The team includes (from left): front — Earland Pahukoa, Angel Noveda, Kaili-Kea McCabes, Trayson Nava and Noah Flores Alexander; back row — Jayah Bayol, Kade Cunningham, Ryder Lombardi, Teva Loft, Kana’au Solomon Castro, Ian Jay Cabanilla, Kavika Kaili, Aiden Alibin and TJ Rickard. Jacque Djurberg and Koali Asuela are not pictured.

LAHAINA — After the pandemic-restricted 2020-21 seasons, the Lahainaluna High School boys basketball team looks to turn up the intensity as the current Maui Interscholastic League campaign enters the home stretch of the regular season.

Entering the third and final round of the MIL regular season, the Lunas continue to battle for the top spot in the Division I standings that will determine the all important seedings for the post season and state tournaments.

Lahainaluna is currently in second place and will compete with Baldwin, Maui High, Kamehameha, and King Kekaulike for the top spots to represent the league at the Hawaii High School Athletic Association State Tournament slated for early February in Honolulu.

Second-year head coach TJ Rickard is joined by a dedicated staff of Lahainaluna standouts, including Todd Rickard (TJ’s dad), Maiki Tihada, Iolani Kaniho, Scott Gouveia and Casey Smythe. Coach TJ noted that the Lunas’ effort this year will be spearheaded by a returning group of seniors led by captain Noah Flores Alexander and classmates Ian Jay Cabanilla, Kade Cunningham, and Kana’au Castro.

The junior group on the roster includes Aiden Alibin, Jayah Bayol, Teva Loft, Ryder Lombardi, Koali Ascuela, Angel Noveda and Jacques Djurberg.

Rickard added that the team will bring up several members of the junior varsity squad to supplement the team during the playoffs.

“We will look to the seniors with their experience to be the leaders of the team,” said TJ at a recent practice at the Jimmie H. Greig Gymnasium on the Lahainaluna campus. “Our strength is our speed and our ability to get to the rim. We’ll play an up-tempo style most of the time and go inside and outside, speed up the game and go eight to nine players deep in close games, and play the whole roster otherwise.”

“We have some really good shooters, and we’ll play an even, inside-outside game on offense. On defense, we mix it up with zone and man-to-man, pressure and zone. With our average size, we try to be efficient in switching assignments and getting up and down the court quickly in playing an up- tempo style,” he continued.

“Our sincere mahalo goes out to the coaching staff, the school administration, the players’ families and the entire West Side community for their support. Especially to the families for dealing with schedule variables and time commitment it takes to have a successful program. We really appreciate everybody’s help and dedication,” Coach TJ concluded.