in a win over Farrington

Max Wiemken, Hawaii Baptist — Scored 19 points in a loss to Kamehameha-Hawaii, scored 18 points in a loss to Kalani and scored 32 points in a win over Kaiser

Mitchell Williams, Campbell — Scored 22 points in a loss to Montverde and scored 22 points, including four 3-pointers, in a win over Farrington


GIRLS BASKETBALL
Aloha Akaka, Maryknoll — Scored 16 points in a win over Punahou

Abigail Akamine, Lahainaluna — Scored 22 points in a win over Kamehameha-Maui

Angel Assal, Radford — Scored 18 points in a win over Pearl City and scored 18 points in a win over Waipahu

Kaitlin DeRouin, Molokai — Scored 16 points in a win over Hana

Ariel Gonzalez-Tremaine, Keaau — Scored 20 points in a loss to Kamehameha-Hawaii

Kalena Halunajan, Kalani — Scored 23 points in a loss to Kahuku and scored 16 points in a win over Kailua

Destiny Hicks, Nanakuli — Scored 19 points in a win over Aiea

Alexis Huntimer, Iolani — Scored 24 points, including five 3-pointers, in a win over Kamehameha

Trisadee Kahunahana, Saint Francis — Scored 17 points in a win over Damien

Kaylen Kamelamela, Leilehua — Scored 17 points in a win over Aiea

Briarra Nakihei, Castle — Scored 18 points in a win over Kailua

Susitina Namoa, Lahainaluna — Scored 16 points in a win over King Kekaulike

Kalina Obrey, Kamehameha — Scored 25 points in a win over Sacred Hearts and scored 21 points in a loss to Iolani

Dominique Pacheco, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored 25 points in a win over Keaau

Olivia Reed, St. Andrew's — Scored 18 points in a win over La Pietra

Sydnie Sambueno, Le Pietra — Scored 16 points in a loss to St. Andrew's

Mikiala Sniffen, Kamehameha-Maui — Scored 17 points in a win over Baldwin

Makena Tong, University Lab — Scored 19 points in a win over Le Jardin and scored 21 points in a win over Damien

Sinalaulii Uluave, Punahou — Scored 13 points with 10 rebounds in a win over Sacred Hearts

Hadassah Lasi Tuiolemotu, Kapolei — Scored 17 points in a loss to Waipahu

Taioalo Wolf, Lahainaluna — Scored 21 points in a win over King Kekaulike

Taylor Wu, Iolani — Scored 17 points, including four 3-pointers, in a win over Mid-Pacific

BOYS SOCCER
Devon Abad, Leilehua — Scored two goals in a win over Waipahu

Ryan Banasihan, Kapaa — Scored the lone goal in a win over Waimea

Marc Anthony Cabrera, Kalani — Scored two goals in a loss to Kaiser

Skyler Goo, Saint Louis — Scored five goals in a win over Mid-Pacific and scored two goals in a loss to Iolani

Kenneth Joseph, Waianae — Scored two goals in a win over Aiea

Jonah Kawamura, Iolani — Scored three goals in a win over Saint Louis

Kawika Kelii, Kapolei — Scored two goals in a win over Waianae

Liam McGehee, Mililani — Scored the lone goal in a win over Kapolei

Reece Okada, Leilehua — Scored two goals in a win over Nanakuli

Kayden Ong, Damien — Scored the lone goal in a win over Le Jardin

Julian Parks, Kohala — Scored four goals in a win over Keaau

Riley Patterson, Hilo — Scored five goals in a win over Kamehameha-Hawaii

Kaleb Sabino, Campbell — Scored two goals in a win over Waialua

Jake Schneider, Hawaii Prep — Scored five goals in a win over Kamehameha-Hawaii

Lucas Shearer, Kaiser — Scored three goals in a win over Kalani and scored the lone goal in a win over Moanalua


GIRLS SOCCER
Ilinahi Beatty, Makua Lani — Scored two goals in a win over Kealakehe

Caili Cain, Kamehameha — Scored three goals in a win over Damien

Kiana Carvalho, Kailua — Scored three goals in a win over Kalaheo

Leila Casison, Waipahu — Scored two goals in a win over Waialua

Guessha-Alexis Chow-Ching, Nanakuli — Scored two goals in a loss to Leilehua

Miya Clarke, Hilo — Scored two goals in a win over Kamehameha-Hawaii

Aislynn Crowder, Mililani — Scored two goals in a win over Kapolei

Angela Cypriano, Hawaii Prep — Scored three goals in a win over Kau

Sunshine Fontes, Pearl City — Scored four goals in a win over Nanakuli

Kaitlin Hirasa, Mililani — Scored two goals in a win over Campbell

Hokulei Ishikawa, Campbell — Scored two goals in a win over Waialua

Kalia Kalua, Kamehameha — Scored the lone goal in a win over Punahou and scored two goals in a win over Damien

Marea Lee, Iolani — Scored four goals in a win over Le Jardin

Shaley Mercado, Kaiser — Scored the lone goal in a win over Kalani

Catie Moynahan, Hawaii Prep — Scored three goals in a win over Kau

Sheyliene Patolo, Aiea — Scored two goals in a win over Waianae

Bella Police, Hawaii Prep — Scored the lone goal in a win over Waiakea

Tare Rillon, PAC-5 — Scored three goals in a win over Le Jardin

Kaira Ringen, Aiea — Scored two goals in a win over Radford

Sophia Saiki, Mid-Pacific — Scored three goals in a win over Damien

Mia Takekuma, Kauai — Scored three goals in a win over Island School

Radhika Webster-Schultz, Mid-Pacific — Scored three goals in a win over Sacred Hearts

Ali Yoshida, Iolani — Scored two goals in a win over Sacred Hearts

Bryana Yoshida, Kapolei — Scored three goals in a win over Waianae



Reach Kalani Takase at [email protected].




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