Lady Farmers Clinch MIL Tournament, Advance to Semifinals

Boys’ Basketball team also brings home a win.

Wednesday at Kalani High, the Molokai High girls’ basketball team won its quarterfinal game against Kaiser, 67-56, advancing them into today’s semifinals of the state championships.

Seeded No. 1, the Lady Farmers (11-0) gained a 15-8 edge in the first eight minutes of Wednesday’s game against the Cougars, which increased to 38-24 at halftime. After a third-quarter tie, Kaiser outscored Molokai by three points, only to lose it shortly thereafter, when the Lady Farmers came back to win it.

The Farmers are going on to play Kahuku Thursday at 7 p.m. at Kalani in their semi-final game.

Last weekend, the Lady Farmers left the Maui Interscholastic League (MIL) tournament the same way they arrived: undefeated. In a two-game tournament at Hana, the Molokai High girls’ basketball team snagged the overall league title by an average of 49 points.

The girls took a 54-18 victory their first game, and then had a blowout second game with a score of 72-8.

“It was a team effort,” assistant coach Kevan Dudoit said. “All of our players gained post-season experience. Not many teams can say that.”

Dudoit said the girls go into every season with one goal – to be state champions.

“This year, they want to come back to Molokai with a second state title,” he said.

Boy’s Basketball

Although Molokai High’s boys’ basketball team was defeated by Lanai Friday, the boys retaliated and stole a win Saturday, 58-40 over the Pine Lads.

Molokai coach Lee DeRouin said during Friday’s game the boys came out with too much energy that resulted in some foul trouble and an “over-extended defense.”

“They came out Friday playing too hard,” DeRouin said, “and Lanai took advantage of our misses.”

The boys came out Saturday more relaxed, and with more patience, DeRouin said – ultimately giving them the victory.

Molokai senior Alvin Ringor scored the game’s high of 16 points, Kamakana Duvauchelle-Andrade followed shortly behind with 15, and Julien Bumatay had 10 to lead the Farmers into a split win against Lanai.

“It had been three to four years since Lanai had lost,” DeRouin said. “It was a big win in a hostile environment.”

DeRouin contributed the comeback to a “great” collaborative effort by the team and said the win will help fire up motivation when the boys face off with Lanai again next week for the MIL tournament.

“They need to rest physically and mentally,” DeRouin said.

The boys’ team finished its regular Division II season at 5-3, and will meet at the War Memorial Gym in Maui on Thursday for the MIL tournament.