Photo courtesy of Todd Rickard
Closing the Book: No. 8 Lahainaluna (12-8, 9-2 MIL)
vs. Top 10: 5-8 (.385)
Top 10 wins: MAUI, KK, MAUI, KK, KK
Top 10 losses: IOL, PUN, KS, MS, KK, MAUI, WAIK, MS
Non-Top 10 losses: None
Playoffs: 2-0
HHSAA: 1-2
The tsunami finally hit the coast of West Maui, but the Lahainaluna Lady Lunas refused to go down without a fight.
With an all-underclassmen roster, Lahainaluna saw its 164-game win streak in Maui Interscholastic League play come to an end. A home loss to King Kekaulike ended the historic run on Dec. 17. Then came a road loss at Maui nearly two weeks later on Dec. 30.
Suddenly, mighty Lahainaluna was the third-place team in the MIL. Coach Todd Rickard, in his 25th season, was in the midst of their toughest season in ages.
“The losses against King Kekaulike and Maui High, mentally, they had to get stronger. They had to grow from that. The streak had to come to an end, but that happening, for our team, they had to learn that nobody’s going to take it easy for us after so many years of being ahead in the MIL. You wear that name on your shirt, but there are teams out there coming 120 percent at you and trying to take your heads off,” Rickard said.
A run to the state tourney, let alone another MIL title, just didn’t seem likely by then. The Lady Lunas had begun preseason 0-4 with losses to ‘Iolani, Punahou, Kamehameha and Maryknoll. By the time they fell at Maui, they were 4-6 overall, 4-2 in league play. With only two state-tournament berths allotted to the MIL, it was King Kekaulike and Maui in the drivers’ seats.
Dealing with injuries, including an early-season injury for Ashley Akamine, had taken a toll, When she returned, sister Abigail Akamine went down with a season-ending injury.
“She went up for a layup at practice. She went up, nobody touched her and she grabbed her knee. I knew right there. We got hit with the injury bug this year. That was tough and challenging,” Rickard said. “They gathered themselves, came together and learned, we can do this. They rose up, relied on each other, did what we asked them to do, and they trusted the system. They took the MIL championship again and that was a confidence booster.”
Lahainaluna was voted out of the Star-Advertiser Top 10 for the first time in years, but ran off seven wins in a row to complete the MIL slate. That included a 66-36 win at King Kekaulike and a 42-28 win over Maui to complete the regular season, sealing a state berth. Then came wins over Kamehameha-Maui (51-37) and King Kekaulike (44-41) to complete the run to the title.
The Lady Lunas lost to Waiakea in the state quarterfinals, 37-26, then defeated Moanalua (50-39). They lost to third-seeded Maryknoll, 50-38, in the fifth-place game.
Sophomore Taylor Eldredge emerged as a key offensive force, scoring 30 points in a win over King Kekaulike as the Lady Lunas rallied with a big run to close out the MIL season.
The entire roster will return next season, which gives Coach Rickard plenty of optimism. He chatted about the season on Sunday.
This season was ________.
Rickard: “Challenging because of our youth and inexperience. They just needed minutes to learn how to play with each other. You can go through all the practices you want, but going through games, that’s a different story.”
This season was the movie ________.
Rickard: “Star Wars, 'The Empire Strikes Back.' Old movie. We got hit hard in the beginning of the season, In the end, they did what we expected of them by winning the league championship and also competing at the state level."
Review, Starters and key rotation/role players:
Taylor Eldredge, 18 ppg in MIL, 10 ppg overall, voted No. 14 All-State Fab 15, So.
Rickard: “She’s great shooter. Honestly, she was really full, hardcore into hula. She went to the Merry Monarch and everything. In seventh, eighth grade, even ninth grade. I think when she stepped away from hula for awhile to focus on basketball, it really worked out for us. She put more time in and when she did that, we see the benefits of it. She’s long, gets rebounds for us, drives to the basket. She does a lot. She’s quiet, not a vocal person. She’s got to improve more on defense a little. She’s a guard, but a lot of times she has to play on bigger girls. She needs to become more aggressive, basically everyone on our team.”
Abigail Akamine. 11 ppg MIL, 8 ppg overall, Jr.
Rickard: “Abby was coming around. She was playing tremendously. Great shooter from the outside, drives to the basket and rebounds. Our guards have decent size, lanky. Abby is smart. She was becoming a true leader of our team. Everyone was beginning to look up to her, and that injury was a severe blow for us. She went up for a layup at practice. She went up, nobody touched her and she grabbed her knee. I knew right there. We got hit with the injury bug this year. That was tough and challenging. She has that all-around game and her work ethic is amazing. It’s contagious. She has a big effect on our younger girls, too. She could get a little stronger. A lot of our girls just need to be more assertive and aggressive with and without the ball. Be more physical. You challenge yourself to do that and get to the highest level. She had surgery and she’s rehabbing now. Hopefully, she can be back by November, her being a senior.”
Ashley Akamine 10 ppg MIL, Jr.
Rickard: “Ashley can shoot the ball, very similar to her sister. Plays defense, gets rebounds. Sometimes she’s overly aggressive on defense. I don’t mind the aggressiveness, but you’ve got to be smart, too. She plays with a chip on her shoulder. She likes to attack the basket a lot and challenges the big girls inside. Ashley is more assertive, more vocal than Abby. We definitely need her to not foul as much. We need her to be there. She’s an impact player for us. She found her way and began to improve.”
Kiera Kaniho, 6 ppg overall, So.
Rickard: “When Kiera was younger, she’d shoot the ball and couldn’t reach the rim, but she’s turned out to be money. Anywhere around the rim, a 10- to 12-foot jump shot, she’s money. When she shoots, this ball is going in, guarantee. I tell her, you’ve got to shoot this ball from shot corner, from the free-throw line area. She’s physical. She’s not afraid to bang. For us, she’s a center even through she’s 5-10. She’s not afraid. She’ll go up against anybody. She plays good defense, too. She’s vocal, as well, just like Ashley. She came a long way from when she started in sixth grade. I would say junior, senior year, she’ll be an impact player out there.”
Aira Baguyo, Jr.
Rickard: “She’s consistent. She does all the little things well. She gets the rebounds when we need it. She’s a good defender. She handles the ball against pressure. She has a pretty good 3-point shot. She attacks the basket. She’s a pretty consistent all-around player. She’s not very vocal, but she’s very positive with all the girls. She was one of the most consistent juniors for us.”
Piper Pascua, So.
Rickard: “She’s probably the closest that we have to being a true point guard. She does all of the little things. She directs the team offensively, calls the plays, brings the ball up majority of the time. She’s probably, in my eyes, the best defender we have on the team. She plays really, really great defense. In-your-face defense. In preseason, she played really outstanding, then she had the injury and it took four or five weeks to get back into the form she had. She’s a warrior. She never complains. She has work ethic. She’s amazing and she has a great influence on the other girls. I love having her on the team.”
Marie-Ann Ruiz-Sana, Fr.
Rickard: “We call her Margie. She’s another point guard. She’s a little bit shy about shooting because she’s a freshman, but we call her ‘Bully’ because she’s very physical and loves to attack the basket. She likes that physical aspect of the game. If there’s no lane there, two, three girls there, she still puts her head down and drives through the lane. Defensively, she’s solid, too. She’s not afraid of anybody.”
Alea Kimokeo, Jr.
Rickard: “She’s probably one of the quickest people in the state up and down the court, but injuries slowed her down a bit. When she’s healthy, she can be productive for us.”
Did the rotation change?
Rickard: “I changed it almost every game. Honestly, I had to. Whether it was injuries or not being ready yet, for whatever reason, I changed the lineup and rotation numerous times to find something that would work for our team. We found something, then Abby got hurt. I can’t even say we had a straight starting lineup from beginning to the end.”
What or who surprised you most?
Rickard: “It’s not one specific person, but they all surprised me as a team. Maybe not a surprise. They all came up through the system. In preseason, we didn’t win a game. We were competitive, hung in there in the first half a lot of times, just trying to find who would compete. The losses against King Kekaulike and Maui High, mentally, they had to get stronger. They had to grow from that. The streak had to come to an end, but that happening, for our team, they had to learn that nobody’s going to take it easy for us after so many years of being ahead in the MIL. You wear that name on your shirt, but there are teams out there coming 120 percent at you and trying to take your heads off. They gathered themselves, came together and learned, we can do this. They rose up, relied on each other, did what we asked them to do, and they trusted the system. They took the MIL championship again and that was a confidence booster.”
What was the peak? What was the low?
Rickard: “The low had to have been the loss to King Kekaulike. That is where they had to really dig down deep. Could they compete for an MIL championship? They had to challenge themselves. They could pick things up and move on, or dwell on this and move back. We lost to Maui after that, but the loss to King K, nothing taking away from King K, they’re excellent. But they did a good job of bouncing back.
“The peak was when we started the MIL playoff tournament. They actually had a ton of confidence and belief that they’re one of the better teams in the state. They started playing team basketball and relying on each other. Right around when Abby went down, Ashley was hurt (in the first King Kekaulike game) and came back, the rest of the girls had a lot of playing time and gained a lot of experience. As a team, they became together. We were at a point where it was Maui and King Kekaulike going to the state tournament. There were a lot of must-win games for us, and they won every game after that. They did what they needed to do.”
What will you miss about this group?
Rickard: “Everybody will return. I just miss seeing them play with each other, enjoying the game, believing in the system, trusting in each other, trusting in the offseason workout to get better. The past season will take us a long way. Against Waiakea, we were down five points with two minutes left. That adds to our experience. We knew at states it would be tough to win a championship, but we were looking forward to the future. That was invaluable.”
What are you anticipating for offseason and next season?
Rickard: “We got invited to play in the ‘Iolani Classic. We’ll have another tough preseason schedule. We’ll be more prepared than last year because of their experience. They’ll be a lot more hungry. They can reach their goals if they put the time in. Now we have this COVID-19 and nothing’s available. Will our players get better? How will they work out? We wait and see, see what happens. I feel bad for the seniors who play sports in the spring. There’s a lot of things bigger than sports, walking the (graduation) line, spending time with their classmates. For us, we’re fortunate we get all our girls back. That’s what I’m excited about.
“We have two players coming up from Menehune (youth program), Lola Donez and Mata Faleta. There are younger girls in our program on varsity that will contribute. Chaland Pahukoa (Fr.), who was having good minutes for us this season, but broke her hand and ended her season. Paia Asuela (So.) is a very physical player and is not afraid to be physical. Kyana Brucelas (So.), who transferred from Hawaii Prep and was the D-II player of the year there. Very energetic player, but behind a bit due to the lack of practice time. She definitely can be a contributor once she gets the system down.
“Ame Taufa (Fr.) is a strong girl who has a lot of raw talent and just needs to translate that to the court. Haley Mahoe (Fr.) is good shooter with great understanding of the game. She will tremendously help us next year."
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