Prep Game Of The Week – 1/14/15

WINTER SPORTS
IOLANI vs. MARYKNOLL
GIRLS BASKETBALL
SATURDAY, JAN. 17, 7 P.M.
@MARYKNOLL HIGH SCHOOL

Chris Hart

The last time these teams faced each other, Maryknoll won by only four. No doubt, this rematch features two top ILH teams. And you’re right (for a change), Gary: Maryknoll’s Chico Furtado is a coaching legend. That makes picking Iolani to win this game crazy, right? Well, in the words of Lee Corso, “Not so fast, my friend!” Iolani also is well-coached. They’re also disciplined and play solid defense. In their last meeting, Iolani held Maryknoll to just 34 points. And at the time of this writing, none of Iolani’s victories has even been close, and none of those opponents scored more than 37 points. Iolani is very team-oriented. No player averages a ton of points individually, which means Maryknoll can’t key on stopping one or two players. It’s going be a good game and could go either way, but I’m gonna say it’s another slow-paced defensive battle. Iolani will come out on top, 38-37.

Gary Dickman

I see Maryknoll winning this game, although it won’t be easy. There’s a lot to like about Maryknoll, and it starts with their head coach Chico Furtado. Chico won championships at Kalaheo and is at the top of the list of all-time great coaches in Hawaii. He’s one of the few coaches who really emphasize a basic skill set: shooting free throws. In the Spartans’ ILH opener against Kamehameha, he reminded the girls how free throws make a difference, and they responded by hitting 70 percent at the stripe to win 42-39. Maryknoll is led by several players, including Maegen Martin, who had 15 points in their win over the Warriors. Kaile Cambra adds strong 3-point shooting. With balanced scoring and excellent coaching, I see Maryknoll beating Iolani by 4.

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