The Pitt Meadows Marauders senior boys basketball squad made its 16th trip to Maui over the Christmas break, again for the Lahainaluna Maui Invitational Tournament.
The Marauders’ first game was against St. Patrick’s of Mississippi – a school that had been wiped out by Hurricane Katrina, was rebuilt, and traveling for the first time since the disaster.
Pitt won that 67-59, and star post Graham Smith had 31 points and 16 boards. Mark Ashamalla had 13 points and Zach Villanueva scored 15 points.
Next up was Crossroads, a Christian school from California, and a 62-47 loss.
“Crossroads was a well oiled shooting machine, and they were big,” said coach Rich Goulet.
Smith had 28 and 18 boards, and Ashamalla had 13 points.
Their next game was against a very athletic and tall Lahainaluna team – the hosts.
“We were outsized and were not as athletic as these Hawaiians. We lost that 53-38, though we battled well for three quarters,” said Goulet.
Smith had 14 points and 11 boards, and Ashamalla scored 15.
The fourth game was against Kapa’a from Kauai. Pitt won the defensive struggle 49-46.
The hosts held Smith to only nine points and nine rebounds as the Kapa’a team “surrounded him,” according to Goulet.
But that opened the door for some outside shooting. Reserve Anthony Emmott hit four treys and led the scoring with 14 points. Ashamalla nailed three treys and scored 11 points, and Jordan Murley had the same stats.
When they weren’t playing, the team practiced in Kihei at the outdoor courts on the beach.
“Practice at sunset in Kihei can be an awesome experience,” said Goulet.
The team returned in time for Christmas. On Saturday they suffered an 84-80 loss to the Semiahmoo Totems, and on Friday lost 74-64 to the Walnut Grove Gators. They will play in the Chancellor Tournament, starting Wednesday.