The HHSAA picked an interesting time to have the girls Division II basketball tournament make it’s initial appearance on the Big Island.
The HHSAA picked an interesting time to have the girls Division II basketball tournament make it’s initial appearance on the Big Island.
For starters, it’s the first time in four years that a BIIF team wasn’t awarded the top seed. That honor goes to ILH champion Hawaii Baptist.
Then, of course, there is the threat of dengue fever, which prompted the Oahu schools to nix their travel plans to the Big Island during the preseason in December.
After Monday’s emergency declaration, the HHSAA announced that it’s monitoring the situation and the rest of the state is still coming.
Kamehameha and Kohala await with eager anticipation.
Fresh of their 57-48 victory Saturday night against the Cowgirls in the BIIF championship game, the Warriors (8-4) are seeded second and will face either Waipahu or St. Francis in the quarterfinals at 7 p.m. Thursday at Waiakea’s gym.
“We are absolutely peaking and playing our best basketball of the season,” Kamehameha coach Weston Willard said. “We lost at Kohala by one during the regular season, so to beat them at BIIFs was a testament to that.”
Kamehameha hasn’t won a state title since 2013 – which can be considered a drought for the Warriors, who are making their 12th consecutive trip to states. Kamehameha has been the tournament’s preeminent program since its inception in 2004, collecting four titles and four runner-up finishes.
The Warriors are young, with only four, upperclassmen, but they’re aware of the history.
“We practice under those banners every day,” Willard said. “They relish the opportunity to come out and play hard.”
With two-time defending champion Honokaa making a defection to Division I, Hawaii Baptist is seeded first this year as it makes its eighth consecutive tournament appearance. The ILH champion Eagles (14-0) kept Kamehameha from making its fifth consecutive title game last season, winning 53-40 in semifinals, before losing to the Dragons for the championship.
“They play with a lot of discipline and structure,” Willard said. “We would be honored to get a chance to play them again.”
Thanks to the presence of Division I juggernaut Konawaena in the BIIF, no Division II team will test Kamehameha or Kohala with a skill-level they haven’t faced before this season. The Warriors, in fact, played Konawaena twice and Division I contender Hilo three times this season.
The Cowgirls (7-5) take on Kauai champion Kapaa (8-0) in a first round game at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Keaau High.
“I’ve tried, but I can’t find out anything about them,” Kohala coach Adam Harrison said. “We’re flying blind.”
The Cowgirls battled nerves in a harder-than-expected BIIF semifinal victory against Pahoa, but Harrison said he was happy with Kohala’s effort in the final. The Cowgirls were undone by poor ball-handling and free throw shooting.
“They were pretty bummed about the championship game loss, but I told them they still had a lot of work ahead,” Harrison said.
Most of his veteran unit gained seasoning at states when Kohala made it last trip in 2014 in Honolulu.
“The girls would have liked to go back to Oahu because of the shopping,” Harrison said. “We’ll settle for Hilo.”