Justas Gecas, a junior guard for Ka Makani, and Tammy Le, a senior 109-pound wrestler for the Tigers, came through with championship performances last week. ScoringLive photo illustration

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Male Athlete of the Week: Justas Gecas, Hawaii Prep basketball
The loss of shooting guard Kalen Camero prior to the state tournament nearly derailed Hawaii Preparatory Academy’s season. Fortunately for Ka Makani, they had just enough juice in the backcourt to make it through the final week of the season on top.

In Camero’s absence, point guard Justas “Juice” Gecas came up big for Ka Makani, guiding the team to its first state tile in school history. In a span of three days, Hawaii Prep picked up wins over Oahu Interscholastic Association champ Kaiser, Maui Interscholastic League champ Seabury Hall, and OIA runner-up Kalani to claim top honors in the Hawaiian Airlines/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division II Boys Basketball Championships.

“It’s huge,” Gecas said after the state final against Kalani. “As you know, it’s the first time in school history and the first in the final. (This is) the first time we’ve won the championship.”

What makes their championship run so special is that they needed to play in a play-in game to even make the 8-team state tournament. Losing Camero created a void in the lineup, causing Ka Makani to fall to Kohala in the Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division II championship game. The winner of that game would have clinched a state tournament berth, while the loser would have to play the Interscholastic League of Honolulu’s third-place team for the eight and final spot in the Division II tourney.

“We were reeling there a bit for a little while,” Hawaii Prep coach Fred Wawner said on losing Camero. “Monday was an important day for us, because we had to play that play-in game. While it was a challenge to be without (Camero), it kind of allowed us to figure some things out and so by the time we got over here we felt a little more comfortable.” 

That extra game certainly helped Gecas get used to more of a scoring role for the team. The 6-foot guard scored 14 points to lead Ka Makani over University High last Monday, 50-42, clinching a trip to Oahu for the state tournament.

“Coach just told me to do my job, be aggressive, be a leader on the court and try to do my best,” Gecas said on stepping in a bigger role.

Gecas continued his impressive play into the state tournament, averaging 12.3 points per game during the three-day stretch.

“He’s a tough kid, you guys saw it,” Wawner said about Gecas after Saturday’s title game. “He just solves things by outworking guys. Tonight he brought the ball up all game long. He’s a tough kid. He carried the rock for us the last two games or so.”

Ka Makani built an early lead against Kalani in the title game and never looked back. No matter how many times the Falcons would try to take the lead, Hawaii Prep would always find a way to keep them at bay.

“We just had to play hard defense, pressure them a bit, and play our tempo and run our plays,” said Gecas. “We did and it worked out.”

After coming up short in the past two state tournaments, Hawaii Prep is finally atop the Division II boys basketball mountain.

-Michael Lasquero

Female Athlete of the Week: Tammy Le, McKinley wrestling
Tammy Le can no longer fly under the radar.

After missing out on a medal at last year's state tournament by one win, the now-senior McKinley wrestler is primed for a run at an individual title at this week's Chevron/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Wrestling State Championships.

At the Oahu Interscholastic Association individual championships last Saturday, Le defeated last year's league champion, Nakia James of Leilehua, by a score of 11-5 in the 109-pound final. She was one of two Tigers to win their weight classes (220-pound Kaydie Tehotu was the other).

"I don't know what she did (since last year), but over the summer she showed up ready to wrestle this year," McKinley coach Brian Payanal said of Le. "Previously she was just there because her friends came out so she came out, but she's turned it on this year. She's a lot more focused, she's working out a lot more, you see a different body type from what she used to be and very quickly when we started this year we realized this was not the same Tammy from last year."

Part of it, as Payanal describes it, is maturation from Le.

"She's very stubborn, so as you try to coach her, she sits there and analyzes everything until she figures it out," Payanal said. "You tell her something and she will doubt you until she figures out why it works. So in that regard, she's become more receptive to what we're trying to tell her and instead of fighting us about it, she'll actually use it and just go with it. She got a lot better when she stopped being negative and it's made her a lot mentally stronger, too."

Payanal said a loss on the second day of the 2013 state tournament — which kept out of the medal round — has served as motivation for Le through her third year wrestling for the Tigers.

"She didn't place in that tournament — lost in consolation round three," Payanal said. "I think that triggered something in her to make her understand that she can work harder and last year and this year has been like night and day. She's 100 percent better this year."

Le's success this year has helped spur McKinley to an undefeated dual meet record in the OIA East this season. The Tigers only loss this season came to Campbell in the dual-meet tournament championship earlier this month. McKinley finished second — just seven points behind the Sabers — at the individual championships Saturday.

"All of the girls wrestled hard and did their best," Payanal said. "We came up short, but they did a good job."

Le's state-tournament bracket is top-heavy. Fortunately, she is on the bottom half of the 16-man, 109-pound division.

"The defending state champ, the state runner-up and the No. 1 seed are all on that opposite side of the bracket from Tammy so I like her chances very well," Payanal said. "Last year she was under the radar, but she's not there anymore. She's on top now and if she stays focused and wrestles well, hopeful it's enough to take the state title."

The Tigers have wrestlers in nine of the 14 weight classes and are a longshot at a team title. Kamehameha, with its 14 entrants including two defending state titlists, is widely considered the front runner.

"You always have a chance if your girls can pull through and some other teams can help you," Payanal said. "For us to be the mix, we're going to need a lot of help from other teams; it's going to be a tough one."

The Chevron/HHSAA State Championships get underway at 10 a.m. Friday at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center Arena. Saturday's championship round will be televised live statewide on OC16, beginning at approximately 4:30 p.m.

-Kalani Takase

BOYS BASKETBALL
Brandon Awa, Konawaena — Scored 25 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a loss to Campbell Thursday and 20 points in a win over Baldwin Saturday

Jonah Bredeson, Konawaena — Scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a win over Baldwin Saturday

Noel Bueno, Mililani — Scored 18 points in a win over Waiakea Wednesday and scored 17 points in a loss to Farrington Thursday

Josh Burnett, Maryknoll — Scored 26 points in a win over Moanalua Wednesday, 20 points in a win over Baldwin Thursday, 24 points and 13 rebounds in a loss to Farrington Friday and 38 points and 18 rebounds in a win over Campbell Saturday

Elijah Butler, Mililani — Scored 16 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in a win over Waiakea Wednesday

Jassem Cumlat, Kauai — Scored 19 points in a loss to Saint Francis Friday

Ryan Garces, Baldwin — Scored 22 points in a loss to Maryknoll Thursday, 21 points in a win over Mililani Friday

Kaleb Gilmore, Maryknoll — Scored 25 points in a win over Moanalua Wednesday and 26 points in a win over Baldwin Thursday

Antoine Hines, Moanalua — Scored 18 points in a loss to Maryknoll Wednesday

Kobe Ikari, Damien — Scored 23 points in a loss to Seabury Hall Thursday

Mikala Jordan, Kohala — Scored 28 points in a win over Kauai Thursday and 25 points in a loss to Kalani Friday

Chance Kalaugher, Kaiser — Scored 20 points in a loss to Hawaii Prep Thursday

Cameron King, Seabury Hall — Scored 26 points in a win over Damien Thursday and 24 points in a win over Kohala Saturday

Jaylen Layco, Damien — Scored 21 points in a loss to Kaiser Friday

Kelsey Lewis II, Kaiser — Scored 18 points in a win over Damien Friday

Jacob McEnroe, Farrington — Scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a win over Mililani Thursday and 16 points and 10 rebounds in a loss to Iolani Saturday

Michael Merchant, Campbell — Scored 19 points in a loss to Maryknoll Saturday

Matthew Nuumanaia, Saint Francis — Scored 24 points in a win over Kauai Friday

Ikaika Phillip, Iolani — Scored 23 points in a win over Campbell Friday and 15 points in a win over Farrington Saturday

Brandon Roberts, Kalani — Scored 18 points in a win over Saint Francis Thursday and 19 points in a win over Kohala Friday

Lucas St. George, Waiakea — Scored 20 points in a win over Kalaheo Friday

Aaron Stuart, Moanalua — Scored 19 points in a loss to Maryknoll Wednesday and 19 points in a loss to Waiakea Thursday

Phillip Thomas, Baldwin — Scored 17 points in a loss to Maryknoll Thursday, 20 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Mililani Friday

Melvin Tingzon, Kauai — Scored 19 points in a loss to Kohala Thursday

WRESTLING
Brayden Akeo, Mililani — Won his third OIA individual championship Saturday

Blake Cooper, Pearl City — Won his third OIA individual championship Saturday

Zoe Hernandez, Punahou — Won her fourth ILH individual championship Saturday

Joshua Terao — Mid-Pacific — Won his fourth ILH individual championship Saturday