Top Performers
Lancers' Martinez, Sabers' Terukina top weekly standouts




Female Athlete of the Week: Dallas Martinez, Sacred Hearts basketball 
Dallas Martinez is one to put others before herself. It's one of the reasons the point guard excelled in her first two varsity seasons at Sacred Hearts.

This year, however, Martinez is being asked to limit her "unselfishness" for the good of her team.

Martinez, a 5-foot-5 junior, has taken well to her new role, leading the Lancers with 15.6 points per game, including a 23-point effort in Saturday's double-overtime win over Mid-Pacific.

"Dallas made big plays when we needed them the most," Sacred Hearts coach Dr. Richard Kasuya said. "She was very aggressive attacking the rim, she got to the free-throw line, and she fouled out at the end of the first overtime and the team somehow was able to pull it together and win it still, but there was no way we get there without her."

Martinez shot 8 of 13 from the field and 7 of 10 on free throws, but perhaps her most surprising contribution came on the boards, where she grabbed 17 rebounds, including seven on the offensive glass.

"That's phenomenal for a point guard," said Kasuya, who said positioning is a big reason for Martinez's rebounding success.

"I think she's very good at anticipating where the rebound will fast and she's really good at going after it, but she's also deceptively strong. She's not tall, but she can maintain position and block out really well," Kasuya said.

Martinez also registered a team-high five assists and two steals in the win.

Kasuya said on the defensive end of the floor is where Martinez, an All-Interscholastic League of Honolulu Honorable Mention pick last year, can be overlooked.

"Her defense is perhaps a little underrated in that she gets timely steals for us, she's good at anticipation and she's a very smart defensive player. Often times you see her points in the box score, but you don't see all the other things she does to be successful," Kasuya said.

Martinez also earned Honorable Mention All-Hawaii distinction last year, when she averaged 13.7 points per game in league play.

"I think she may be a little under the radar because we haven't been as successful as some of the other teams in our league historically, but I really think she's one of the best in the state," said Kasuya, who served as the JV coach until former coach Ryan Hogue — who doubles as the school's athletic director — stepped down following last season.

Part of the transition this season has been adjusting Martinez's role into more of a scoring threat.

"She's a very unselfish player, she gets other players involved and she loves getting the assist over scoring a bucket at times, but one of the things we've been talking to Dallas about is she needs to be OK with being a little less unselfish," Kasuya said. "She has to carry us with her points and she's slowly accepting that. It's not her nature to look to score first, but we need her to be a little more assertive for us with the ball and she's starting to do that now."

Martinez has scored in double digits in nine of her team's 10 games this season. She has scored 20-or-more points four times, including a season-high 29 points in a preseason win over Hawaii Baptist on Dec. 1.

"Dallas has been a rock for us ever since I started coaching this team. She has a lot of grit and determination and she has a lot of confidence in herself and her teammates," Kasuya said. "On top of that, she's just a really great kid. She'd be the first to credit everyone else for any recognition. She's high character, very smart, she's very talented obviously as a basketball player and she's a great leader for us. I think she's quite special and she's been a remarkable young lady to work with."

The win over the Owls helped the Lancers rebound from a 33-point loss to Kamehameha to open the ILH season two days prior.

"We have a lot of respect for Mid-Pac and it was a great game to be a part of," Kasuya said. "Both teams wanted it, there was run after run after run and we were very fortunate to come out with the win. It was a big win for us as a program."

Sacred Hearts (1-1), the No. 8 team in the ScoringLive/Hawaiian Electric Power Rankings, sits in third place in the six-team ILH Division I and will visit ninth-ranked Punahou (0-2) at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

 

 

Male Athlete of the Week: Zayren Terukina, Campbell wrestling
Zayren Terukina has not required much direction this season.

The Campbell senior has displayed laser-like focus coupled with an unparalleled work ethic this wrestling season, according to his coach.

"I feel that he's more focused this year. Obviously, he's a little older, a little more mature and I'm sure that has a great deal to do with it, but I see something in him," Sabers coach Rodger Berlin said of Terukina. "He's a man on a mission. He's a high goal-setter and he's working hard to try and achieve the goals that he's set for himself."

Berlin's only prior interactions with Terukina, who won the 132-pound individual state title as a junior last year, was across the mat as an assistant coach at Kapolei the previous two seasons.

"In my opinion, watching him the past two seasons compared to now, he's much more dominant," Berlin said. "He wants to be more dominant and so he's going for more finishes and that's what we're preaching, that we want to pin everybody. We don't want to tech (fall) guys, we don't want to tilt guys, we want to pin him."

Terukina comes from as decorated as wrestling family there is in the state. His father, Darryl, is a two-time state champion, while his uncle Ben has three titles in his name. Furthermore, his older brother Shayden won three times.

At February's state tournament last season, Zayren, along with younger brother Kysen — a then-freshman 113-pounder for Kamehameha — etched their names into the record books by winning their weight classes.

That left a big question mark in Berlin's mind when he got the Sabers' coaching job.

"With (Zayren) already being a state champ and coming from the kind of wrestling pedigree that he has in his family and such, I wasn't sure what he would listen to, what he would take from me, if he was going to be one of those kids that thought he knew everything, or was he a kid that was always willing to listen and be coachable and see if there were any tools I could give him," Berlin said.

The answer, through the first month or so of the season, has been crystal clear.

"He has been nothing but the consummate professional," Berlin said. "He listens better than most and in practice when we're working something, that's what he's working. Even if it's something that he knows to perfection, he's still working what I'm telling him to work and I've got to give him a lot of credit for that because he's gone through a couple of coaches and I don't know how he was with his other coaches, (but) he listens to what I tell him to do and if he's coachable with the experience that he already has, he has no ceiling."

Terukina, along with fellow seniors Noah Respicio (182 pounds) and Alize Wright (195), will be among those counted upon for leadership this season. Respicio and Wright were state runners-up at 170 and 182 pounds, respectively, last year.

"Those two have a lot of promise as well," Berlin said. "We've got a lot of raw talent, but we're a pretty young team. Most of my team right now is JV-aged kids, so it's goig to be fun to watch these kids develop."

The trio of Terukina, Respicio and Wright each won their division as last weekend's Garner Ivey Invitational on Maui.

Terukina defeated Lahainaluna's Kainalu Estrella by a score of 11-5 in the 145-pound final.

"The thing about Zayren, just like his brothers, he's always in the right position and he has just phenomenal mat IQ," Berlin said. "He's good at anticipating what the other guy will do."

The finals matchup was most of the more anticipated ones of the two-day tournament. Estrella finished second at 126 pounds at last year's state tournament.

Berlin said Terukina will eventually get his weight down to 138 pounds, where he is expected to be among the top contenders for the state crown.

 

BOYS BASKETBALL
Felcris Ahadain, Farrington — Scored 22 points in a loss to Kamehameha

Jayrius Alapai, Nanakuli — Scored 19 points in a win over Castle

Frank Felix, Iolani — Scored 21 points with two rebounds, one steal and an assist in a win over Roosevelt

Raven Ferrer, Aiea — Scored 22 points in a loss to Damien

Makoa Ing, Saint Louis II — Scored 20 points in a win over Castle

Makoto Kamata, Maryknoll — Scored 18 points in a win over McKinley

Kaulana Makaula, Punahou — Scored 25 points with six rebounds and a block in a loss to Lincoln and scored 18 points with seven steals, two assists, one rebound and a block in a win over Edison

Micah Mitchell, Hawaii Baptist — Scored 20 points in a win over Radford

Kyle Moraga, McKinley — Scored 24 points in a loss to Maryknoll

Reymar Morales, Farrington — Scored 19 points in a win over Mililani

EJ Navarro, Radford — Scored 21 points in a win over Hanalani

Kameron Ng, Saint Francis — Scored 27 points in a win over Kalaheo, scored 22 points in a win over Kaiser and scored 25 points in a win over Kamehameha II

Ryan Pardini, Kalaheo — Scored 21 points with four rebounds and an assist in a win over Nanakuli

Saige Pulu, Moanalua — Scored 20 points with two rebounds, one assist, one steal and a block in a win over Saint Louis

Noa Purcell, Saint Louis — Scored 22 points with eight rebounds, three steals, one assist and a block in a win over Roosevelt

Elijah Robinson, Leilehua — Scored 11 points with 11 rebounds and a block in a win over Mid-Pacific

Geremy Robinson, Moanalua — Scored 20 points in a win over Mililani

Jacob Saito, Hanalani — Scored 19 points in a loss to Radford

Cyrus Singelman, Kaiser — Scored 18 points in a win over Saint Louis II, scored 23 points in a loss to Saint Francis

Kamren Victorino-Kato, Kamehameha — Scored 24 points with four rebounds and two assists in a win over Kahuku, scored 25 points with six assists, four rebounds, three steals and a block in a win over Leilehua

Micah Visoria, Roosevelt — Scored 20 points with four rebounds, two steals and an assist in a loss to Saint Louis

Max Wiemken, Hawaii Baptist — Scored 24 points in a win over Radford

Tashaun Wright, Leilehua — Scored 18 points with six rebounds, four steals and one assist in a loss to Kamehameha

Kobe Young, Kamehameha — Scored 19 points in a win over Farrington, scored 17 points with nine rebounds, five blocks and a steal in a win over Kahuku


GIRLS BASKETBALL
Payton Antonio, Mid-Pacific — Scored 19 points with seven rebounds, two assists and two steals in a loss to Sacred Hearts

Gieani Balino, Campbell — Scored 20 points in a win over Waipahu

Kamakani DeBlake, Punahou — Scored 17 points in a loss to Kamehameha

Kaelyn Espinda, Kaimuki — Scored 25 points in a loss to Kahuku

Braeanna Estabillo, Lahainaluna — Scored 25 points in a win over Baldwin and scored 22 points in a win over King Kekaulike

Julia Fisher, Le Jardin — Scored 19 points in a win over Hanalani

Khrystyna Kanahele, Christian Academy — Scored 22 points in a win over Island Pacific and scored 27 points in a win over St. Andrew's

Sisilia Kaufusi, Kahuku — Scored 21 points in a win over Kaimuki

Taegan Keep, Kauai — Scored 23 points in a win over Waimea

Heidi Kishaba, Kalani — Scored 17 points in a win over Kaimuki

Brillie Kovaloff, Mid-Pacific — Scored 25 points with four rebounds, two steals and an assist in a loss to Sacred Hearts

Sadie Ann Luiz, Roosevelt — Scored 17 points in a loss to Kaiser

Te'Hiwa Medeiros, Sacred Hearts — Scored 18 points with 11 rebounds in a win over Mid-Pacific

Leiah Naeata, Kahuku — Scored 21 points in a win over Farrington

Kyley Nakagawa, Hawaii Baptist — Scored 18 points in a win over Iolani II

Kealani Neves, Saint Francis — Scored 23 points with two rebounds, two assists and two steals in a win over University Lab

Kalina Obrey, Kamehameha — Scored 20 points in a win over Sacred Hearts and scored 21 points in a win over Punahou

Rhianne Omori, Maryknoll — Scored 23 points in a win over Oregon City

Alyssa Oshita, Pearl City — Scored 23 points in a loss to Waianae

Ilana Sagapolutele, Damien — Scored 26 points in a loss to Hanalani

Nani Santos, Saint Francis — Scored 23 points in a win over Le Jardin

Kelsie Shibata, Aiea — Scored 23 points in a win over Waialua

Danielle Silva, Campbell — Scored 19 points in a win over Waipahu

Alana Talapu, Farrington — Scored 17 points in a loss to Kahuku

Keila Tsutsui, Hanalani — Scored 17 points in a win over Damien

Sunshine Vicente, Roosevelt — Scored 17 points in a loss to Kaiser

Lily Wahinekapu, Iolani — Scored 20 points in a loss to Oregon City


BOYS SOCCER
Josh Ishizaka, Mililani — Scored two goals in a win over Waianae

Christian Mamone, Keaau — Scored three goals in a win over Kau

Mitchell Quinn, Saint Louis — Scored two goals in a win over Kamehameha

Zane Von Guilder, Keaau — Scored three goals in a win over Kau


GIRLS SOCCER
Kaila Ambrosio, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored three goals in a win over Honokaa

Sydney Boyd, Aiea — Scored three goals in a win over Leilehua

Tatia Denis-McRight, Konawaena — Scored the lone goal in a win over Waiakea

Kaile Halvorsen, Kaiser — Scored three goals in a win over Kalaheo and scored four goals in a win over McKinley

Hevanilea Haunga, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored three goals in a win over Honokaa

Emi Higgins, Hawaii Prep — Scored three goals in a win over Kamehameha-Hawaii

Tatum Kauka, Kamehameha — Scored the lone goal in a win over Iolani

Kori Koverman, Kapolei — Scored three goals in a win over Nanakuli

Tyla Reese Mane, Aiea — Scored three goals in a win over Radford

Shaley Mercado, Kaiser — Scored three goals in a win over McKinley

Ciana Rivera, Castle — Scored two goals in a win over Roosevelt

Soraya Santos, Pearl City — Scored three goals in a win over Waianae

Cheyenne Smith, Campbell — Scored three goals in a win over Nanakuli

Kaila Takai, Pearl City — Scored three goals in a win over Waianae

Daelenn Tokunaga, Pearl City — Scored three goals in a win over Waianae

Audrey Weir, Kealakehe — Scored two goals in a win over Honokaa



Reach Kalani Takase at [email protected].




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