West Teams Battle For A Place In OIA Basketball Tourney

As the boys’ Oahu Interscholastic Association’s prep basketball season reaches the midway point, MidWeek‘s West Oahu Islander takes a look at the prospects for Aiea, Campbell, Kapolei, Pearl City and Waipahu.

Aiea

Record: (1-2 in OIA White Conference)

What’s Next: versus Pearl City at home Thursday; at Mililani Saturday

Must-See Game on the Remaining Slate: at Nanakuli Feb. 1

Players to Watch: Bryson Naito (15.0 points per game; third in the White Conference in scoring), Rusty Fontes (9.0), Aryn Antonio (8.0), Kimo Souza (7.0)

Na Ali’i at a Glance: Aiea is in the midst of a five-game stretch of games versus Division I schools. Since Na Ali’i are designated to DII this season, however, their post-season prospects hinge more perhaps on what they’ve done versus the other DII teams. To date, Aiea has a win over Waialua and a close loss to Waianae on its resume, making the Feb. 1 matchup at Nanakuli of the utmost importance.

Campbell

Record: (2-2 in OIA Red Conference Play)

What’s Next: at Nanakuli Thursday; versus Waipahu at home Saturday

Must-See Game on the Remaining Slate: At Kapolei Feb. 2

Players to Watch: Gilbert Dayanan (11.3 points per game), Justin Tago-Sue (7.8), Jayce Bantolina (6.8), Melvin Bergado (6.8)

Sabers at a Glance: Campbell’s next four games all appear winnable on paper. Should the Sabers take care of business during this stretch, it could set up a monumental matchup with rival Kapolei in the regular-season finale for both. With three of their final five games away from home, the Sabers will need to steal a road win or two the rest of the way to stay in the mix for a No. 1 or No. 2 seed out of the West for the OIA Tournament.

Kapolei

Record: (4-0 in Red Conference Play)

What’s Next: at Waipahu Thursday; at Pearl City Saturday

Must-See Game on the Remaining Slate: At Pearl City Saturday

Players to Watch: Curtis Tavares (10.3 points per game), Chris Dillard (9.0), Zach Reeves (8.3), Josh Wills (6.3), Dorian Antonio-Martos (6.3)

Hurricanes at a Glance: Dating back to last season, when Kapolei was the OIA Division I runner-up to Kahuku, the Hurricanes have won 22 of their last 26 games heading into last weekend’s action. With a veteran team back in the fold, the Hurricanes look poised for another run in the post-season.

Pearl City

Record: (4-0 in OIA Red Conference Play)

What’s Next: At Aiea on Thursday; versus Kapolei at home Saturday

Must-See Game on the Remaining Slate: Saturday versus Kapolei at home

Players to Watch: Sonny Glisson (10.8), Tyson Hickcox (9.8)

Chargers at a Glance: With their quick 4-0 start, the Chargers are plainly the surprise team in the OIA. Impressive wins over Campbell, Mililani and Leilehua helped set the tone for what has become a breakthrough season already for the Chargers.

Waipahu

Record: (1-2 in OIA Red Conference Play)

What’s Next: Versus Kapolei at home Thursday; at Campbell Saturday

Must-See Game on the Remaining Slate: versus Leilehua at home Feb. 4

Players to Watch: Gerrymie J. Ilan (8.5 points per game), Jed Pagtulingan (7.0), Eliser Paclob Jr. (6.5), Keanu Deboma (6.5)

Marauders at a Glance: Should Waipahu make a run in the second half of the OIA’s regular season, the Marauders will certainly have earned it with five straight games versus Westside powers Kapolei, Campbell, Pearl City, Mililani and Leilehua to close out the regular season. Defense has been Waipahu’s forte to date. The Marauders are giving up 44 points per game.