HONOKAA — Daphne Honma drew up a pretty good game plan. The Honokaa coach wanted her defenders to make Konawaena earn every shot, make life tough and see what happens.
HONOKAA — Daphne Honma drew up a pretty good game plan. The Honokaa coach wanted her defenders to make Konawaena earn every shot, make life tough and see what happens.
To make things even more interesting, Konawaens’s best player, Chanelle Molina, was out with an injury. But unless the Wildcats have only four players, coach Bobbie Awa’s powerhouse team never appears vulnerable.
The Wildcats motored past Honokaa 45-22 in a BIIF Division I showdown on Tuesday night at Honokaa Armory in their toughest test without Molina, who hurt her ankle at the Title IX tournament during the winter break in Washington, D.C.
Konawaena defeated Keaau and Waiakea without her at home, but the Dragons posed a different threat. They’ve jumped up to Division I but won the last two HHSAA Division II state and BIIF championships.
However, the well-disciplined Wildcats looked like the same version that has captured the last seven BIIF titles. They were worked the ball for open looks, ran when they could, crashed the boards, and played tenacious defense.
Ihi Victor scored 14 points, Mikayla Tablit added 12, Celena Molina nine and Cherilyn Molina had seven points for the Wildcats (5-0), who converted 38 percent (13 of 34) from the floor, knocking down five 3-pointers.
Kawena Kaohimaunu scored nine points, Kizzah Maltezo had eight and Uluwehi Cordero added four points for the Dragons (6-1), who shot 31 percent (9 of 29) on field goals, including 2 of 14 in the second half.
“We wanted to make nothing easy for them,” Honma said. “We wanted to get a hand up on them. But they did a good job and made us pay for our mistakes.”
Honokaa didn’t make any 3-pointers and couldn’t get short-handed Kona, which has seven players, into foul trouble. It was the other way around. The Wildcats made 10 of 17 free throws; the Dragons went 3 of 6 from the line.
Konawaena outrebounded Honokaa, 23-18, and forced more turnovers, 19-10. Off giveaways, the Wildcats outscored the Dragons, 10-0.
The Wildcats extended their BIIF record winning streak to 85-0. The last lost to Waiakea for the BIIF Division I crown in 2008. Sophomore guards Tablit and Cherilyn Molina were in the second grade back then.
Kona’s next biggest threat is a road trip to Hilo on Friday, Jan. 29. The Vikings are three-time BIIF runner-up. Chanelle Molina will likely be healthy and back on the court.
Meanwhile, Honokaa will get its second biggest challenge with a road trip against Hilo on Tuesday, Jan. 26 at the Vikings Gym. Both teams will like get the Nos. 2 and 3 seeds for the four-team BIIF playoffs.
Tablit and Cherilyn Molina, the two perimeter defenders, suffocated the Dragons with their ball pressure. The Dragons had a terrible time working a clean shots from the perimeter or feeding the ball to the post.
On one impressive play in the second half, Tablit played like a baiting cornerback. She guarded Maltezo, quickly sagged on her and stole the ball in the passing lane. Kona immediately turned the ball over, but that didn’t diminish Tablit’s savvy defensive coverage.
Even with a lack of depth, one reason the Wildcats don’t get into foul trouble is because of their discipline. They’ll let a ball-handler slip by because the help-side defense will clog a lane. They have a good habit of not getting called for ill-advised fouls, such as blocking charges or reach-ins.
And when they get a lead, there’s no team better in the league at managing the clock. Kona entered the fourth quarter ahead 39-19, but moved the ball for a minute until a shot was fired. The Wildcats outscored the Dragons 6-3 in the final eight minutes.
In the first half, Kona bolted to a 14-0 start, sank four 3-pointers and led 27-17 at halftime. The Wildcats got a three-point play from Victor, who scored on a scoop layup and was fouled with less than a second, just .3, showing on the clock.
Kaohimaunu scored nine points in the first half. The sophomore guard shook free from Kona’s man defense to hit a 3-pointer and several mid-range jump shots. Kaohimaunu worked hard against Cherilyn Molina, who was her shadow.
When the second half kicked off, Mahi Kaawa Kaakimaka opened with a 3-pointer, Celena Molina scored four straight points, and Tablit dropped in a layup off a turnover for a 36-19 cushion.
“I wish we could play more games like this,” Honma said. “These types of games make us better. They’re well-disciplined, and we aren’t at this point.”
The Dragons could very well meet the Wildcats again. But it’ll probably be in the BIIF playoffs, and the Wildcats will be better than ever. That’s because as good as they were on Tuesday night, they’ll have Chanelle Molina back for the postseason.
Konawaena 17 10 12 6 — 45
Honokaa 6 11 2 3 — 22