There will be big-game basketball options on Monday around the island for local fans, who can attend a rematch of the BIIF championship in Kealakekua, a Division II hare-and-turtle dogfight in Waimea, or an HHSAA girls state of the union address in Hilo.
Behind all-around improvement from Austin Aukai, a senior guard, Konawaena is looking like the uptempo powerhouse that pocketed BIIF Division I titles from 2013 to ’15, not the unfamiliar version with the same parts that fell flat to Waiakea in the championship last season.
The Wildcats (9-0) host the Warriors (7-2) at about 7:30 p.m. Monday at Ellison Onizuka Gym with an eye on the BIIF regular season title, which includes the league’s first berth to states.
Waiakea’s 60-44 loss to Hawaii Prep on Saturday throws a bit of cold water on the reunion. Still, Konawaena, which has Keaau and Kohala left on its regular season schedule, needs to be the outright champion (no head-to-head tiebreaker if teams are tied) to earn that first state berth, and strangers things have happened this season.
For motivation or precaution, Konawaena can remember that Waiakea forced turnovers and consistently won footraces to the rim in a 60-40 rout in last year’s BIIF title contest. Like last time, the Wildcats will be the favorite.
Over in Waimea, HPA (6-3) hosts Honokaa (7-2) at about 7:30 p.m. Monday at Castle Gym in the annual neighborhood battle between the top two Division II teams in the standings with more at stake.
Too bad the patient-and-zone-based Ka Makani and run-and-gun Dragons didn’t meet in the BIIF playoffs last season. They don’t have a lot of postseason history together and have never played one another for a league title. But that could change, soon enough.
Hilo (10-2) hosts Mililani (10-3), the OIA’s No. 3 team, in a HHSAA girls first-round game at 4 p.m. Monday at the Vikings Gym in, basically, a do-or-die scenario: win to advance at states, or lose and it’s over.
The Vikings and Trojans are sort of in the same boat: good enough to beat first-round foes at states but not yet able to hurdle the more talented contenders in the quarterfinals or sharks in the deeper end of the pool.
Last season in the first round, Hilo edged Radford 33-28, and Mililani toppled Roosevelt 64-48. In the quarters, eventual runner-up Maryknoll defeated the Viks 68-53 while Lahainaluna drilled the Trojans 77-38.
Here’s a look at the three biggest Monday games:
Waiakea at Konawaena
Aukai and Kamakana Ching have stepped up their games in their senior seasons. Aukai’s scoring has spaced the floor for Ching, a 6-foot-3 forward, who doesn’t have to worry so much about double teams on the blocks. If he’s doubled, kickouts and Aukai 3-balls usually follow.
“Aukai does everything for them. He’ll make a 3-pointer and get to the basket,” Waiakea coach Paul Lee said. “He’s one of their better defenders. He’s a tough player on that team.
“We have to stop their dribble penetration and not let them get into an uptempo game. That’s what they feed off of. It’s hard to do that because they’ve played together so long. They play man defense the whole game, and you have to match the intensity level that they bring.”
Ching is a rarity as a 6-foot-3 forward because he can run like a guard. From his football skill-set as a wide receiver, he relies on his athleticism to motor past defenders in transition down the court and elevate at the basket, almost like catching a high touchdown pass.
The best way to stick glue on Konawaena’s transition attack is to take care of the ball. The Warriors have two steady point guards in Calvin Mattos Shaun Kojima, a pair of seasoned seniors.
“Calvin rarely turns over the ball, and Shaun has made a big difference. He helps out at point guard a lot,” Lee said. “Last year, Shaun had injuries and missed games. He’s come back more confident. His 3-point shot has been pretty good, and every possession helps a lot.”
If Konawaena is regarded as the top man press defensive team, there’s little doubt that Honokaa is next in line with a lineup of long, athletic hoopsters. So, it was a good sign that Waiakea committed just four turnovers and defeated the Dragons 63-44 on Wednesday.
Maximizing possessions on offense with limited turnovers is one thing. The other side of the ball requires making stops. The Warriors, who also lost to Kamehameha 79-76, call on senior Treysen Ishimoto, a lanky 5-10 forward, for that main job.
“We put him on the other team’s best guy,” Lee said. “He really helps on the defensive end. On offense, he’s the one setting screens and moving the ball. Calvin’s a good defender, too, but he spends so much energy on offense, bringing the ball up. Treysen steps up and guards the best player on the other team.”
Lee’s philosophy has been to win the quarters: Take the last shot at each period, and protect the ball and a late lead.
“We had four turnovers against Honokaa, four against Hilo (72-56 win) and five against Kohala (71-56 win). We’ve been handling the ball pretty well,” he said. “If we can take care of the ball, we have a good shot at success.”
Honokaa at HPA
The Dragons and Ka Makani already know each other’s game plan. The visitors will run behind long-armed 5-11 guard Kelvin Falk in a drive-and-dish attack with occasional handoffs to 6-3 center Kamuela Spencer-Herring. The hosts will throw out a welcome mat of zone defense to force Honokaa’s shooters to make long-range, and hopefully low-percentage, buckets.
In the win at Waiakea, Dylan Ngango Dikobo, Matija Vitorovic, and Michael Hanano scored 14, 13, and 12 points, respectively, to provide Ka Makani with much-needed scoring balance and push them into position for a state berth with help.
If it turns into a track meet in the neighborhood get-together, it’ll favor the Dragons, who work best when they’re ripping off scoring runs. HPA’s strength is disciplined ball-sharing. It also helps that if Vitorovic, a 6-4 sophomore guard, is fed the ball enough he can display his versatile scoring
HPA also has road games with Kohala and Keaau left while Honokaa has a road game against St. Joseph and a home date with Kealakehe to close the regular season.
Last season, the Cardinals fought back from an 18-point deficit and slipped past the Dragons 51-50 for the BIIF Division II championships. St. Joe also stunned HPA 42-41 in the BIIF semifinals on a last-second layup, enough evidence that anything can happen in the playoffs.
Either Honokaa or HPA will sleep a lot better at night if one has the security of a state berth tucked underneath a pillow.
Mililani at Hilo
The Trojans and Vikings resemble each other in their youthful potential. Hilo’s clutch freshmen have been Jamila-Collins-Ebanez and Mindy Kawaha, younger sister of junior guard Mandi Kawaha while Mililani’s most promising young gun is guard Dahlis Sablay.
Sablay scored 16 points in a 44-41 loss to Kaimuki in the OIA semifinals. In the third-place game, Cheyenne Ardona, a 6-2 center, scored eight points in a 27-22 victory over Leilehua, a low score that indicates a different brand of ball is played on Oahu.
While BIIF basketball is typically known as run-and-gun around the state, the Vikings have the personnel to implement a maximize-each-possession style. They have two solid ball-handers in the Kawaha sisters, a mid-range shooter in Cherish Quiocho, and a post presence in Mele Vaka and Chenoa Rogers.
However, unlike Konawaena, Hilo doesn’t always reset its half-court offense if stuck in traffic and often forces contested shots. That’s been part of the growth process with a brand new team; Mandi Kawaha is the only returning starter.
When the HHSAA tournament rolls around, the Wildcats, like a chameleon, change colors and play like those Oahu schools. They understand there’s no shot clock. They deny easy buckets (layups and putbacks). And they play with an FBI (From the Big Island) underdog edge.
Those are three reasons why they’re the two-time defending Division I state champions, and, even better, Konawaena is a perfect role model for the host Vikings.
