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In our basketball Watchlist series, Theresa Anakalea (Damien) and Drew Triplett (Maui Prep) put up big numbers for their respective teams and are worthy of your attention for the upcoming season.

Theresa Anakalea, sophomore, Damien

As a freshman, Anakalea put up big numbers for a young Damien squad. She introduced herself to two-time defending Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I champion Kahuku in the preseason by getting to the basket and hitting her shots on her way to a 30-point performance.

"Theresa brings a good work ethic and she's very committed to working on her game and getting better. She's an awesome scorer, high energy player, and there's nothing she can't do," Damien coach Marco Johnson said.

In their second ILH game, she had 41 points, five 3-pointers and shot 14 for 19 from the foul line in a 66-58 win over University Lab. She led the state in scoring, averaging 22.5 points per game and was a First Team All-Hawaii Division II selection.

"She could've got 50 and she missed a couple of easy shots. She was on and she had it going. She was going to the basket really well and got to the line often. She would go up strong, when she's going to the basket like that she's hard to stop. They didn't really know her and were guarding her one on one. She was getting doubled or tripled after that," Johnson said of the game.

She exuded confidence and put the team on her back scoring 26 points, shot 16 of 24 from the free throw line, six rebounds and four steals to clinch a state tournament berth over Sacred Hearts.

"She's our primary ball handler. To be so young, she's a great leader, great teammate, and has the willingness to learn," Johnson said.

It's been a steady climb and the future looks bright for the Monarchs with Anakalea at the helm.

"She can continue to work on her ball handling, defense and her shot. I think she can continue to evolve into a better leader and make her teammates better. She's not too verbal, but will speak up," Johnson said of what Anakalea can work on.

Drew Triplett, junior, Maui Prep Academy

Triplett was a bucket machine and was the state's leading scorer in Division II last season averaging 24.8 points per game.

In their first season as a fledgling varsity program and navigating through the Maui Interscholastic League, Triplett led the team on and off the court.

"He's a leader," commented Maui Prep Academy athletic director Keenan Reader. "He works hard, attacks the basket fearlessly, and he's able to drive, penetrate, and finish. He was the glue that holds the team off the court. Great student athlete and great in the classroom."

He put up an eye-popping, 53 points against Molokai on Jan. 25 and was 16 for 17 from the free throw line. The junior-to-be scored over 30 points in three of their last five games and averaged 29.4 ppg during that stretch.

"We didn't realize what was going on in the game. He was scoring a lot of points and no was tallying for a record. It happened naturally. And Drew was being the leader on the court and was finding a way to score. He was unstoppable on his drives," Reader said of the historic performance.

Reader is looking for Triplett to expand his game to the perimeter and for the program as a whole to continue to grow as they await clearance to open up their gym.

"Improve his outside game and it's a goal for his perimeter shooting," Reader said. "Being a young team, we're just opening our gym. They haven't practiced as a team and we're still developing the team aspect at Maui Prep."