For two years, Isaiah Ekau could only wonder why.

Never mind basketball. Ekau, a gifted athlete, was a sophomore when his father, Daniel, died.

“;He taught me everything I know about basketball. I had to kind of adjust,”; Ekau said, moments after steering Pahoa to its first state basketball title. His 12 points and 13 rebounds, along with three assists and just one turnover, were the biggest reasons why the Daggers outlasted powerful Kailua 41-38 for the Division II state title on Saturday at the Stan Sheriff Center.

His week was spectacular, with 31 points in an upset of No. 1 seed Roosevelt and 18 in a victory over Kapaa. Beyond the numbers, though, it was Ekau, a 6-foot-2 leaper, who transformed from the inside out. His father's death left a void that resulted in an up-and-down junior season. Yet, as the new year arrived, first-year coach Eric Yoshimura didn't know what to expect.

“;Coming in, I heard a little about him, but for myself, seeing is believing. He didn't have a bad attitude, not one I couldn't handle as a coach,”; Yoshimura said. “;He became more coachable and I gave him the leadership role. Anybody can talk a good story, but not everybody can lead by example. He led by example.”;

To that end, Ekau and the Daggers endured.

“;We had a lot of strict rules,”; said freshman Nick Fisher, who led Pahoa with 17 points in the final. “;Everyone stuck together.”;

John Byrd agreed.

“;We started out hard-headed. We didn't want to listen,”; said Byrd, who started cold, but scored seven points down the stretch for Pahoa.

An early win over rival Keaau and a playoff upset of Kohala were turning points for the Daggers (10-15 overall).

That gave Pahoa, which has an enrollment of about 300, a state-tourney berth. The HHSAA seeding committee unofficially deemed Pahoa, the runner-up from the BIIF behind St. Joseph, last among eight teams.

“;That pissed us off,”; Byrd admitted.

Yet, what kept the Daggers successful was a basic principle.

“;The key is we played disciplined,”; Byrd said.

That's why, as Yoshimura finished up a plethora of interviews after the title game, he was so proud, he could barely contain it.

“;I'll probably cry,”; the Kalani graduate said. “;I'm still in shock, yet.”;

Ekau remained poised, even as family and fans wept tears of joy openly after the victory.

“;We had a lot of weapons this year. I tried to help my team to a championship,”; he said, deflecting credit for his leadership. “;We're going to have a little more respect than past years. Our coach put us together to play as a team, not individuals.”;

Somewhere, Daniel Ekau is celebrating.

'”;I'd tell him, 'I did it,' “; the son said.

But what would his father say?

“;I don't know. I wish I did know.”;