Mililani's Elijah Butler soars for a shot attempt in the paint against Waipahu. Sylvia Lee | SL

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Waipahu's Brendan Mendoza-Bulong puts up a shot attempt against Mililani. Sylvia Lee | SL

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Mililani's Braiden Rosario puts up a shot attempt against Waipahu. Sylvia Lee | SL

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Mililani's Jacob Low drives to the basket against Waipahu. Sylvia Lee | SL

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Fri, Jan 17, 2014 @ Waipahu

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Mililani

71

Waipahu

48

Final	1	2	3	4
Mililani (10-3, 15-12)	24	24	10	13	71
Waipahu (2-8, 4-16)	16	15	7	10	48

• Points
• Rebounds
• Assists

B. Mendoza-Bulong 14 pts  4/5 FTs

E. Butler 19 pts  4/6 FTs

E. Taimatuia 4 tot

E. Butler 6 tot

B. Mendoza-Bulong 5 ast

C. Sison 5 ast

WAIPAHU – Full-court pressure was a big factor in Mililani’s road win over Waipahu Friday night.

With the lopsided victory, Mililani improves their record to 5-1 in the Oahu Interscholastic Association Western Division, helping them keep pace with division leader Campbell (5-0). The double-digit loss drops the Marauders to 1-4 in league play.

Leading the way for Mililani was senior guard Elijah Butler, a transfer from Lanakila Baptist. Butler, who came into the game as the OIA’s leading scorer, finished with 19 points and six rebounds. He also added two steals and two blocked shots.

“It was a big win. I’m just thankful, all glory to God,” said Butler. “It was a real confidence builder for us.”

Mililani employed a full-court press for majority of the game, much to the demise of the home team. The Trojans’ length and athleticism really bothered the Marauders, resulting in numerous turnovers in the open court.

“We tell the kids the press makes the other team have to think about bringing the ball across,” said Mililani coach Edward Gonzales. “ Today our pressure was so much on them that we got so many turnover of it.”

“We don’t like to let them get pass half court,” added Butler. “We like to pressure them so we get easy buckets.”

Benefitting the most from the turnovers was Mililani’s Noel Bueno, who finished with 14 points and six steals. Bueno also added two rebounds and two assists.

“He’s got quick hands,” Gonzales said on Bueno. “He’s just like our energizer. He’s so quick that we can get into transition real quick.”

Besides Butler and Bueno, the Trojans saw ten other players register points in the contest. Mililani was also more aggressive in the paint, earning them 11 more attempts than Waipahu at the free throw line.

“We just past the ball well,” said Gonzales. “We were patient and we went outside. My big guys also controlled the inside.”

The Trojans threatened to build a double-digit lead in the first quarter, but Waipahu hanged tough, making it an eight-point game after the opening period.

It wasn’t until the second quarter when Mililani found the spark they needed to break the game wide open. Ian Namu scored three straight buckets for the Trojans and the rest was history. Mililani outscored the Marauders by nine in the second quarter, earning themselves a 48-31 lead at the break, a deficit that too big for the Marauders to overcome. 

Brendan Mendoza-Bulong led the Marauders in the loss, finishing with 14 points. He also registered five assists with two rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot.

Waipahu’s next game will be against the Nanakuli Golden Hawks on Jan. 21. The Trojans will enjoy a full week without a game before taking on Pearl City next Saturday, Jan. 25. 

“The game is over so now we get ready for Pearl City,” Gonzales said on their upcoming matchup. “Today was good because Waipahu played man, and I know Pearl City plays man so we got to practice some of our sets.”