Punahou remains unbeaten with sweep of 'Iolani
Mar. 16—The Buffanblu improved to 3-0 in ILH play as setters Nalu Akana (24 assists ) and Elijah Smith (14 assists ) ran a devastatingly effective attack against a hustling, scrappy Raiders defense.
Brody Badham drilled 10 kills to lead a balanced attack as Punahou swept 'Iolani 25-21, 25-17, 25-17 on Friday night at Father Bray Athletic Complex.
The Buffanblu improved to 3-0 in ILH play as setters Nalu Akana (24 assists ) and Elijah Smith (14 assists ) ran a devastatingly effective attack against a hustling, scrappy Raiders defense.
"Today was good. I thought we prepared well for this game, " said Akana, a versatile sophomore who had 24 assists, seven kills and one block. "This is my first, running a 6-2, playing all six rotations, but I'm mainly a setter. We had great energy."
Punahou is the 10-time defending state champion.
"I think we're embracing our new team. We're doing a great job, " Akana added. "Brody really stepped up into his new role."
Badham had two aces in addition to his 10 kills, while opposite Afatia Thompson was busy with eight kills and two blocks. Evan Porter, fresh off a long basketball season, added seven kills and two of Punahou's five aces. Middle James Taras tallied six kills and two roofs, while Adam Haidar chipped in five kills.
Coach Rick Tune and assistant coach Gordon Horiuchi are among the walking wounded on Punahou's bench. Tune is coming off shoulder surgery that repaired a torn labrum and removed two bone spurs. Horiuchi tore his right Achilles tendon at practice and is rolling around with a cast on his leg.
"Coach Gordon is the man. He's the magic behind the curtain, " Tune said. "Our deal was to come onto the floor and work on our good court presence. I didn't think they had good court presence against Saint Louis."
Punahou swept the Crusaders last week 25-23, 25-21, 25-18.
"We gave a challenge and a description of what the roles could look like, and these guys brought it tonight. That was the difference, " Tune said. "It really steadies you out when those heavy moments come because you're thinking about more than yourself. You're being with your teammates, which really takes the pressure off. We can execute better, but tonight was pretty good. 'Iolani is always well coached. Their kids know their roles and they played a pretty good game. They battled and fought."
'Iolani lost for the first time in four ILH matches. Waipehe Winchester paced the Raiders with 12 kills and one block. Shaun Nakao and Landon Hirata tallied six kills apiece, while Kai Waters added three kills. Bryson Leong had 15 assists and Oliver Fujikake chipped in eight assists.
"We'r trying to figure out all the things we learned today. We learned a lot. Our team is in the process of clicking pieces together. We had a lot of positive things happen, " 'Iolani coach Jordan Inafuku said.
The Raiders' passing game was solid, and their hitters had their share of clean looks.
"We got a lot of first balls. Our reception held up there, " Inafuku said, referring to passers Keegan Martyn, Nakao and Winchester. "Our reception held up. We have some young pieces after that who are getting used to the game. They learned a lot from the match. They had mostly the right attitude tonight and got the most out of the opportunity, so we're looking forward to our next couple of practices and training."
The home team had the edge early, but Punahou got kills from Akana to tie the set, then give the Buffanblu a 12-11 lead. They opened the lead to 20-13 after an ace by Smith. 'Iolani was resilient, cutting the lead to 21-19, but Porter and Thompson had big kills to turn the momentum back to Punahou.
Thompson's roof on Winchester ended the opening set.
The visitors opened set two with an 11-6 lead and never let go. 'Iolani got within 13-9, but no closer.
Punahou got five kills from Thompson in the third set, withstanding a rally by the Raiders, who got within 11-10. The Buffanblu went on a 7-1 run, getting an ace from Porter, to regain control as they closed out the sweep.
"They're a year older. They were a young team last year and they're older and a lot more experience, and a little more settled, " Inafuku said. "They're a great team as always."
'Iolani will visit Kamehameha next Tuesday. Punahou will visit Hawaii Baptist, also next Tuesday.
