Mililani's Elijah Butler puts up a shot in the paint against Mililani. Peter Caldwell | SL

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021914_1204_HHSAA_BBB_002.JPG - Peter Caldwell | SL

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ALIAMANU – They just had more gas in the tank in the second half.

Mililani outscored Waiakea by eight in the third quarter to come away with a 70-62 victory in the first round of the Hawaiian Airlines/HHSAA Division I Boys Basketball Championships at Radford’s Jim Alegre Gymnasium Wednesday night. The Trojans moves on to face second-seeded Farrington in the quarterfinal round.

“First win basically is momentum gaining to that next victory, and that next victory after that,” said Mililani’s Noel Bueno. “First and foremost, I got to give all the glory to God. Without him none of this would be possible.

The Trojans utilized a high-pressurized, full-court press for majority of the game. This forced the Warriors to commit 21 turnovers, with most of those leading to fast break scoring opportunities.

“We like the press,” said Mililani coach Ed Gonzales. “When we do the press – whenever we get steals it’s good, but it’s meant to get the other team tired.”

“It was tremendous,” added Bueno. “Just getting turnovers after turnovers, getting the momentum after the half, it helped (us) take the lead in the second half.”

Bueno led the Trojans in the win, finishing with a game-high 18 points. The senior guard was the main catalyst behind Mililani’s full-court press, registering four of the team’s 13 steals.

“That’s one of my roles. Most people would say that my defense is my best offense and that’s probably what it is. Overall it’s the whole team that helps me play that role, it’s not just me,” Bueno said on his performance.

The Trojans also got a double-double performance out of Elijah Butler, scoring 16 points with 16 rebounds. Butler was instrumental in Mililani’s second half surge, scoring 13 of his 16 points after halftime.

“He’s tough,” Gonzales said on Butler. “He got a lot of rebounds (for us). He had some nice slashes to the basket (and) he did well.” 

Reserve 6-foot-6 Kekoa Fields rounds out the Trojans top scorers with 15 points. Fields was efficient from the field, posting a 7-for-8 shooting performance. 

“He’s a plus, you can’t beat 6-foot-6 in the post,” Gonzales said on Fields.

Lucas St. George led the Warriors in the loss, scoring 15 points with six rebounds and two blocks.  Dillon Rellez also chipped in with 11 points, all in the second half. This was the Warriors 18th state tournament appearance in school history, their first since 2010. Waiakea is now 0-8 in the first round of their last eight appearances. 

Tip-off for the Mililani-Farrington came is slated for 5:00 p.m. Farrington earned the second seed by virtue of winning the Oahu Interscholastic Association Red Division.

“We control our own destiny,” Gonzales said after the game. “It’s a tough road to be a state champ – but to be a state champ you’re going to have to play all the tough ones.”