Homework paid off for the Hawaii Hilo men’s team Saturday when it returned the favor to Chaminade after an ugly loss to the Silverswords a week ago on Oahu.
Homework paid off for the Hawaii Hilo men’s team Saturday when it returned the favor to Chaminade after an ugly loss to the Silverswords a week ago on Oahu.
This time, the Vulcans (3-5, 2-2 in Pacific West Conference) regrouped after a full week of practice, played an offense at the pace it needed to be and came away with a solid 79-66 victory that put UHH back in the conference picture early in the season.
The Vulcans were led by senior Parker Farris, high point scorer for both teams with 28 points, including 7-of-16 from 3-point range. Five scored in double figures, including 15 from junior Brian Ishola who had another double-double with 13 rebounds, tops for both squads.
Rohndell Goodwin got his average of 21 points for Chaminade (4-5, 2-2), but on this night the Silverswords never led and only once got it down to 10 in the second half.
“They did a good job slowing the ball down,” said Chaminade coach Eric Bovaird, “I know they held me to lowest first half total (16 points), of any team I’ve ever coached.
“They outplayed us,” Bovaird said. “They beat us to loose balls, they had a bunch of offensive rebounds that kept giving them more possessions, they did what they needed to do.”
Bovaird said he had his players face guard Farris to try to keep the ball out of his hands which was something, “we have never practiced. It didn’t really work.”
Farris said he didn’t notice the difference, he just felt comfortable.
“This is my second home,” he said, “this is where we get all our work in, where I shoot everyday, I love to play here.”
Coach GE Coleman was just happy for the win, wherever it came.
“They did a great job,” he said of the Vulcans, “it was the first time this year we have executed a game plan from start to finish.”
It went about as well as Coleman could have hoped for in the first half when the Vulcans, led by junior point guard Ryley Callaghan, controlled the pace with unwavering attention, taking a couple early open shots, but for the most part they ran the clock, made Chaminade play long stretches of half-court defense and found a comfortable offensive groove.
Brian Ishola got the Vulcans going early with some tough inside baskets and his presence around the rim helped Hawaii Hilo control possession. An example was his first basket of the game that gave UHH an early 7-0. It was accomplished after Ishola, heavily guarded, shot and had the ball fall away, got the rebound in traffic, missed again, got the third rebound and scored.
Farris was doing most of the heavy lifting, floating around the 3-point line where he was able to knock down 4-of-8 attempts but it was a basket he scored in congested spaces around the basket that showed his growth from a year ago. Farris took the ball into traffic, went up through a forest of arms and scored, not the kind of thing that happened much last year when he was mostly an outside shot.
The Vulcans were up 13-8 when Farris knocked down a long range basket, Ishola made free throw and then Ishola scored another tough hoop under the basket for a 19-9 lead. It grew to 29-14 on the Farris basket inside and the ensuing free throw. Farris had 15 of his XX in the first half.
At the the half, the Silverswords were down 32-16 when Farris added the final touch on a 3-pointer inside the last two minutes. It was the lowest first half output for Chaminade, after a previous low of 31 in a narrow win over Notre Dame de Namur. Against North Carolina, Connecticut and Tennessee, the ‘Swords had first half totals of 34, 45 and 40, respectively.