---

Academy of the Pacific's impressive run through top boys basketball competition hit a brick wall Thursday night, as El Toro (Lake Forest, Calif.) torched the Dolphins, 75-35, to win the Fifth Annual Na Menehune Holiday Classic.

AOP, in its debut season as an Interscholastic League of Honolulu Division I team, has emerged as an immediate contender after December nonleague victories over Moanalua (three times), Mililani, Roosevelt and even defending state runner-up Kamehameha.

But the Dolphins could not stay with El Toro, a team from Orange County that had won its league championship seven straight years before falling short last season.

"Their shooting percentage was unbelievable, they ran well, and we couldn't get a rebound," said AOP coach Walter Marciel. "They don't make mistakes, they screen well, and they move the ball around. They're a really good team."

The Chargers wasted no time coming out of the chute, speeding to a 12-3 lead in the first five minutes before going up 16-5 heading into the second period. Kona Makaula followed teammate Micah Donhour's baseline jumper with a layup and jump shot to cap a 6-0 run and close it to 21-14 with 3:48 remaining in the half, but Liam Skelly answered with a 3-pointer to start El Toro on another 12-3 run that made it 33-17 with a minute before intermission.

Cody White's 37-foot swish at the buzzer put the Chargers up, 38-18, at the break.

"We shot the ball well all tournament," said El Toro coach Todd Dixon. "Once one guy got on a roll, the others seemed to get hot, too, and that made us hard to guard with (center) Ryan (Hardy) scoring on the inside. It made my job a lot easier."

White opened the second half with another 3-pointer and the Chargers did not slow down, stretching the lead to 57-24 entering the fourth period.

Skelly scored a game-high 14 points to lead El Toro; White and Hardy each added 12 points and Colin Zavrsnick contributed with 11 points.

Makaula scored a team-high 12 points before fouling out late in the third quarter.