Mililani's Dimonyai Lacey and Mililani's Dahlis Sablay headline last week's top performers. ScoringLive photo illustration

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Male Athlete of the Week: Dimonyai Lacey, Damien basketball
The upside for Dimonyai Lacey off the charts.

In his very first varsity season for the Damien boys basketball team, the 6-foot-4 freshman forward has quickly established himself as a premiere post presence. That took all but one game in the rigorous Interscholastic League of Honolulu.

Lacey scored a game-high 27 points Thursday to lead the Monarchs to a thrilling 81-76 win in overtime over host Hawaii Baptist.

"I thought it was a good game and a good confidence-booster for him," Damien coach Alvin Stephenson said. "I thought his teammates did a good job of finding him, although he's a team player first, but we're looking for more games from him like that."

Lacey kept busy against the sharpshooting Eagles, who made 10 3-pointers as a team and had four players score in double-figures.

"That night he did it in a lot of different way. He did it against double-teams, triple-teams, grabbed rebounds, got some putbacks, and used a number of post moves, so the sky is the limit for him in the post," Stephenson said. "He's a pretty good athlete and he's getting to really understand the game more. Once he understands the game, I think he'll go on to the next level and play basketball."

Lacey scored in double-figures in eight of Damien's 10 preseason games, including a string of four straight games to open the year. Prior to Thursday his previous single-game high in points scored was 15 against Campbell on Nov. 21.

Stephenson said that while Lacey's physical presence is his most recognizable trait, his on-the-court game is advanced beyond his years as well.

"When you talk into the gym you'll notice him right away," Stephenson said. "He looks like a grown man. His size will stick out, almost like a baby-Shaq type. On the court you would see his dominance, his rebounding, his ability to post up. He won't go unnoticed. You would have to do something against him (because) I don't think one man can guard him."

Stephenson added that Lacey's quickness at 215 pounds can be deceiving.

"He has pretty good feet. He'll do some thing that will wow you on the inside," Stephenson said.

With some continued development, Stephenson foresees Lacey potentially leaving the Kalihi campus as one of the best a few years down the road.

"Once he understands just how much of a grind and how tough the ILH D2 can be, once he does that, I think he will be as dominant as the centers I've had in the past like Kapiina King and Shaun Apiki," Stephenson said. "Projection-wise, he could probably be the best center I will have had by the time he leaves here. He's doing what they did as seniors, but as a freshman."

Still, Stephenson knows it will take time. Lacey is one of six freshmen on the Monarchs roster.

"Nothing that he does really surprises me because my expectations for him are very high. I know he's a freshman, but he's got a body like a grown man. I've got to keep in mind sometimes that he's only thirteen (because) sometimes I can be hard on him," Stephenson said.

While the win over HBA was a big one, the next test — in the form of No. 3 Saint Francis Wednesday — is even more formidable.

"For these freshman it's a learning process and about getting them to grow up earlier, understanding the level of competition and how tough the grind of it is. The physical part they understand, but they've still got to learn the mental part, but we're growing. We have a good complement of upperclassmen who have been very vital with bringing them along and pushing them in practice every day, so it's a good balance," Stephenson said.

Lacey and the Monarchs (1-0) will visit the Saints (2-0) Wednesday, with tip off scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

Female Athlete of the Week: Dahlis Sablay, Mililani basketball
In her team's biggest game of the season to date, Dahlis Sablay had herself another solid performance.

The 5-foot-2 sophomore paved the way for Mililani's 52-40 road win at Campbell Saturday with a game-high 17 points.

"She did everything that we expect out of her," Trojans interim coach Francis Dagan said. "It's not just the points, but it's her ability to find the right moments to score. There were a couple of times that Campbell cut into our lead and she'd either find her teammates for a score, or find her own shot. She did a lot of things to get the momentum back on our side."

The win clinched the Western Division's top seed in the upcoming Oahu Interscholastic Association Division-I tournament for Mililani, which comes with a first-round bye.

"Our goal was always to get either the one- or two-seed to get that first-round bye, just because it makes it that easier with having one less game over those four days, so that Campbell win was big for us," Dagan said.

A loss against the Sabers, combined with a Campbell win over Radford this week, would have bumped Mililani down to the three seed.

Dagan reiterated Sablay's ability to pick her spots as being a key factor in the victory Saturday.

"One thing she's been improving on is her patience. She has a knack to know when to push the ball up, but to a certain degree she hasn't quite perfected it yet. She shows she made a couple of bad passes on the break and she knows when she should take it back out and run offense, but she realizes that right off the bat and I can't ask for more than that," Dagan said.

As a youngster, Sablay also participated in softball and football.

"I understand that she excelled in softball and she played slotback and linebacker for her dad in football, so she's very athletic," said Dagan, who added that Sablay's gridiron toughness has transferred over to the hardwood.

"One would to describe her would be tenacious. She does carry that same attitude on the basketball court and the good thing is she has the same expectations of her teammates, so they've kind of followed her lead as far as that goes. In the past we've kind of always been known as a soft team, but I think Dahlis refuses to fit that mold and the team is following suit," Dagan said.

Sablay, a natural point guard, has excelled this season despite a mid-season role change.

"I asked her about four games ago about her willingness to play the two-guard and she was open to it, so it's just been the last few games that we've made that move. We've got her playing both positions depending on what the matchup is, but for the most part she's been playing the two-guard," Dagan said. "Don't get me wrong, when teams start to press and pressure the ball on us, she naturally takes the (point guard) position back, but there are even some occasions that she plays the three (small forward) for us at the high post in some of our schemes, so she's quite a versatile player."

The move has paid dividends for Sablay, who is averaging 17.2 points per game since the change and has hit 15 3-pointers in that span of six games.

Sablay eclipsed the 20-point mark for the third time this season in a 39-19 win over Nanakuli Tuesday to conclude the regular season.

The Trojans (10-0) are ranked ninth in this week's ScoringLive/Hawaiian Electric Girls Basketball Power Rankings.

BOYS BASKETBALL
Felicer Barut, Waipahu — Scored 18 points in a loss to Aiea and scored 18 points in a loss to Campbell

Naighel Calderon, Lanai — Scored 25 points in a win over Molokai

Ja'Shon Carter, Kapolei — Scored 18 points in a win over Radford

Caleb Casinas, Moanalua — Scored 18 points with nine rebounds, two steals, one assist and a block in a win over Kalaheo

Fransver Castro, Maui — Scored 18 points in a win over Kamehameha-Maui

Kaimi Dunaway, Punahou II — Scored 22 points in a win over Saint Louis II

Cole Galicinao, Hawaii Baptist — Scored 20 points in a loss to Damien

Leif Fautanu, University Lab — Scored 22 points in a loss to Saint Francis

Connor Fernandez, Haleakala Waldorf — Scored 18 points in a loss to Seabury Hall

Kolin Galdiano, Damien — Scored 19 points in a win over Hawaii Baptist

Luke Jones, St. Anthony — Scored 18 points in a win over Hana

Makoa Ing, Saint Louis II — Scored 19 points in a loss to Punahou II

Samuel Kahapea, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored 26 points in a win over Kealakehe and scored 18 points in a win over Hawaii Prep

Jaymin Khansmith, Kaiser — Scored 25 points with eight rebounds and a steal in a win over Kaimuki

Kaulana Makaula, Punahou — Scored 18 points in a win over Mid-Pacific

Chris Neilson, St. Anthony — Scored 18 points in a win over Hana

Kameron Ng, Saint Francis — Scored 33 points in a win over University Lab and scored 20 points in a win over Le Jardin

Adam O'Leary, Iolani II — Scored 19 points in a win over Maryknoll II

Isaiah Payne, Seabury Hall — Scored 27 points in a win over Haleakala Waldorf

Austin Peters, Kamehameha-Maui — Scored 18 points in a loss to Maui

Geremy Robinson, Moanalua — Scored 18 points with four rebounds, seven assists, one steal and a block in a win over Kalaheo

Cyrus Singelman, Kaiser — Scored 23 points with eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks in a win over Castle

Tolu Smith, Kahuku — Scored 18 points in a win over Kalani and scored 19 points with nine rebounds, three assists, one steal and a block in a win over Roosevelt

Isaiah Sugiura, Moanalua — Scored 21 points in a win over Kalaheo

Everett Torres-Kahapea, Kailua — Scored 18 points in a win over Roosevelt and scored 21 points in a win over Castle

Micah Visoria, Roosevelt — Scored 23 points with seven rebounds in a loss to Kahuku

Max Weimken, Hawaii Baptist — Scored 21 points in a loss to Damien

Ryan Yamamoto, Pearl City — Scored 19 points in a loss to Kapolei

Kobe Young, Kamehameha — Scored 18 points in a win over Saint Louis and scored 23 points with five rebounds, two assists and one block in a win over Iolani

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Jaliyah Casem, Kapaa — Scored 18 points in a win over Waimea

Alexis Correa, Kapolei — Scored 20 points in a win over Waialua

Tanisha Elbourne, Punahou — Scored 22 points with eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks in a win over Sacred Hearts

Kaylie Espinas, Kalani — Scored 19 points in a win over Kalaheo

Kaelyn Espinda, Kaimuki — Scored 21 points in a win over Roosevelt

Kaylen Kamelamela, Leilehua — Scored 19 points in a win over Nanakuli

Sisilia Kaufusi, Kahuku — Scored 30 points in a loss to Moanalua

Camille Ledesma, Molokai — Scored 18 points in a win over Lanai

Arriana Maltezo, Lanai — Scored 18 points in a win over Molokai

Te'Hiwa Medeiros, Sacred Hearts — Scored 12 points with 11 rebounds, one steal and an assist in a loss to Punahou

Cherilyn Molina, Konawaena — Scored 27 points in a win over Kau

Samantha Pollard, Kalaheo — Scored 20 points in a loss to Kalani

Kaye Serapio, Waimea — Scored 19 points in a loss to Kauai and scored 18 points in a loss to Kapaa

Mele Tafea, Kapaa — Scored 25 points in a win over Waimea

Keila Tsutsui, Hanalani — Scored 18 points in a loss to Damien

Kiana Vierra, Kamehameha — Scored 19 points in a win over Mid-Pacific

Destynee Williams, Keaau — Scored 18 points in a win over Hawaii Prep

BOYS SOCCER
Keaton Downing, Kamehameha — Scored the lone goal in a win over Mid-Pacific

David Erskine, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored three goals in a win over Makua Lani

Skyler Goo, Saint Louis — Scored two goals in a win over PAC-5

Mason Morishige, Roosevelt — Scored two goals in a win over Farrington

Makana Srivongsana, Kaiser — Scored two goals in a win over Kahuku

GIRLS SOCCER
Alyssa Antolin, Maui — Scored the lone goal in a win over Baldwin

Hannah Cabral, Kalaheo — Scored four goals in a win over Farrington and scored four goals in a win over McKinley

Leah Feato, Kamehameha — Scored the lone goal in a win over Punahou

Sunshine Fontes, Pearl City — Scored four goals in a win over Waialua

Keile Halvorsen, Kaiser — Scored five goals in a win over Kahuku

Bethanee Hanaike, Castle — Scored four goals in a win over Kahuku

Maya Mau, Kaiser — Scored two goals in a win over Kailua

Maurice Riingen, Keaau — Scored two goals in a win over Kealakehe

Daysha-Ann Solidum, Kalani — Scored three goals in a win over McKinley

Radhika Webster-Shultz, Mid-Pacific — Scored two goals in a win over PAC-5