By Wes Nakama
In a typically competitive ILH boys basketball season, Punahou took a major step forward Monday evening by holding off visiting Maryknoll, 54-45, at Hemmeter Field House.
Ethan Chung scored a game-high 21 points and Tanoa Scanlan added 16 points as the Buff ‘N Blue improved to 22-8 overall and 8-2 in league play. Ghesiah Faleafine-Auwae scored 17 points and Chris Du added 14 points for the Spartans, who fell to 15-11, 6-4.
Punahou led for most of the game although Maryknoll did take a brief lead when Mission Uperesa-Thomas swished a 3-pointer from the top of the key to put the Spartans up, 35-34, with 5:32 remaining in the third period. Faleafine-Auwae added a free throw to make it 36-34 a minute later, but Scanlan answered with a slam dunk to tie it and Koen Makinano drained a deep 3-pointer from beyond the top of the key to push the Buff ‘N Blue ahead for good at 39-36 midway through the period.
Chris Du closed it to 44-42 on two free throws with 36 seconds left, as Chung was whistled for his fourth foul. But Punahou held Maryknoll scoreless over the next five minutes of game time, and stretched the lead to 49-42 after Makanino’s free throw with 3:52 remaining. Kingston Dombrowski answered with a reverse layup 19 seconds later to cut it to 49-44, but that would be Maryknoll’s final field goal and Scanlan effectively sealed the victory with a jumper at the 1:14 mark and free throw with 35.5 seconds left to make it 52-44.
“We talked about that, the boxing match — taking punches, giving punches — and it was a game of runs,” Spartans coach Kelly Grant said. “They had a run in the first quarter, we came back, they had a run in the second quarter, and we came back again. Third quarter, we had our run, and then … We just had a meeting with the starting five, and we were talking about trusting each other. Because when things aren’t going our way, then guys get frustrated and stuff like that. So hopefully, that sunk in, going forward.”
Grant said even with Chung in foul trouble, Maryknoll couldn’t take advantage, especially with Scanlan scoring 10 of his 16 points in the second half.
“Tanoa played super good tonight,”Grant said. “He’s so bright, he knows how to use his body and position himself, he does enough with his hands that he’s not going to get into (foul) trouble. When he catches the ball and he gets himself set with his feet under him, he rises — nobody can block his shot. He’s a good player, everything revolves around him. That guy can play.”
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