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Brandon Ching | ScoringLiveJanuary 14, 2024, 7:31am
Sat, Jan 13, 2024 @ Saint Louis
KALAEPOHAKU—A buzzer beater wasn't necessary for this victory.
Zion Millare got to the rim and made it rain from the perimeter as No. 4 Maryknoll set the tone early to thump No. 1 Saint Louis, 54-36, at the Clarence T. C. Ching Athletic Center Saturday.
"This is my first win over here (at the Clarence T. C. Ching Athletic Center). Even in the summer time, we get killed by these guys. It was nice to get a victory and get that off the bucket list," Maryknoll coach Kelly Grant said.
Milare hit two buzzer-beaters against Iolani and Kamehameha on Tuesday and Thursday respectively and scored his game-high 23 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field and was 4-for-8 from 3.
"This one feels better than the two buzzer beaters. I think we waited all year for this one. I thought we played more as a team today. We practiced hard, we got our groove, we're coming back," Milare said.
"I heard him say he had this marked in his calendar and I had this marked in my calendar. We all know we got swept four times last year and if you don't take that personal, then you shouldn't be playing competitive sports. I'm proud of him and proud of the team," Grant said.
The Spartans won their third-straight game after dropping their first two to move to 3-2 in the ILH Division I standings. After getting swept four times by Saint Louis last season, Maryknoll picks up its first win against them for the first time since Feb. 8, 2021.
Nixis Yamauchi added 12 points, three rebounds, and two assists, and Hunter Marumoto chipped in seven points and seven boards.
The Crusaders won their first three games, but dropped their last two to fall to 3-2 and is tied with Maryknoll for second place behind unbeaten Punahou (5-0).
The game got off to an auspicious start for the Spartans as Hunter Marumoto hit 1 of 2 technical free throws after an administrative error on the home team.
Pupu Sepulona scored a team-high 14 points and got the Crusaders on the scoreboard. Yamauchi followed up with a jumper and Milare hit a 3-pointer off a tip out from Rome Lilio to put Maryknoll ahead, 11-2.
"Our bigs are working hard every day. Lifting everyday, they're strong. We prepared for this game because Saint Louis is so physical and it paid off. I'm proud of them and my team," Milare said.
The Spartans were active on the glass and edged the Crusaders, 22 to 19 on the boards. However, Maryknoll had five of their eight offensive rebounds in the first quarter that led to second chance opportunities.
"We talk about quality shots, when one team take quality shots over the other, I would say 90 percent of the time you are going to win your game. We have been talking about offensive rebounds. Against Mid-Pacific, they had seven or eight offensive rebounds against us and it was killing us, because we were playing solid defense but we weren't finishing the play by blocking out. We need to do the same thing. We send the four or five to get offensive rebounds, but we send the three. Nixis has a 40 inch vertical leap so he goes in for offensive rebounds too," Grant said.
Posiulai cut into the deficit off a feed from Sepulona, but the Spartans scored the next six points off Lilio's putback and shot in the paint, Milare's baseline drive to go up, 19-7 going into the second quarter.
Sepulona converted two free throws, but Milare hit a 3-pointer and Yamauchi followed up with another triple off Marumoto's offensive board and kick out to make it, 25-9.
"It felt good and I love when the crowd heckling me, it made me pumped with more adrenaline," Milare said as his 3-pointers fell.
Marumoto put Maryknoll up by 19, its largest lead of the half, after converted a 3-point play but Caelan Fernando, who chipped in eight points off the bench, drove it for two as Saint Louis trailed, 30-13 at halftime.
"The kids were focused and ready to play, we hit some big shots in the first half. I felt we played decent defense on Jordan (Posiulai) and Pupu (Sepulona). They have really good guards, but the staple is to get the ball into the post, we did a decent job with that. We kept our composure we made a couple mistakes here and there down the stretch, but for the most part we kept our composure for the entire game," Grant said.
Ghesiah Faleafine-Auwae was a big addition in the middle and had four points and four rebounds.
"He came from football, he came from being in Maui. It was a slow start, the stuff we run here at Maryknoll is complicated. He's smart and picks up fast but it took a while. He's close to where we want him," Grant said of Falefine-Auwae.
Maryknoll went up by 20 three times in the third quarter but were outscored by the Crusaders in the period. Saint Louis closed out the final three minutes of the third quarter on a 8-3 run to trail by 16 going into the fourth.
Fernando hit a 3-pointer from a pass out from Shancin Revuelto and Fernando's free throw got the Crusaders within 12, but Saint Louis could not get any closer. Maryknoll answered with a 7-2 run after Milare hit a baseline reverse layup, Mission Uperesa-Thomas' bucket in the lane, and Yamauchi canned another 3-pointer. The Spartans led by as much as 19 with 1:31 to go.
The Spartans committed eight turnovers while forcing 16 from the Crusaders.
Maryknoll went 13 for 15 (86.6 percent) from the free throw line while the Crusaders shot 8 for 13 (61.5 percent).
Maryknoll hosts cross-street rival Punahou on Tuesday, Jan. 16 at 6:30 p.m. while Saint Louis hosts No. 6 Iolani (2-3) on the same night and time.
"You seen everybody one time and they seen us. Now it's X's and O's and what kind of adjustments the coaches make and go from there and I'm excited," Grant said.
Both teams will meet again at the Maryknoll Community Center on Jan. 25 to end the ILH regular season.
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