Buffanblu start off
at No. 1

At one point, the believers rebuked the Punahou Buffanblu last week.

A loss to giant-killer Kamehameha to open the Punahou Spring Wahine Classic surprised just about everyone in the Star-Bulletin girls basketball voting panel.

But, the Buffanblu persevered after that 61-59 loss. Freshman center Shawna Kuehu returned to the lineup and promptly scored 23 points in each of Punahou's next two games. The Buffanblu defeated Kalaheo 61-48 and defending state champion Konawaena 52-38. Along with a 57-50 win over perennial power Kahuku nearly two weeks ago, Punahou already has a wealth of quality wins.

That rŽsumŽ convinced the panel, which voted Punahou to a No. 1 ranking in the first Star-Bulletin Top 10 of the season. The Buffanblu (6-1) collected eight of the 10 first-place votes.

Konawaena, which won three of its four games at the Punahou tourney, garnered the remaining two first-place ballots and is No. 2 in the poll. Jessica Hanato and Jazzmin Awa-Williams are two key returnees, but lack of depth could be a challenge. The Wildcats have just nine players this season.

Aisha Ale's 28 points powered Kahuku over Kamehameha 54-46 on Saturday afternoon. Voters gave Kahuku the No. 3 ranking, followed by Kamehameha and Maryknoll.

The Spartans are off to a 6-1 start, thanks to a savvy crew of seniors. Maryknoll has already knocked off Kaiser, Roosevelt, McKinley and Kalaheo in tournament play.

Kalaheo (5-2) is at No. 6, followed by Honokaa. The Dragons are 6-0 after winning a pair of Big Island tournaments. Kari Heers, a 6-foot senior, anchors one of Honokaa's tallest front lines ever. Guard Keisha Kanekoa is one of the best-kept secrets in the islands.

Honokaa plays at the Kalaheo Classic this week.

Kamehameha, which upset Punahou and lost to Mid-Pacific, follows at No. 8. Iolani and Kaiser round out the Top 10.