HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
Konawaena back on top
The world knows where they're from, if not before, then certainly now.
With their faithful horde chanting "F.B.I." -- From the Big Island -- all game long, the Konawaena Wildcats ended Punahou's state title reign with a 59-47 win last night in the Division I final of the Hawaiian Airlines/HHSAA Girls Basketball State Championships.
A raucous crowd of 3,063 saw Konawaena win its first state crown since 2004, when current all-state returnee Jazzmin Awa-Williams was a freshman. The 5-foot-8 senior scored 15 points and grabbed nine rebounds despite drawing attention from Punahou's swarming defense.
Junior post Mana Hopkins had a career night with 26 points and nine boards. Many of her buckets came on fast-break drives in the second half as Konawaena broke Punahou's patented fullcourt press more often than not.
"Hopkins made huge plays offensively and defensively," Punahou coach Mike Taylor said. "Liana Hanato-Smith's four 3s at the beginning hurt."
Hanato-Smith, another senior, finished with 14 points, including three early treys to set the tone for Konawaena (17-0).
"We have so much support from our family and everybody," Hanato-Smith said. "They just pumped us up."
They did it without a single substitution.
"Our girls work so hard at practice, our starters and our bench," coach Bobbie Awa said of the team's conditioning. Additional timeouts due to a live telecast helped.
"We didn't plan on not subbing, but that's how it worked out," she said.
Punahou's remarkable season without all-state players Shawna-Lei Kuehu and Shaena-Lyn Kuehu came up just short. The Buffanblu placed second in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, but rode their fullcourt press to the final. Dara Tompkison led Punahou (12-6) with 10 points and three steals.
"All year long, nobody in this whole state would give us a chance," Taylor said. "Our team played the right way, they played hard. We would bounce back from adversity. That's what I'm really proud of."
Konawaena opened defensively with a 2-3 zone, something Punahou hadn't seen throughout the tourney. While Punahou adjusted, the Wildcats got three 3-pointers in a row from Hanato-Smith to seize a 9-4 lead midway through the opening quarter.
"I guess they tried to stop everybody," she said. "They left me open. I was just excited. I felt good in warm-ups, and then I was, 'Wow, I'm on fire.' "
By the end of the quarter, the Wildcats committed six turnovers against Punahou's fullcourt press, but the Buffanblu had seven giveaways. Awa-Williams had just two points, but her team led 15-10.
Punahou's struggle with the zone -- the Buffanblu only made five of their first 18 shots -- gave Konawaena leverage. With a thin bench and the memory of major foul trouble in the semifinal win over Iolani, the Wildcats were content to sit back and protect Awa-Williams (center) and Hopkins (forward).
Hopkins shot 5-for-6 from the line to open the second quarter and Awa-Williams drove from the high post for her second bucket to cap a 7-0 run.
Punahou chipped away and pulled within 22-14 on a foul shot by Melanie Feldman, but Hopkins made more plays to help the 'Cats. She hustled after an offensive board and fed Liana Hanato-Smith for a 3-pointer, and then beat Tressa Torres 1-on-1 on a fastbreak to give Konawaena its biggest lead, 27-14, shortly before the half.
Shooting 48 percent from the field, including 4-for-8 from 3-point range, the Wildcats led at intermission 29-17. Punahou shot 30 percent from the field (7-for-23) and had 11 turnovers.
Konawaena 59, Punahou 47
Wildcats (17-0)
|
|
fg |
fga |
ft |
fta |
min |
reb |
a |
tp
|
Hanato-Smith, L. |
4 |
7 |
2 |
2 |
32 |
1 |
0 |
14
|
Hanato-Smith, K. |
1 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
32 |
3 |
1 |
2
|
Awa-Williams |
6 |
10 |
3 |
4 |
32 |
9 |
4 |
15
|
Hopkins |
8 |
15 |
10 |
12 |
32 |
9 |
3 |
26
|
Minor |
1 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
32 |
2 |
0 |
2
|
Wall |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0+ |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Kitaoka |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0+ |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Tanaka |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0+ |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Bowman |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0+ |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Brown |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0+ |
0 |
0 |
0
|
TEAM |
|
|
|
|
|
2 |
|
Totals |
20 |
39 |
15 |
20 |
160 |
26 |
8 |
59 |
Buffanblu (12-6)
|
|
fg |
fga |
ft |
fta |
min |
reb |
a |
tp
|
Feldman |
1 |
4 |
2 |
4 |
25 |
0 |
4 |
4
|
Tompkison |
4 |
9 |
0 |
0 |
29 |
2 |
3 |
10
|
Moon |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Deptula |
4 |
8 |
0 |
0 |
32 |
9 |
3 |
8
|
Yamauchi |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
1 |
0 |
0
|
Aiwohi |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0+ |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Lau |
0 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
16 |
0 |
0 |
2
|
Nomura |
3 |
8 |
1 |
2 |
19 |
2 |
2 |
9
|
Merrifield |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0+ |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Wong |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Torres |
4 |
10 |
0 |
0 |
18 |
3 |
0 |
8
|
Jenson |
2 |
5 |
2 |
2 |
10 |
4 |
0 |
6
|
TEAM |
|
|
|
|
|
3
|
Totals |
18 |
49 |
7 |
10 |
160 |
24 |
12 |
47 |
Key -- fg: field goals made; fga: field goals attempted; ft: free throws made; fta: free throws attempted; min: minutes played; reb: rebounds; a: assists; tp: total points.
Halftime -- Konawaena 29, Punahou 17
3-point goals -- Konawaena 4-9 (L. Hanato-Smith 4-6, Hopkins 0-1, K. Hanato-Smith 0-2), Punahou 4-12 (Nomura 2-3, Tompkison 2-5, Lau 0-1, Deptula 0-1, Feldman 0-2). Personal fouls -- Konawaena 10, Punahou 18.
Steals -- Konawaena 8 (Awa-Williams 3, L. Hanato-Smith 2, Minor 2, Hopkins), Punahou 8 (Deptula 4, Tompkison 3, Torres). Blocked shots -- Konawaena 1 (Hopkins), Punahou 0. Turnovers -- Konawaena 19 (Awa-Williams 6, Hopkins 6, L. Hanato-Smith 4, Minor 2, K. Hanato-Smith), Punahou 17 (Feldman 7, Tompkison 6, Nomura 2, Deptula, Yamauchi).
Officials -- Thomas Yoshida, Brian Barr, Donovan Lewis. A--3,063.