[ HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL ]
Konawaena of the Big Island celebrated its state championship win over Kahuku last night at the Stan Sheriff Center.
A Wildcat win
Konawaena holds off an improbable
Kahuku rally to win the girls state
basketball title
Konawaena proved what many suspected by holding off a wild Kahuku comeback for a 51-41 victory last night in the Hawaiian Airlines State Girls Basketball Championships Division I final at the Stan Sheriff Center.
The Big Island champion Wildcats are -- without any doubt --the No. 1 team in Hawaii, a position they held since early in the season in the Star-Bulletin's media poll.
"This is the most special thing that's happened to me in high school," said Konawaena senior Nancy Hoist, who went 6-for-7 from the free-throw line down the stretch to fend off the hard-charging Red Raiders. As a team, the Wildcats were 9-for-11 on free throws in the final 2:44.
Division I
Championship
Kahuku 41
Konawaena 51
Third place: Punahou 48, Baldwin 40
Fifth place: Iolani 37, Lahainaluna 29
Seventh place: Honokaa 42, Kaiser 41
Division II
Championship
St. Andrew's 44
Roosevelt 67
Third place: St. Joseph 47, St. Anthony 34
"We worked all year on free throws," Hoist said. "I took 50 per practice. It wasn't a question of whether I could make them or not. I had to make them. It's my going-away present to the rest of the team."
Hoist, who is off to play for Eastern Kentucky next year, finished with team highs of 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Konawaena had a commanding 30-10 lead at the half, but the Wildcats (17-0)
Kahuku (15-2) came out angry, outscoring Konawaena 18-5 in the third quarter to trail by seven, 35-28, heading into the final eight minutes. Aisha Ale had eight third-quarter points to lead the rally, while Latoya Wily added six in the period and tacked on nine more of her game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter.
Red Raiders point guard Karla Tailele, who has an ankle injury and sat out the first half, came into the game early in the third and gave the Red Raiders the ballhandling ability they were lacking while making 12 turnovers in the first 16 minutes.
"That point guard (Tailele) was awesome," said Konawaena coach Bobbie Awa, whose team was pressured into making eight second-half turnovers. "They made a great comeback against us. We finally settled down and became patient. That was the key. The girls had to settle down."
Somehow, some way, Konawaena survived Kahuku's onslaught, and Hoist's poise was the main difference.
Konawaena's Jessica Hanato went up for a shot between Kahuku's Mona Ale and Latoya Wily last night.
Kahuku got as close as three points four times -- at 35-32, 40-37, 42-39 and 44-41 -- but Konawaena's Hina Kimitete found Hanato underneath for a hoop with 1:33 left for a more comfortable five-point lead. From there, the Wildcats slowed it up and forced the Red Raiders to foul. Hoist and Kimitete hit two more free throws and Kristin Kitaoka added one to wrap it up.
"We dug ourselves too deep a hole," Kahuku coach Wendy Anae said. "But I'm so proud of how our kids played so hard. Not too many teams can come back from 30-10. We had to get refocused."
With smart defense and quick, effective half-court ball movement, Konawaena took control in the second quarter to grab that 20-point halftime lead.
In addition to its turnovers, poor free-throw shooting also hampered Kahuku's ability to stay close in the first half. The Red Raiders were 2-for-11 from the line in the pivotal second quarter.
Offensively, the Wildcats had plenty of balance while charging to their huge lead. Hoist was immense inside with 10 points in the first 16 minutes and forward Jazzmin Williams added eight points with a mixture of short jumpers and drives.
But numbers don't tell the complete story of the Wildcats' unselfish starting five, who continued to find the open man for the open shot.
That was before they got rattled and succumbed, temporarily, to Kahuku's heightened and inspired play in the third period.
"At halftime, we said, 'This is the first time anyone will come back from being down 30-10,' and we did come back," said Ale, who finished with 12 points, and, with six boards, was second on the team in rebounds to Wily's eight. "We kept telling ourselves, 'We can come back.' We beat them once (in the preseason), so we knew we could do it."
THIRD PLACE
Punahou 48, Baldwin 40
Shanna-Lei Dacanay scored 16 points and Christine Takara added 12 to help the Buffanblu earn third place with a win over the Bears.The Buffanblu outscored Baldwin 11-3 in the third quarter.
Kami Kapaku led the Bears with 13 points.
Punahou (14-3) 15 9 11 13 -- 48 Baldwin (15-3) 12 14 3 11 -- 40 PUNAHOU--Makena Hunt 7, Sophia Merrifield 6, Shanna-Lei Dacanay 16, Eryn Chun 2, Christine Takara 12, Elizabeth Abe 2, Ciana Aiwohi 1, Lauren Tompkison 0, Mahina Macfarlane 0, Tessa Sonobe 0, Chelsea Deptula 0, Whitney Kim 0, Gail Matsushima 2.
BALDWIN--Jenna Mailou 6, Nicole Alconcel 5, Ashley Perkins 8, Kami Kapaku 13, Kai Sarimento 0, Rachel Leano 0, Heidi Namauu 5, Dayne Carvalho 3, Nichole Inciong 0, Kaira Kaya 0.
3-point goals -- Punahou 1 (Dacanay), Baldwin 5 (Kapaku 2, Alconcel 1, Carvalho 1, Namauu 1).FIFTH PLACE
Iolani 37, Lahainaluna 29
Senior Ginger Gravelle closed out her prep career with 11 points and 10 rebounds and another win as the Raiders beat the Lady Lunas for fifth place.Iolani's Keilyn Fujioka blocked four shots and had two steals for the Raiders.
Monika Vehikite led Lahainaluna with 13 points.
Iolani (13-4) 12 4 12 9 -- 37 Lahainaluna (13-6) 12 3 11 3 -- 29 IOLANI--Kaz Masutani 6, Hennasea-Sue Tokumura 5, Alana Matayoshi 3, Ginger Gravelle 11, Marci Kang 4, Alana Wall 2, Meilin Akamu 0, Ashley Reinig 0, Keilyn Fujioka 4, Chelsea Wong 2.
LAHAINALUNA--Tasha Pagdillao 6, Krystal Omlan 3, Kelci Fushikoshi 0, Jessica Maielua 0, Paige Curimao 0, Casey Bartolome 0, Tekiri Rickard 0, Piilani Uyeda 0, Monika Vehikite 6, Monique Blando 2, Danielle Yakut 0, Alise Hatch 12, Cheryl Ann Pali 0.
3-point goals -- Iolani 3 (Masutani 2, Tokumura), Lahainaluna 7 (Hatch 4, Pagdillao 2, Omlan).SEVENTH PLACE
Honokaa 42, Kaiser 41
Jerrika Lorenzo hit one of her two free throws with 1.3 seconds left to help the Dragons to the consolation championship.Keisha Kanekoa led the Dragons with 15 points and pulled down 12 rebounds.
Kilioe Alifua led Kaiser with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
At Stan Sheriff Center
Honokaa (14-3) 9 8 10 15 -- 42 Kaiser (12-5) 3 14 13 11 -- 41 HONOKAA--Kari Heers 9, Alyssa Souza 0, Jerrika Lorenzo 6, Keisha Kanekoa 15, Charven Rodrigues 4, Lurline Lorenzo 0, Jaliese DeMello 5, Joliese Demello 3.
KAISER--Shera Yamamoto 8, Jaime Nerona 8, Chelsea Kapuniai 0, Sharde Pratt 8, Jolie Yoshino 0, Natasha Aloisio 0, Kelsey Beck 0, Kehau Bangay 7, Kilioe Aliifua 10.
3-point goals -- Honokaa 2 (Ja. DeMello, Jo. DeMello).
Konawaena 51, Kahuku 41
Red Raiders (15-2)
fg fga ft fta min reb a tp Ah-Hoy 2 8 0 2 32 3 4 4 M. Ale 1 4 0 1 29 1 3 2 T. Soliai 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 A. Soliai 0 1 0 0 15 1 1 0 Tailele 1 4 0 0 15 2 2 2 A. Ale 4 9 4 5 31 6 2 12 Vave 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 Wily 10 16 1 7 32 8 4 21 Team 7 Totals 18 42 5 15 160 29 16 41 Wildcats (17-0)
fg fga ft fta min reb a tp Kitaoka 0 3 1 2 28 0 2 1 Liftee 1 3 0 0 6 1 0 3 Kimitete 2 9 3 4 30 3 4 8 Chung-Hoon Palau 1 2 0 0 6 0 0 2 Williams 3 6 4 5 20 3 0 10 Hanato 2 8 2 5 27 7 0 6 Kaupu 1 3 0 0 12 0 0 2 Hoist 3 7 13 15 31 11 2 19 Team 5 Totals 13 41 23 31 160 30 8 51 Kahuku 6 4 18 13 -- 41 Konawaena 11 19 5 16 -- 51 Key--fg: field goals; fga: field goals attempted; ft: free throws; fta: free throws attempted; min: minutes; reb: rebounds; a: assists; tp: total points.
Halftime--Konawaena 30, Kahuku 10
3-point goals--Kahuku 0-7 (M. Ale 0-1, A. Soliai 0-1, K. Tailele 0-1, A. Ale 0-1, Ah-Hoy 0-3); Konawaena 2-9 (Liftee 1-2, Kimitete 1-4, Hanato 0-1, Kitaoka 0-2). Personal fouls--Kahuku 20, Konawaena 17.
Steals--Kahuku 3 (M. Ale, Tailele, Wily); Konawaena 12 (Hanato 5, Kitaoka 2, Kimitete 2, Williams 2,Hoist 1). Blocked shots--Kahuku 5; Konawaena 0. Turnovers--Kahuku 18 (M. Ale 8, A. Soliai 4, Ah-Hoy 2, Tailele 2, A. Ale 1, Wily 1); Konawaena 13 (Hanato 6, Hoist 3, Kaupu 2, Chung-HoonPalau 1, Williams 1); Officials--Louis Fuentes, Ryan Sueoka, Todd Apo. A--n/a.
