To say Kaua’i doesn’t need a win against Waimea tonight is like saying you don’t need chopped nuts on your ice cream sunday. A loss won’t end the Red Raiders’ season, but wouldn’t a second consecutive win be downright tasty?
To say Kaua’i doesn’t need a win against Waimea tonight is like saying you don’t need chopped nuts on your ice cream sunday.
A loss won’t end the Red Raiders’ season, but wouldn’t a second consecutive win be downright tasty?
The Red Raiders know they got an important win in Kapa’a last week, but will it mean anything if they don’t give Waimea – a team currently commanding the Kaua’i Interscholastic Federation at 2-0 – a run for their money?
Kaua’i didn’t win pretty on the East-side, and they lost once on the West. And the same team that handed the Red Raiders their only loss, the ghastly Menehunes, showed maturity in its domineering win over Kapa’a on Tuesday.
What will it take for the Red Raiders to beat the Menehunes tonight? No, not a 7’2″ Kasakistani transfer student, although that may help.
The Red Raiders need something a bit more complicated than that.
A little self-discovery, possibly?
Just like what Beatles guirtarist George Harrison found on his spiritual journey to India, the Red Raiders need to “find themselves.”
“We need to figure out our style,” said Kaua’i Head Coach Alex Pascual. “We think we have a run-and-shoot kind of offense going on, but it sure doesn’t look like it right now.”
The Red Raiders do have speed. They have enough depth in its backcourt to keep their guards running fresh all night long, and that means coach Pascual can expect nothing less than 100% effort from his players when they are out on the floor. And with the kind of offense Pascual wants his team to run – the fast-paced, push the ball up the floor attack – depth is exactly what they need.
Guards Bryson Semana, Alec Carbonel, Aukai Dennis and Alec Reichle are all extremely capable ball players. They won’t lose their ball handle under pressure, and they seem to have had good looks at the basket in the first two games of the KIF season. And Lionel T-Mac Tomacder, the fearless transition specialist who can push the ball up the court just the way captain Pascual wants, is just another bright addition to a deep bench of workable guards.
But, as it has been for nearly all KIF teams up to this point, they didn’t hit many of their shots. Actually, they only made 35-percent of them.
There will have to be some dramatic differences in their field goal percentage if they want to beat Waimea.
The Menehunes, who seem the most dangerous in its interior presence, have proved with the likes of Winnie Arios, Chesley Barba, Desmond Rodrigues, Mark Andres and Jay Parinas, that a similar deepness lies under the Dizonian facade that masked the Menehunes most potent strengths.
Waimea has a good group of guards, just like Kaua’i.
Forwards Jason Sahara and Kamu Kawaihalau can help offset Waimea’s Jordan Dizon, who leads the league in points with 15.5 points per game, but they must also out-rebound guys like Alan Manuel and Josh Vinzant, who played a big role in replacing Austin Alquiza Tuesday night.
The Junior Varsity game will start at 5:30 p.m., the varsity is 20 minutes after J.V.
