Waiakea edges HPA to reach final

KEAAU — Waiakea played without Lauren Hill on Friday in the Big Island Interscholastic Federation water polo semifinals.

Still, Rachelle Krahner and Kara Paulachak credited their injured captain with big assists after their goals helped put the Warriors over the top in a back-and-forth thriller with Hawaii Prep.

Krahner’s goal with three seconds left in regulation sent the match into overtime, and Paulachak scored with 23 seconds remaining in the extra session as Waiakea held off Hawaii Prep 8-7 at Naeole Pool to gain a spot at the Hawaii High School Athletic Association tournament.

Hill suffered an eye injury last Saturday against Ka Makani and was ruled out of BIIFs, but Paulachak said her team used her absence as a rally cry.

Waiakea coach Haley Rosehill said Hill would see an eye specialist Monday and was hopeful she’d be cleared to play at the state tournament, which starts Wednesday in Honolulu.

First, Waiakea (9-2) plays two-time defending champion Kamehameha (11-0) at 2 p.m. today in the championship game.

Kamehameha, which had already earned a state berth by virtue of earning the top seed, overwhelmed Hilo 23-6 in the other semifinal.

Paulachak’s OT goal, which came with two seconds left on the shot clock and was likely the Warriors’ last chance to score before heading into sudden death, gave the Warriors their first lead since the second quarter in a seesaw match that was tied seven times. Neither team had more than a one-goal lead.

“They really dug seep in the fourth quarter and pulled through,” Rosehill said. “Not having Lauren was hard, but heart was what it came down to.”

Anu Nihipali netted four goals for HPA (5-6) and Ka Makani looked on the cusp of its first state berth since 2010 when Kailana Powers gave her team a 7-6 lead with under a minute left.