When February rolls around, it’s BIIF dynasty time at the HHSAA level. ADVERTISING When February rolls around, it’s BIIF dynasty time at the HHSAA level. Count on one thing: a BIIF team or two or three will be in the
When February rolls around, it’s BIIF dynasty time at the HHSAA level.
Count on one thing: a BIIF team or two or three will be in the hunt for a state championship at either the girls basketball or soccer tournaments or both.
No surprise, the Konawaena Hoops Dynasty will be shooting for its third straight Division I title, making its seventh championship appearance in the last eight years.
The Wildcats flattened Kamehameha-Kapalama 51-31 in the semifinals Friday night at Neal Blaisdell Center in a statewide broadcast game on OC16.
No. 1 seed Konawaena (14-0) plays No. 2 Maryknoll (15-1) in a championship rematch at 7 p.m. Saturday. The game will be broadcast on OC16, channel 12.
The Green Big Three did the job again.
Cherilyn Molina scored a game-high 16 points on 6 of 11 shooting, including 2 of 3 from beyond the arc.
Fellow Wildcat junior guard Mikayla Tablit was another perimeter threat with 14 points on 6 of 12 shooting.
Senior forward Celena Molina had 14 points on 6 of 10 shooting and the two Molina sisters each had seven rebounds.
Konawaena shot a blistering 54 percent (21 of 39) from the field, and its only blemish was free throw shooting: 6 of 12.
Mikala Maio scored 13 points and Kalina Obrey 11 to lead the Warriors (12-6), the ILH runner-up, who shot 32 percent (11 of 34) from the floor.
During the Wildcats’ eight-year run, the only time they didn’t make the state final was in 2014 when Punahou beat Lahainaluna for the title.
In the other semifinal, the Spartans defeated the Lunas 62-49 behind 5-foot-9 sophomore forward Kamalu Kamakawiwo’ole’s 20 points and junior guard Rhianne Omori’s 18 points.
Maryknoll, the three-time ILH champion, has never won the state title but finished second last year to Konawaena (44-34) and third in 2015.
The Wildcats, the nine-time BIIF champion, has made 19 state appearances, including 16 under coach Bobbie Awa, who brought home titles in 2004, ’07, ’09, ’11, ’12, ’15, and ’16.
A three-peat hangs is up for grabs, but a rising group of promising Spartans stand in the way.
While Konawaena has pocketed seven state crowns in 13 years, a 54 percent return rate, the BIIF has been nearly as dominant on the small-school side.
