By Parker Lee

| Special to The Tribune

Consistency was a major issue for the Hunter boys basketball team during the regular season, but the Wolverines seemed to be figuring things out lately. Hunter had a stretch in the middle of the season when it lost four out of five games, but it then won five of its next seven.

The play of junior guard Tre’Von Johnson has mirrored the play of the team.

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At a glance

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Johnson leads the Wolverines

Hunter junior Tre’Von Johnson is the team’s second-leading scorer with 12.2 points per game. He was the fifth-leading scorer in Region 2.

The Wolverines have three players, Dmitri Saliba, Johnson, and Noah Togiai, who average at least 10 points per game.

Hunter qualified for the state tournament for just the second time since winning the class 5A state championship in 2004.

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"This season has been up and down for me, but I’ve been playing more consistent in the last few games," Johnson said.

Johnson had solid scoring games throughout the regular season, but he wasn’t doing it regularly. Then, just like his team, Johnson got into a rhythm and appears to be peaking at the right time.

After scoring 8 points or fewer in four of Hunter’s first five region games, Johnson scored at least 13 points in the next four contests. Entering the final game of the season, he was the second-leading scorer on the team and was fifth in Region 2 with 12.2 points per game. He said his approach to scoring has changed.

"I’ve been getting to the line more and I haven’t been just settling for outside shots," Johnson said. "I realized that having Dmitri [Saliba] and Noah [Togiai] makes it a lot easier for me because if I get double-teamed, one of them will have an easy layup. With the three of us, we can feed off of the guy who is hitting shots."

Hunter coach Dave Filimoehala said that realization has turned Johnson into a better player.

"Early on, he didn’t have a whole lot of experience. He worked hard and now he is putting it together," Filimoehala said. "He is really starting to understand the game. Having him as a legitimate second scoring threat opens up everybody else."

With Johnson’s elevated play, the Wolverines captured the No. 2 seed out of Region 2. They will open the state Class 5A tournament on Tuesday against the third-place team from Region 4. One of Hunter’s goals this season was to qualify for the tournament with decent seeding, which it has done. The Wolverines’ next goal is to represent the region well.

Hunter has the offensive weapons to make a run in the tournament, but Johnson said the Wolverines’ success will hinge on how well they stop the offensive weapons of their opponents.

"We have to commit to defense, that is what will make the biggest difference. If we do commit, then the offense will take care of itself," he said.

Since winning the state championship in 2004, Hunter has not advanced past the first round of the tournament. Johnson said the Wolverines have a good chance to make some noise.

"We are excited about how things have gone and we are happy that we made it back," Johnson said.