Clem Gomes Gymnasium hasn’t changed much since the boys stomped on its hardwood a few months ago. At least it didn’t seem that way Tuesday night, when the Kapa’a Warriors topped the Waimea Menehunes 59-56 in an overtime thriller. The
Clem Gomes Gymnasium hasn’t changed much since the boys stomped on its hardwood a few months ago.
At least it didn’t seem that way Tuesday night, when the Kapa’a Warriors topped the Waimea Menehunes 59-56 in an overtime thriller.
The only difference is this time the girls hoopsters have taken over, and with two regular season KIF games played in the season thus far, it’s possible they may not actually be the girls they say they are.
In fact, they could be masked as the ghosts of winter’s past.
Sound crazy? Consider this:
– It was only yesterday Kapa’a head basketball coach Michael Ban was shouting calls to his boys from the sidelines, his voice muffled within a vague mist of howls and cheers.
There he was again on Tuesday – same gym, same foe, similar down-to-the-wire situation. Ban may want to invest in some reflexology and massage therapy sessions if the girl’s season ends up being anything like last winter.
– The team hierarchy after two games is rather similar to that of the boys season.
The Kaua’i Red Raiders are quick. The Menehunes have the (physically) strongest frontcourt. The Warriors have scrappy forwards, and some of them could pass as guards.
The Red Raider girls were swamped by the Warriors in the first half of last Saturday’s season opener. They gained some ground in the second, but it wasn’t enough to win. If only Lionel Tomacder and his boys had an extended season, maybe they could have altered that annoying trend before it infected the Red Raider wahine’s first KIF game.
And after just one game, a similar rivalry is brewing between Waimea and Kapa’a, where technicals, missed free-throws and sporatic events change the face of each game within the final minute of the fourth quarter.
– Are the players in each league really that different? I haven’t seen Jordon Dizon around town lately, could he have tranformed into Erin Castillo? She’ just as tough, plays just as hard, and seems to have a good attitude on the floor.
What about Waimea’s Ashley Vea? 23 points, 10-12 free throws. Are we sure Garrett Danner is playing tennis right now?
Did Winnie Arios become Kapa’a’s Sharlene Carillo? Her jumpshot, which translated into 20 points on Tuesday, is a clear sign that the ghosts of winter have yet to pass.
Chesley Barba becomes Ashley Meir? Erin Garlie a product of Jason Sahara?
It’s not a stretch.
Garlie has the same build and the same desire. And like Sahara, don’t be surprised if she’d play on a bad ankle for an entire season and still remain a force under the net.
Barba and Meir, each small but quick and smart and not afraid to take it to the hole and challenge much taller forwards.
Danielle Hill and Jasmine Stevenson: two Seth Yamamoto’s on one team? The two can do everything from rebounding, shooting and stealing to running the floor, much like the All Star utility forward.
There are tons of other similarities and comparisons, but just not enough space to write them all. What will truly will come of this season? No one yet knows.
But did anyone have a clue at the the onset of the boy’s season?
u Next Game: Waimea vs. Kaua’i tonight at Clem Gomes in Waimea. The JV tip-off is 5:30 p.m. The varsity contest follows 20 minutes after the JV game.
