HHSAA Boys Basketball
Iolani shakes off slow start to roll by Moanalua, 59-43


  



Mon, Feb 13, 2017 @ Iolani


Final 1 2 3 4  
Moanalua (8-7, 9-17) 7 7111843
Iolani (11-4, 22-11) 8 22 10 1959
H. Hogland 17 pts  7/10 FTs
R. Dominguez 17 pts  7/7 FTs
H. Hogland 11 tot  2 off  9 def
R. Dominguez 5 tot  5 def
C. Hogland 3 ast
C. Casinas 3 ast

No. 3 Iolani shook off a sloppy first quarter, but shot 60 percent from the 3-point line to roll by No. 10 Moanalua, 59-43, in the opening round of the Snapple/HHSAA Division I Boys Basketball State Championships at Iolani's Lower Gymnasium.

The Raiders rebounded from a narrow home loss to Punahou on Saturday, but despite the 16-point win, Dean Shimamoto was disappointed with his team's performance—especially to start this final stretch of the season.

"We didn't have a championship-type effort today. We talked about it having it for these four days, but we definitely didn't come out with it. Fortunately we were able to knock down shots to give us that lead. That kind of effort from us is not going to win a state championship," said Iolani coach Dean Shimamoto.

Raiders, the Interscholastic League of Honolulu runner-ups, advance to play fourth-seed and BIIF champion Waiakea on Wednesday at McKinley at 5 p.m.

"We have some footage of them and seen them in the Iolani Classic. These teams don't win their league without being a good team. You have to do something right to win your league, so we're not taking anyone for granted. It's nice to have that open day to prepare for a Waiakea team so that extra day helps us," said Shimamoto, on the Warriors.

Moanalua (8-7 OIA, 9-17 overall) made it to the state tournament with a four-game winning streak—including a thrilling win over Kalaheo, but ultimately could not overcome Hugh Hogland, Iolani's defense, and their overall execution.

"I think this is one of my best season coaching. We got terrific kids and we overachieved as far as making it to the state tournament. We were undersized and for whatever reason, we found a way to overcome that challenge. The kids had a lot of heart and we didn't back down," said Moanalua coach Byron Mello.

"He puts his teams in great positions to be successful. We had a height advantage, but those guys fight and run good stuff to give themselves opportunities. The way we played, I'm thankful we were able to pull this one out," said Shimamoto, on Mello and his squad.

Hugh Hogland posted a double-double with 17 points and 11 boards, Justin Genovia added 16 points on 3-of-5 shooting from the 3-point line. Helam Baldomero, Bailey Alabanza and Frank Felix combined for the other three 3's.

Raiders started with a 5-0 lead, but RJ Dominguez tied it up with free throws. Baldomero hit a 3-pointer, but Isaiah Jackson made a jumper to bring it within one, 8-7.

Iolani committed nine of their 18 turnovers in the first half. Moanalua, who had a height disadvantage, relied on their quickness to come away with 12 steals for the game—Isaiah Jackson had five of them.

"They forced us into a lot of turnovers and forced us into bad shots. Fortunately we were able to hit 3's and open up the lead," said Shimamoto, on the second quarter rout.

Dominguez converted the 3-point play to get the Na Menehune within one, 11-10, however Hugh Hogland's basket and Genovia's steal and layup pushed it to 15-10 to force Mello to call a timeout. Alabanza and Genovia each hit 3's as Iolani went on a 13-2 run to lead 30-14 lead at halftime. The Raiders hit six of their 10 3-pointers all in the first half and scored 22 in the second quarter.

"What killed us really was when I think they got four 3's in five possessions. The rest of the way they controlled the tempo, you know they're tough. Typical Iolani team, they don't beat themselves and they make plays. They play with each other well and it's tough to beat them when their doing what they're doing," said Mello.

Once Dominguez got in the paint, he showed off some spin and post moves to give the Na Menehune a chance. The crafty lefty finished with 17 points, five rebounds and two steals and shot 7-for-7 from the free throw line.

"We're best at our 1-4 sets where we can get RJ some touches and some easy baskets so our guards tend to play better. I knew that would be the big consideration coming in because Hugh Hogland makes you do things differently," said Mello.

The Raiders turned up their perimeter defense as the Na Menehune committed 15 total turnovers and shot 15-for-40 (37.5 percent) from the field.

"That led to our guards being tentative. A big part of it too was Iolani's perimeter defense because they can close out and take away angles and shots because they got Hugh protecting the rim," added Mello.

Iolani managed to extend the lead by as much as 20 points, but Moanalua wouldn't go down without a fight as they managed to cut it down to 12 with over a minute left in the fourth quarter. The Raiders' starting unit came in to stop the bleeding and exited with 34 seconds left on the game clock. CJ Bonilla added 11 for Moanalua—nine points came in the fourth as he converted back-to-back 3-point play opportunities.



Reach Brandon Ching at [email protected].




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