Top Performers
Ambrosio, Chung delivered for Warriors, Falcons




Male Athlete of the Week: Brandon Chung, Kalani basketball
In his two seasons with the Kalani boys basketball team, Brandon Chung and his game have grown and evolved.

Just how much progress the 6-foot-3, 225-pound junior center and student at the Hawaii School for the Deaf and Blind made was evident in his performance Friday night. Chung scored a career-high 21 points to help the Falcons remain undefeated with a 61-42 win over visiting Roosevelt.

"I think he did great. I think he's slowly coming around offensively," said Kalani coach Everett Frye, who noted that Chun probably grabbed about 15 rebounds additionally. "He did a lot of his scoring in the post and off a lot of good passes from his teammates."

The Falcons outscored the Rough Riders — who also entered the game undefeated, at 2-0 — in each of the first three quarters. They held Roosevelt's high-scoring guard Micah Visoria to just four points in a losing effort.

"There's a lot of good scorers in the OIA East, so we just try to tell our kids that if they're gonna score 20 (points) on us, let's not put them on the foul line. Let's make them hit 10 shots (from the field), instead of letting them get to the foul line, so the whole team did a great job of contesting shots instead of fouling and making (Roosevelt) hit shots instead of making them at the free-throw line," Frye said.

Chung was certainly a big part of that effort defensively.

"I think defensively what kind of stood out to me in that game was not the blocks he got, but the altered shots. I think that's something you're not going to see in the scorebook and maybe nobody would realize it, but there were a lot of altered shots that we contested where they had to shoot over a high hand. Brandon just made people alter their shots in (the paint)," Frye added.

The victory kept the Falcons (3-0) atop the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I East standings.

"It was a big win for us to stay ahead of the curve, but we know Roosevelt is a really good team and Visoria was coming off an injury, so we're just taking every game one game at a time," Frye said.

Frye said Chung, a second-year starter, is developing a complete game — including some of the intangible traits of a leader.

"I think his defense has always been there and he's always had a knack for being a great rebounder — he gets a lot of offensive rebounds for us, which really helps us out a lot — but I think what stands out most about him is his willingness to be a passer and he has pretty good feet for someone his size and a pretty high basketball IQ for someone his age," Frye said. "We kind of want him to be a point guard out of the post, be able to make good decisions, be able to pass but also be a threat on offense and give him touches and go to him a lot more."

Chung's blue-collar work ethic he displays in both practices and games has seemingly rubbed off on his teammates.

"We always try to really key in on effort and he shows a lot of effort, which is pretty inspiring, I think, to his other teammates. He's a pretty tough kid. I just think they see him rebounding and hustling so relentlessly that you almost have to do it on your own part," Frye said.

The players and coaches have also adapted to be able to communicate with the hearing-impaired Chung.

"Since last year, when we got him, we've had an interpreter for every game, so we have signs for every single play that every kid needs to know offensively, defensively; everything we have a sign for," Frye said.

Chung is averaging 13.0 points per game in league play this season.

"He's just a great kid. All of these kids are really fun to coach. They're working hard, they're slowly getting it and it's just fun to be a part of," Frye said.

Chung and the Falcons host Anuenue (0-2) Wednesday and ninth-ranked Moanalua (2-1) Friday.


Female Athlete of the Week: Kaila Ambrosio, Kamehameha-Hawaii soccer
After winning its first five games of the 2018-19 girls soccer season, Kamehameha-Hawaii went through a rough stretch of three straight losses to end the calendar year.

But with a new year, the Warriors are hoping for a fresh start and the play of senior Kaila Ambrosio is reason to enough be optimistic. The 5-foot-6 Ambrosio scored four goals in a span of three days to lead her team to a pair of much-needed victories over the weekend.

Ambrosio, a center-mid, scored twice in a 2-1 win at Konawaena Saturday, first the equalizer, then the eventual game-winning goal just minutes before the final whistle.

"(Konawaena) scored in the 65th minute off a corner kick that we just couldn't clear and the Kona girl buried it, put it in the back of the net," Kamehameha-Hawaii coach Joshua Woodard said. "Our energy didn't drop, but the heads went down a little bit, but we found a way where the (Wildcats') gaolie mishandled it outside of the box, which created a free kick for us just outside the box and we took advantage of it."

Woodard said Ambrosio's second goal came just a few minutes later off an assist from teammate, Chenoa Frederick.

"That was with about four minutes left and then I dropped her back to center-back," Woodard said.

That would be Ambrosio's former position, where she spent the past three seasons serving as a key part of the Warriors' back line before she was moved to the midfield this season.

"We have good defenders and she's very creative going forward, so that's what kind of made me want her in more of an attacking role, and she's just a game-changer for us," Woodard said. "Everyone trusts her with the ball at her feet. She's very good at sending balls though and she's also got a good leg to shoot from outside."

Woodard said as a fourth-year starter and a leader, Ambrosio has earned some flexibility in her role.

"I try to get her to stay attacking more, but naturally she's a center-back so she'll work back if one of the other center-backs doesn't get back. I kind of give her freedom to roam and it's kind of been working out the past few games, so that's good," Woodard said.

Ambrosio followed up Saturday's come-from-behind victory with another two-goal performance in a road win Monday afternoon. She scored her team-leading 10th and 11th goals of the season in a 2-0 win over Kealakehe.

"She came up big again," Woodard said. "I think because we were on one day's rest and back on the bus again driving back to Kona the energy was a lot lower overall and we had some sore legs, but she was still working, still taking shots. She's a leader for the team this year. The girls look up to her to make something happen and it's been working out so far besides the three games we lost."

The Warriors improved to 7-3 in the BIIF Division II standings and trail first-place Hawaii Prep by seven points heading into their showdown in Keaau Saturday afternoon.

"For us it was a big turnaround; we kind of needed it," Woodard said. "We kind of needed those wins to get the girls' energy up, but I think it showed our character. It kind of took us a while to find ourselves because in the beginning of the season we didn't play the stronger teams so we weren't sure what kind of team we're capable of being, but after those three losses showed us what we needed to work on, as well as what we're capable of and what we can do. We just need to go out and do it."

Woodard, who, like Ambrosio, is in his fourth season with the program, describes the UNLV-bound standout as "very competitive."

"She's just not willing to quit and when she's on the field, it's all business for her," said Woodard, whose roster this season includes 10 freshmen and seven seniors.

Ambrosio, who was named to the all-tournament team and selected as a second team All-Hawaii defender last year, is being counted on to help ease the growing pains for the young Warriors.

"She tries to keep it fairly positive — I try to instill positivity on the field — but as a competitor, she's just trying to win, plain and simple, but she's very encouraging with the girls, especially with a lot of the freshmen. For a lot of them, it's their first time seeing this level of play at the varsity level. Her sophomore year we had like two seniors, so for me, she's always been a leader on the field, but this year it's more prominent."

Saturday's game against Ka Makani (9-1-1) will be a rematch of last season's D2 state championship match, which HPA won by a score of 3-2. The first meeting between the teams this season also went Ka Makani's way. They rallied with a pair of goals after halftime to win it, 2-1, on Dec. 22 in Kamuela.

BOYS SOCCER
Rycin Crisostomo, Aiea — Scored two goals in a win over Waialua

Jonathan DeMotta, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored three goals in a win over Kohala

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

Brison Kim, Kalani — Scored two goals in a win over Kailua

Ayden Lawes, Mililani — Scored two goals in a win over Radford

Alae Mike, Island School — Scored two goals in a win over Waimea

Josh Roberts, Saint Louis — Scored two goals in a win over Le Jardin

Lucas Shearer, Kaiser — Scored two goals in a win over Kahuku

Yuto Townsend, McKinley — Scored two goals in a win over Farrington

Micah Williams, Punahou — Scored three goals in a win over Mid-Pacific


GIRLS SOCCER
Jaeda Doctolero, PAC-5 — Scored three goals in a win over Damien

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

Taylor Hayes, Moanalua — Scored two goals in a win over Castle

Emi Higgins, Hawaii Prep — Scored five goals in a win over Makua Lani

Heather Kolona, Kapolei — Scored four goals in a win over Leilehua

Faith Lee, PAC-5 — Scored three goals in a win over Damien

Kaile Martin, McKinley — Scored the lone goal in a win over Farrington

Shaley Mercado, Kaiser — Scored two goals in a win over Kahuku

Lauren Mukaigawa, Punahou — Scored two goals in a win over Sacred Hearts

Mehana Ortiz, Mililani — Scored three goals in a win over Radford

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

Jasmine Semblante, Waimea — Scored two goals in a win over Island School

Amber Tadeo-Gilbert, Mililani — Scored three goals in a win over Radford

Kelsey Takahashi, Iolani — Scored the lone goal in a win over Kamehameha

Bryana Yoshida, Kapolei — Scored four goals in a win over Leilehua


BOYS BASKETBALL
Hayden Bayudan, Damien — Scored 21 points in a win over University Lab

Conner Brown, Parker — Scored 33 points in a win over Konawaena

Ja'Shon Carter, Kapolei — Scored 18 points in a win over Aiea

Ethan Erickson, Kahuku — Scored 17 points with 15 rebounds in a loss to Kailua

Frank Felix, Iolani — Scored 27 points, including seven 3-pointers, in a loss to Maryknoll

Elvis Garramone, Aiea — Scored 17 points in a loss to Leilehua

Kealoha Garvin, Assets — Scored 22 points in a loss to Lanakila Baptist

Jake Holtz, Damien — Scored 17 points in a win over University Lab

Justin Ishida, Hawaii Baptist — Scored 24 points on eight 3-pointers in a win over Hanalani

Kukilakila Kahalekai, Nanakuli — Scored 22 points in a loss to Leilehua

Makoto Kamata, Maryknoll — Scored 18 points in a win over Iolani

Aaron Kwon, McKinley — Scored 18 points in a loss to Kaimuki

Matt Lukins, Radford — Scored 17 points in a loss to Waipahu

Raefe McEnroe, Farrington — Scored 24 points in a win over Kalaheo

Patrick Mears, Keaau — Scored 22 points in a win over St. Joseph

Koby Moananu, Kaimuki — Scored 17 points in a win over McKinley

Davon Newman, Leilehua — Scored 17 points in a win over Nanakuli

Kameron Ng, Saint Francis — Scored 21 points, including four 3-pointers, in a loss to Saint Louis

Kordel Ng, Saint Francis — Scored 28 points in a loss to Maryknoll

Ryan Owens, Kalaheo — Scored 17 points in a loss to Farrington

Ryan Pardini, Kalaheo — Scored 21 points in a win over Kaiser and scored 17 points in a loss to Farrington

Izaiah Pilanca-Emmsley, Kau — Scored 22 points in a loss to Honokaa

John Gilbert Ramos, Waianae — Scored 40 points in a win over Waialua

Colin Ramos, Mid-Pacific — Scored 20 points in a win over Kamehameha

Geremy Robinson, Moanalua — Scored 26 points in a win over Castle

Kamalu Segundo, Kamehameha-Maui — Scored 29 points in a win over King Kekaulike

Neulet Sevilleja, Jr., Damien — Scored 17 points, including five 3-pointers, in a win over Le Jardin

Kanoa Smith, Kalaheo — Scored 20 points in a loss to Farrington

Trey Taba, Saint Louis — Scored 23 points in a win over Saint Francis

Marcus Tobin, Maryknoll — Scored 22 points in a win over Saint Francis

Christmas Togiai, Kamehameha — Scored 21 points in a loss to Mid-Pacific

Everett Torres-Kahapea, Kailua — Scored 21 points in a win over Kahuku

Kenji Toyama, Kaiser — Scored 19 points in a win over Kahuku

Garett Wilson, Waipahu — Scored 19 points in a loss to Waianae


GIRLS BASKETBALL
Aloha Akaka, Maryknoll — Scored 29 points with seven rebounds, four steals and three assists in a win over Sacred Hearts

Abigail Akamine, Lahainaluna — Scored 15 points in a win over Kamehameha-Maui

Gina Anton, Lanai — Scored 16 points, including four 3-pointers, in a win over Hana and scored 15 points in a win over Hana

Lily Awai, University Lab — Scored 15 points in a loss to Kamehameha II

Asia Castillo, Leilehua — Scored 18 points in a win over Kapolei

Kuuleinani Ego, Kamehameha II — Scored 24 points in a win over University Lab

Kaelyn Espinda, Kaimuki — Scored 27 points, including 17-of-19 shooting on free throws, in a win over Castle

Anela Gonzalez-Tremaine, Keaau — Scored 15 points in a loss to Konawaena

Namahana Kaeo-Young, King Kekaulike — Scored 20 points in a win over Kamehameha-Maui

Shasta Kalalau, Hana — Scored 15 points in a loss to Lanai

Kamalu Kamakawiwoole, Kalani — Scored 16 points in a win over Farrington and scored 31 points in a win over Kaimuki

Caiyle Kaupu, Konawaena — Scored 18 points in a win over Keaau

Te'Hiwa Medeiros, Sacred Hearts — Scored 19 points, including four 3-pointers, in a loss to Maryknoll

Cheenie Melgazo, McKinley — Scored 18 points in a win over Kalaheo

Keani Midel, Hilo — Scored 15 points in a win over Kau

Leiah Naeata, Kahuku — Scored 17 points in a win over Farrington

Susitina Namoa, Lahainaluna — Scored 15 points in a win over Maui

Kalina Obrey, Kamehameha — Scored 22 points in a win over Mid-Pacific

Trinity Ozoa, Waialua — Scored 16 points, including five 3-pointers, in a loss to Waianae

Anna Penitusi, Waipahu — Scored 16 points in a win over Nanakuli

Lauren Poniatowski, Campbell — Scored 17 points in a win over Aiea

Hunter Quemado, Waipahu — Scored 19 points in a loss to Campbell

Kaliana Salazar Harrell, Konawaena — Scored 18 points in a win over Keaau

Risa Sanchez, Kamehameha II — Scored 16 points in a win over Iolani II and scored 24 points in a win over University Lab

Mikiala Sniffen, Kamehameha-Maui — Scored 22 points in a loss to King Kekaulike

Kaena Tagabi, Honokaa — Scored 15 points in a win over Hawaii Prep

Jalen Tanuvasa, Maryknoll — Scored 15 points in a win over Sacred Hearts

Taylor Tateyama, Roosevelt — Scored 15 points in a loss to Kahuku and scored 21 points, including six 3-pointers, in a win over Kailua

Keila Tsutsui, Hanalani — Scored 18 points in a win over Saint Francis

Hadassah Lasi Tuiolemotu, Kapolei — Scored 18 points in a win over Nanakuli

Kimberlee Ung, Campbell — Scored 22 points, including six 3-pointers, in a win over Waipahu

Kandyce Woods, Kalani — Scored 16 points in a win over Farrington



Reach Kalani Takase at [email protected].




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