We did decent, but it wasn't our smartest game, losing to St. Francis tonight in a matchup of the top two teams in the Kalani Varsity Summer League. The effort was there, no question, and we kept chipping away. We were down 36-31 in the second half before St. Francis pulled away. There are a number of little things that made the difference. Their experienced players made smart plays from start to finish, and we'll be smarter the next time we play them.
I also like how our bench held their own against St. Francis' bench to the point where they picked up a technical foul out of frustration. In fact, even with some calls (Isaiah being under cut, for one) not going our way, the officials did a good job keeping things under control.
That was the kind of game we really need to see where we are, to see how much we need to improve. Punahou had to fight us off in varsity and JV games the past two weeks. Now St. Francis had to play well to beat us. Both are going to be Top 10, probably Top 5 teams in the state in the winter. I'm not saying that's what our goal is; we're not a school team, obviously.
But it's a gauge of where we are, especially being a team heavy with incoming juniors. We're pretty good, have lots of room to get better, and as we get smarter, the gap will close. More than anything, though, I always want us to play great basketball. Do that, everything else takes care of itself. We're getting there.
Friday — see the post below for your location. We have the 18U tourney at Aiea and the JV league at Maryknoll going on simultaneously Friday night.
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