Iolani's Zachary Buscher puts up a three-pointer at the buzzer against Maryknoll. Sean Nakamura | SL

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Maryknoll fans celebrate a basket scored against Iolani. Sean Nakamura | SL

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Maryknoll's Hyrum Harris puts up a shot against Iolani. Sean Nakamura | SL

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Wed, Jan 23, 2013 @ Maryknoll

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Iolani

13

Maryknoll

15

Final	1	2	3	4
Iolani (6-6, 13-9)	0	0	2	11	13
Maryknoll (11-1, 25-3)	0	2	4	9	15

• Points
• Rebounds
• Assists

H. Harris 8 pts  2/2 FTs

Z. Buscher 7 pts  1/1 FTs

H. Harris 1 tot

E. Yamada 2 tot

D. Danbara 1 ast

Maryknoll overcame an unorthodox strategy by Iolani, showing great composure and mental fortitude throughout, to come away with a 15-13 win in front of a racuous crowd of at least 400 in attendance at T.C. Ching Gymnasium.

With 2.6 ticks left in regulation, Iolani's Zachary Buscher inbounded the ball to Marc Ma, who quickly dished it back to Buscher. Buscher pump faked his defender and then launched a fairly wide-open jump shot from just beyond the arc. The shot was online, but grazed the front iron as time expired.

"We had some other things planned," said Iolani head coach Dean Shimamoto of Buscher's shot, "but he got a nice open look, pretty clean and that's all you can ask for."

The Raiders' last gasp shot from three that would have won it put the shot count from the field for the entire game at just 21 for both teams. The breakdown stood at 12 for Iolani and just 9 for the home team.

Maryknoll won the opening tip, but an errant pass was stolen away by Iolani's Drew Uchiyama, and then the game took a turn that surprised just about everyone in the gym, including Spartan head coach Kelly Grant.

"We thought coming into the game that they (Iolani) were going to run a full-court trap, but when we played them in Hilo, he (Coach Shiimamoto) tried to run that trap against us and it wasn't effective." said Grant.

So the Raiders played what could best be described as a specially designed and planned game of keep away. And in the first quarter, the strategy resulted in Iolani maintaining possession of the ball for what amounted to at least 7:20 of the 8 minutes in the period.

The Spartans went after the ball early on, but eased up on the pressure after Joshua Burnett picked up his second foul midway through the quarter.

Erik Yamada's jumper from the right baseline with just ticks remaining in the first was followed up by a missed putback by Marc Ma to account for the only shots of the quarter.

"Their game plan was two points from perfection. His guys knew all their cuts, they knew their help when they lost their dribble. I just had to make sure that our kids didn't lose their composure and that they stayed under control."

Maryknoll appeared a bit rattled on offense, turning the ball over on a steal on one trip down the floor and coming up empty on a jumper and putback on another, but to their credit exercised patience defensively as Iolani continued the strategy of keeping Spartans from possessing basketball.

Both teams traded empty possessions until the 3:46 mark of the second, until Hyrum Harris powered his way in the post for a banker to break the ice.

Undeterred, Iolani took the ensuing possession and proceeded to wait out the next 3 minutes and half near the midcourt stripe, eventually getting into an offensive set with about 13 seconds in the quarter. During the stretch, Maryknoll did not attempt to press the action at halfcourt.

"It was real difficult for them (Maryknoll players)" said Grant. "They've never experienced something like this. That's a testament to our team."

Buscher ended up with the rock just ticks before the buzzer and he lofted up a jumper from the right wing that didn't go, as both teams headed to the intermission with the score a very bizarre 2-0.

In contrast, the Spartans won the first meeting of these two teams on January 5, 61-43. The score at half of that contest was 31-23.

Coming out of the break, Iolani got the ball off of a missed three-pointer by Danny Danbara, and while the strategy for the Raiders still looked to involve taking the air out of the basketball to a large degree, Buscher took an opening down the lane and pulled up for a short jumper near the free-throw line to tie the score at 2-all at the 3:42 mark of the third.

Kaleb Gilmore moved the Spartans back ahead, turning defense into instant offense with just over two minutes left in the third, racing a steal back the other way for a hoop and the harm, but the free throw was waved off due to a lane violation.

Harris added another basket from point-blank range with just over a minute and a half in the third to cap the scoring, as Maryknoll led after three periods of play, 6-2.

Iolani would make their move in the fourth, but even to the final moments, did not waver in their gameplan.

Reece Foy trimmed the margin to 7-5 at the 4:30 mark in the final quarter, as he hit a three from the wing to cap nearly 2 and half more minutes of ball control by the Raiders. But Gilmore came right back with a drive along the baseline to extend the lead back to 5.

Then, with Maryknoll leading 11-7 with just 1:40 to play, Buscher hit on a shot down the lane and was fouled. He then swished the ensuing free throw to cut the margin to 11-10.

On the next possession, Harris was fouled at the 1:23 mark. And with a determined look on his face, the 6-foot-5 forward calmly stepped to the line and knocked down both attempts to push the margin back to 3.

"Those two free throws were clutch." remarked Grant. "When he came from New Zealand, his junior national coach told me that he's never made free throws before, so now he's shooting over 70 percent for us. Those two were key."

"I don't want to miss these" said Harris of his two attempts in crunch time. "And luckily I made them."

Iolani would tie the game up with just over a minute in regulation on a three-pointer by Erik Yamada, but a Gilmore runner would propel the Spartans back into the lead, this time for good, with just under 25 seconds to play.

"We had to stay patient, but it was eating us all alive" commented Gilmore of Iolani's gameplan. "I've never seen a game like that, but since we got the win I can't say nothing about it. But I don't want to play another game like that."

Harris scored 8 and Gilmore added 7 points to account for all of the Spartans' points.

On Saturday, Maryknoll will travel just up the road to battle league nemesis Punahou in a 4:30 p.m. contest, while Iolani will play host to Saint Louis at 5:30 p.m.