WAIMEA — Like years past, Kealakehe head coach Lynelle Kamakau knows statement wins in a very top-heavy BIIF will probably be pretty hard to come by this season.
WAIMEA — Like years past, Kealakehe head coach Lynelle Kamakau knows statement wins in a very top-heavy BIIF will probably be pretty hard to come by this season.
But what the program can find some solace in — at least early on — are some nice preseason victories. The Waveriders closed out their showing at the Ka Makani Classic with a 44-23 win against Hawaii Preparatory Academy on Saturday afternoon.
Ashlyn “Ike” Cabatbat led the Waveriders with 14 points. Coco Shafer scored six for Ka Makani in the loss.
“The girls have done good so far,” Kamakau said. “They are more in tune with the game.”
The Waveriders finished the preseason tourney with a 2-1 record. However, that lone loss was a 64-15 defeat at the hands of Division I title contender Hilo.
Kealakehe has hardly been considered a contender for some time now, and has to deal with being the “other” team in west Hawaii. Konawaena — almost undoubtedly the top girls program in the state for the last decade-plus — is right down the road in Kealakekua.
But Kamakau understands her team’s struggles, citing that basketball is a part-time sport for the majority of her players.
“I think they see these teams like Hilo and Konawaena and see what they could be,” Kamakau said. “They expect more from themselves, but it is hard to meet those expectation when you don’t play enough.
“We want to maintain a certain level of play, but it’s hard when we don’t have them year-round or at least for a bigger part of the year. But as coaches, it’s about us putting them mentally and physical in the position to succeed.”
An exception to the part-time routine is Cabatbat, who will usually lead the team in scoring. She has a solid shooting stroke and can get to the rim in a hurry.
“She puts in the extra time,” Kamakau said. “She will pick up the ball when she is at home and get some practice in.”
Kealakehe’s roster features just one senior — forward Sosefina Kalavi — but nine juniors. The team has some nice size in 5-foot-11 center Pelenaise Manuofetoa and a pair of 5-foot-9 players in Sosefina and Pamela Kalavi. Payton Au, a 5-7 freshman, will also see time at forward and center.
While the majority of the Kealakehe roster has not logged major minutes on the hardcourt, they do know the system.
“Many of these girls came to us with little to no basketball experience,” Kamakau said. “A lot of the girls we have this year started with us as freshmen. It has been great to see them grow and learn the game.”
The Waveriders get Hilo again to open the season on Tuesday.