There has been no sophomore slump this winter for Tanoa Scanlan. 

Scanlan, a 6-foot-5 second-year forward on the Punahou boys' basketball team, is off to a solid start in his first season as a starter for the Buffanblu (6-1). Scanlan has scored in double digits in all seven games and is averaging a team-best 16.3 points per game. 

The level of production from Scanlan has been in stark contrast from his freshman campaign a year ago, when he came off the bench and averaged 3.9 points per game. Scanlan was a key reserve for Punahou in its run to the Division I state championship game, but has since ascended to a much more prominent role. 

The Buffanblu saw nine players graduate last spring, including its top four scorers from a year ago. 

"We're young but really talented and have really good chemistry," Punahou coach Darren Matsuda said of his current squad. "It's a very team-first group; they get along really well and it's a lot of team-first guys and I think that formula really makes the future bright for us and even the present bright for us."

Scanlan averaged 3.1 points per game during the ILH season last year, but posted a season-high 17 points in a preseason game against Westside Christian. His regular-season high was 14 points in a win over Mid-Pacific last January. 

Scanlan topped his previous career high in his very first game this preseason, when he had a game-high 18 points in a 29-point win over Kekaulike on the opening day of the James Alegre Invitational on Nov. 21. 

Matsuda said that Scanlan possesses a number of useful tools in his skillset. 

"He's pretty much all around. He can score at all three levels. He has a really good post game and a mid-range game, he can shoot the 3, he's a good passer and is a very high-IQ basketball player," Matsuda noted. 

In the Buffanblu's first seven games this season, Scanlan is shooting 60.5 percent from the field, including 40 percent from beyond the arc. He has also converted 82.4 percent of his free throw attempts. 

"His shooting percentages are very high, so he's super efficient and doesn't take a lot of bad shots," Matsuda added. 

Scanlan posted a 21-point effort in a loss to Leilehua on the final day of the Alegre, Punahou's lone defeat this year. 

In three games at the Kailua Surfriders Holiday Classic over the weekend, Scanlan averaged 17 points, including a new career-high of 22 points in a 62-57 overtime win over the tournament host Saturday. 

"He also averaged over four assists a game this tournament," Matsuda pointed out. "He's super unselfish, really coachable, makes great plays and is a good teammate and he's a leader in a lot of ways."

Matsuda said that Scanlan did much of his scoring after halftime, including a pivotal bucket late in regulation. 

"We ran something for him to get that game tied up. We thought we had a matchup advantage so we ran something for him to get to the basket, but over the course of the game we were trying to get the ball to him in his hot spots and when gets the ball in his hot spots he can convert. Then if they double down, he can make the right play and pass it to the open guy and he did that several times Saturday," Matsuda noted. 

Scanlan was one of three Punahou players to finish in double digits. Junior forward Ethan Chung contributed 13 points and sophomore swingman Zion White added 10. Chung and White are averaging 12.3 and 11 points per game, respectively. 

"The three of them have a nice chemistry about them and their games really complement each other so it's nice. One of the things Tanoa does really well is he shares the ball and he makes the right play, so it's really infectious and I think our big three of Tanoa, Zion and Ethan are like that and I think that's why we're successful — they're all pretty selfless, share the ball and are team-first guys," Matsuda said. 

In addition to his scoring, Scanlan is averaging 5.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. Matsuda also touted Scanlan's ability on the defensive end of the floor.

"He's a very long defender and he knows how to use his range, that's where I think he's made a lot of improvements. He's a volleyball guy, so he can jump, he uses his legs well and part of it is he's putting in the work so his lateral quickness got a lot better this year," Matsuda described. 

Matsuda circled back to Scanlan's receptiveness to feedback from his coaches, which includes his father, Cavan, an assistant on the Buffanblu staff. 

"He just does things the right way and his leadership style is very positive. He leads by example, but is also a good vocal leader also. On top of that he just has a great feel for the game and again, a high IQ. I don't have to tell him much about how to play the game. He knows how to read the game really well and he rises to the occasion in big games," Matsuda said. 

Scanlan's torrid start to his sophomore season isn't all that surprising to Matsuda. He showed glimpses of brilliance in club tournaments over the offseason. 

"He had a great summer while we traveled to the mainland. Some of his biggest games came in our big games. We played a couple of championship games in Las Vegas and he played big in those games," Matsuda said. 

Matsuda disclosed that Scanlan is still not fully recovered from a thumb injury on his shooting hand.

"Once that becomes fully healed he'll get his shooting back, but he's still been shooting the ball pretty well," Matsuda said. 

Scanlan and the Buffanblu will take part in the Kaimuki Invitational this week, beginning with a quarterfinal matchup against Moanalua on Thursday. Tip-off for that game is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Kaimuki High School.

The tournament continues Friday and concludes Saturday. 

BOYS BASKETBALL

Riley Asakura, Konawaena — Scored 20 points in a win over Hawaii Prep

Jordan Babcock, Kekaulike — Scored 30 points, including four 3-pointers, and was 6 for 6 on free throws in a win over Baldwin

Keaka Bennett, Le Jardin — Scored 25 points in a win over Waianae, scored 22 points in a loss to Castle and scored 21 points in a win over Maryknoll II

Levi Damo-Agcaoili, Damien — Scored 20 points in a loss to Leilehua

Bromo Dorn, Seabury Hall — Scored 31 points, including four 3-pointers, in a win over Konawaena, scored 23 points with nine rebounds, five steals, two assists and two blocks in a win over Kohala and scored 25 points with eight rebounds, three steals and two assists in a win over Hawaii Baptist

Roman Gabriel, Mililani — Scored 35 points, including six 3-pointers, in a win over Altamonte Christian

Ayden Goo, Iolani — Scored 23 points, including four 3-pointers, in a loss to Leilehua

Austin Green, Kapaa — Scored 24 points in a win over Hanalani

Isaiah Harmon, Radford — Scored 28 points in a loss to Mid-Pacific

Jayden Hook, Kohala — Scored 23 points in a win over Hawaii Baptist

Kawohi Huihui, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored 26 points in a win over Saint Louis II

Logan Mason, Mid-Pacific — Scored 29 points in a win over Radford

Keanu Meacham, Saint Louis — Scored 20 points in a win over Villa Park

Davis Mitchell, Castle — Scored 23 points with 15 rebounds and two blocks in a win over Le Jardin

Sebastian Peterson, Seabury Hall — Scored 25 points, including four 3-pointers, with two assists, one rebound and a steal in a win over Hawaii Baptist

Shyne Salvador, Kamehameha — Scored 25 points with three rebounds and one assist in a win over Nanakuli

Josiah Shinbara, Castle — Scored 20 points in a loss to Hawaiian Mission

Skyler Unten, Kailua — Scored 22 points in a win over Iolani

Yoshua Vernes, Hanalani — Scored 22 points, including five 3-pointers, in a loss to Kapaa

Lawaia Walsh, Kulanihakoi — Scored 23 points in a loss to Molokai

Zion White, Punahou — Scored 20 points in a win over Leilehua 

Tyree Wilson, Leilehua — Scored 20 points in a win over Iolani

Nixis Yamauchi, Maryknoll — Scored 25 points in a win over Radford

BOYS SOCCER

Gabriel Arquitola, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored two goals in a win over Hawaii Prep

Micah Chung, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored three goals in a win over Waiakea

Isaac Davis, Kaiser — Scored four goals in a win over McKinley

Caleb Ishizaka, Mililani — Scored two goals and assisted on two others in a win over Nanakuli

Justin Katayama, Castle — Scored three goals in a win over Kailua

Mark Mair, Roosevelt — Scored two goals in a win over Kalaheo

Bear Miller, Kapaa — Scored two goals in a win over Kauai

Benjamin Richard, Radford — Scored the lone goal in a win over Pearl City

Sye Sandobal, Aiea — Scored four goals in a win over Leilehua

Tyler Welsch, Campbell — Scored three goals in a win over Waialua

Brennyn Yoshida, Kapolei — Scored six goals in a win over Waipahu

Amber Kuhlmann is anything but coy when speaking of the importance Kilinahe Schenk carries for the Kalaheo girls' soccer team. 

Kuhlmann, the second-year coach of the Mustangs, is succinct when speaking of Schenk, a fourth-year starting midfielder and team captain. 

"I would definitely say that she is a core player on our team and definitely a pivotal player. She's definitely one of the best players that I've had the pleasure of coaching, not just foot-skill wise, but as a person, truly," Kuhlmann said. 

Schenk has certainly proven her worth over the years. As a freshman three years ago, Schenk scored eight goals to finish second on the team in scoring. She was named to the All-OIA Eastern Division second team that year. 

The following season, Schenk received all-league first team recognition and repeated the feat as a junior last year, when she scored seven goals and ranked eighth among all OIA East players. Schenk received All-Hawaii honorable mention for both her sophomore and junior campaigns. 

"I would say that her maturity has really evolved as a player and as a teammate and I think that she really gained perspective over the years," Kuhlmann said. 

"When she first started as a freshman, it was all about ‘go to goal, go to goal.' Now she has more of an understanding of how we get to the goal and that is helpful because she will get her teammates to understand that perspective," she added. 

Kuhlmann added that the Mustangs greatly benefit from the familiarity shared between Schenk and her fellow senior and center-mid Haylee Manoa. 

"They've been playing together for all four years so they definitely know each other and they're at the point where they know where their partner is going to be and they just put the ball to the right spot," Kuhlmann described. 

In addition to her ability to put the ball in the back of the net, Schenk has also expanded her skillset to become a better distributor as well. 

"She is essential on our team because she helps transition the ball from the defensive side to the attacking side and she holds down that midfield. She's such a great team player because she'll play off of anyone that's around her that she can get the ball to — she's very generous. She knows when to go to goal and she knows when to use her players, so she's a very smart player as well," Kuhlmann said. 

To be sure, Schenk is a unifier in the middle of the pitch and one that the rest of her teammates defer to for her leadership. 

"She really does bring the team together. She's always on time, she will bring the equipment down to the field herself instead of telling others to do it, so she really is a true leader by example and I should also say that all of her teammates look up to her and they really support her and are always there for her. They'll make the run because they know that if they're open, she'll pass it to them. She knows that it takes all eleven players on the field — and even the players on the bench, so the whole roster really — to get them there," Kuhlmann said. 

Beyond her team-first attitude and her varied skillset, Schenk also serves as a ray of sunshine for the Mustangs, Kuhlmann explained. 

"She can find the positivity in everything and she brings such great energy every day, I would say that's what makes her special. Even if she doesn't agree with a decision that one of her teammates made, or with what's being said, she always has something positive to say and in turn the people around her, especially her teammates, are not afraid to speak up and give her their opinion because they know that she's going to be respectful of it and I think that's huge to have that level of mutual respect and know that your captain is going to be respectful and mindful of you," Kuhlmann said. 

Schenk serves as a field general moving pieces around the pitch and also takes most of the team's free kicks. 

"Her foot skills are amazing. She's very precise and accurate and she does direct our team when they're on the field. If people make mistakes, she's always there to support them and back them up. She doesn't get mad at them or blames them. You'll never see her talk down to anybody — I've never seen that from her at all — as I said, she's always positive," Kuhlmann added. 

Kuhlmann disclosed that the 5-foot-7 Schenk missed part of the preseason due to an injury that she has since worked her way back from. Her time on the sidelines provided Schenk with a differing perspective and also forced the Mustangs to play on without her veteran presence in the middle of the field. 

"Instead of pushing through an injury, she actually gave herself time to recovery. She's still not a hundred percent, but she wanted to be as close as she could to a hundred percent at the start of the (regular) season, but I think that with her stepping back it really gave her perspective as far as seeing the bigger picture. Her play has definitely matured and I don't know that I really see high school players play the way she does with that maturity and understanding of the next steps that need to be taken," Kuhlmann shared. 

Kalaheo opened up the OIA East regular season in a big way with a 2-1 win over perennial powerhouse Moanalua last Wednesday. The decision ended a string of six consecutive losses at the hands of Na Menehune, who had won all but one meeting between the teams since 2010 (they played to a 2-2 tie in 2016). 

"That was huge. I think that showed us that we can be in the arena with Moanalua and that we do belong there and I think that proved it to the girls and they want to fight for this even more so. I don't know the last time Kalaheo beat Moanalua so that was really big for them," Kuhlmann said. 

The Mustangs followed that up with a 7-0 rout of Roosevelt Saturday in which both Schenk and Sophie Lugo scored three goals apiece. Schenk scored twice in the run of play and once on a direct kick. 

"It was a good win. We were able to see some of our weaknesses that came to light, but also we were able to take advantage of the field size, I think and we were able to change our strategy against a team that we played a little bit different than we played against Moanalua," Kuhlmann said. 

Kuhlmann added that Schenk is also heavily involved in club soccer and has aspirations to extend her playing career at the collegiate level. 

"It's going to be rough next year without her," Kuhlmann said. 

Schenk and the Mustangs (2-0) will face their next test Wednesday when they play host to Kaiser (1-0). Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at the Lee A. Cashman Athletic Field. 

GIRLS SOCCER

Ciana Alina Aburto, Pearl City — Scored three goals in a win over Waialua

Kalia Franklin, Waiakea — Scored four goals in a win over Hilo

Tara Gojo, Mid-Pacific — Scored the lone goal in a win over PAC-5

Deizha Lyn Jacinto, Waipahu — Scored three goals in a win over Radford and scored the lone goal in a win over Kapolei

Sierra Kalani — Roosevelt — Scored four goals in a win over McKinley

Brianne Kumashiro, Castle — Scored a goal and assisted on another in a win over Kahuku

Kamalei Leong, Kailua — Scored four goals in a win over Farrington

Sophie Lugo, Kalaheo — Scored three goals in a win over Roosevelt

Kulia Montgomery, Kamehameha — Scored three goals in a win over Le Jardin and scored three goals in a win over Damien

Melanie Navarro, Campbell — Scored three goals in a win over Leilehua

Macy Rivera, Leilehua — Scored four goals in a win over Leilehua

Miyah Suster, Campbell — Scored five goals in a win over Waialua

Coral Turner, Kauai — Scored four goals in a win over Kapaa

Tehya Williams, Kalaheo — Scored a goal and assisted on another in a win over Moanalua

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Adalyn Ballard, Parker — Scored 25 points in a loss to Christian Liberty

Mikaili Banetto-Payomo, Christian Liberty — Scored 17 points in a win over Parker

Shailan Benevides, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored 19 points in a win over Kau

Kate-Lynn Colipano, Kekaulike — Scored 20 points, including four 3-pointers, in a win over Baldwin

Juseana Delatori, Lahainaluna — Scored 23 points in a loss to Maui

Ariana Diggs, Leilehua — Scored 17 points in a win over Punahou II

Mia Frye, Iolani — Scored 17 points in a win over Mililani

Shiloh Glenn, Christian Liberty — Scored 21 points in a win over Parker

Kristie Kagawa, Mid-Pacific — Scored 17 points, including five 3-pointers, in a loss to Leilehua

Sophia Kisch, Kalaheo — Scored 23 points in a loss to Nanakuli

Jahquel Liana, Nanakuli — Scored 24 points, including five 3-pointers, in a win over Kalaheo

Emma Mangalao, Sacred Hearts — Scored 19 points, including five 3-pointers, in a loss to Radford

Jazmyn Navarro, Kau — Scored 23 points in a loss to Kamehameha-Hawaii

Dylan Neves, Iolani — Scored 25 points in a win over Clovis East

Makelah Richardson, Roosevelt — Scored 26 points in a win over Punahou II

Carlee Sausi-Callejo, Nanakuli — Scored 17 points in a win over Kailua and scored 22 points in a win over Kalaheo

Alina Stephenson, Kalani — Scored 19 points in a win over Mid-Pacific and scored 17 points in a win over Hilo

Taysha Ukauka, Kalaheo — Scored 21 points in a loss to Nanakuli

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