Konawaena’s game of beautiful basketball can turn into ugly results for overmatched opponents, and that was the case on Thursday.
Konawaena’s game of beautiful basketball can turn into ugly results for overmatched opponents, and that was the case on Thursday.
In the HHSAA Division I quarterfinals, the Wildcats dismantled Kamehameha-Maui 64-27 at McKinley High’s gym, opening the rout with a 20-0 run.
Konawaena, the two-time defending state champions, had the combination of ball-control and ball-movement with 18 assists to just 10 turnovers and racked up 17 steals.
Junior guards Cherilyn Molina and Mikayla Tablit had a few identical stats across the board: 14 points on 6 of 13 shooting, including 2 of 6 on 3-pointers.
The only differences were Tablit had nine rebounds and three assists and three turnovers. Molina had four boards and five assists and three giveaways.
Senior forward Celena Jane Molina added 12 points on 6 of 11 shooting, grabbed seven boards, and had a game-high eight steals.
Freshman forward Caiyle Kaupu gave Konawaena its fourth player in double figure scoring with 11 points on 5 of 11 shooting. She added nine rebounds.
The Wildcats (13-0) shot 45 percent (29 of 64) on field goals and held a sizable 30-6 cushion at halftime.
Kaylee Cambra scored 11 points to lead the Warriors (11-5), the MIL runner-up, who buried 28 percent (10 of 36) from the floor.
Konawaena’s semifinal opponent is ILH runner-up Kamehameha-Kapalama, which defeated No. 4 seed and OIA champ Farrington 52-47.
The Wildcats and Warriors will meet at 5 p.m. Friday at McKinley. The last time Kamehameha-Kapalama was at states was in 2013, its last state crown.
Since then Maryknoll and Punahou have maintained control of the ILH. The No. 2 seed Spartans have pocketed the last three ILH crowns.
Last year, Konawaena played Maryknoll for the first time for the state title and won 44-34, backed by the brilliance of Chanelle Molina, who scored 24 points on 8 of 11 shooting.
She’s now recovering from a knee injury at Washington State while the rest of her old Wildcat teammates chase a three-peat but first battle the ILH Warriors.
KS-Maui 0 6 14 7 — 27
Konawaena 14 16 9 25 — 64
Division II
No. 2 Kamehameha-Hawaii 44, Moanalua 33
Saydee Aganus was the only Warrior to finish with more assists than turnovers, 8 to 4, and also posted a game-high 13 points on 4 of 7 shooting at Farrington High’s gym.
Camille Poe added eight points on 4 of 8 shooting and Nicki Pacheco had seven points off the bench for the Warriors (10-3), who sank 40 percent (17 of 43) from the floor.
Poe and Aganus had four steals each while Taylor Sullivan added three steals.
Raven Rosa-Lasco scored 10 points but on just 1 of 12 shooting to lead Na Menehune (7-7), who shot just 18 percent (9 of 49) from the field.
The Warriors struggled at the free throw line, going 10 of 31 or 32 percent. However, they led 27-13 at halftime.
In the semifinals, Kamehameha plays Moanalua at 5 p.m. Friday at Farrington.
Lanai 60, Kohala 59
Kayla Garcia scored 20 points to help the Pine Lasses, of the MIL, eliminate the Cowgirls.
Mikayla Kekoa scored 17 points and CJ Agbayani added 12 points to lead Kohala, which trailed 42-34 heading into the fourth quarter.
Garcia buried two free throws for a 60-54 lead with 12 seconds left.
Maya Anderson drilled a 3-pointer to get Kohala within 60-57 with seven seconds to go.
Then Zaz Matsu snagged a steal and hit a jump shot with one second remaining for the 60-59 final score.
Kohala 18 10 6 25 — 59
Lanai 9 19 14 18 — 60