HILO — The battle between Hilo and Konawaena went down to the wire. The Vikings led 33-32 heading into the fourth quarter at their preseason tournament Tuesday night at their gym. When the pressure turns up, that’s when the Wildcats are at their best.
Konawaena snagged a late steal and closed with a six-point scoring run for a 42-39 victory in the opening round, making their long drive home a happy one.
Kaliana Salazar-Harrell scored a game-high 21 points, knocking down four 3-pointers, and Caiyle Kaupu added 11 points for the Wildcats, who took a 39-38 lead when Kaupu scored on a scoop to the hoop with 1:30 remaining.
Keirstyn Agonias scored 16 points, Mindy Kawaha had seven while Veda Galima and Keani Midel had six points each for the Viks, who had four harmful turnovers in the last eight minutes.
“We’ve got to clean it up. Hilo plays very good defense. Our spacing was so bad,” Konawaena coach Bobbie Awa said. “Caiyle was a factor in Honolulu, so we have to move the ball quicker to her before the help side defense comes and she can go one-on-one.”
Salazar-Harrell’s last 3-pointer pushed Konawaena’s led to 41-39 with 1:09 left. She doesn’t need a lot of space to get her shot off. She also played predator perimeter defense with a couple of steals.
In an interesting matchup, Agonias and Kaupu guarded each other. Kaupu is 5 feet 10; Agonias three inches shorter. But the matchup dissolved in the second quarter when Kaupu picked up her second foul.
The first half was an exercise in half-court execution. Both teams shut down the other’s transition game. There wouldn’t be any fastbreak layups. Both teams hustled back on defense
Agonias scored eight points to stake the Vikings to a 19-16 half-time lead. She scored the game’s first six points, scoring underneath the basket, hitting two free throws and draining a shot just inside the 3-point line.
Midel buried a 3-ball to cap a 9-0 run for the Vikings, who moved the ball and found their open shooter.
Salazar-Harrell and Braelyn Kauhi hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cut Hilo’s lead to 9-6.
In the second quarter, Kaupu drained another 3-pointer, and Agonias followed with consecutive baskets, the latter a drive to the rim.
Then Salazar-Harrell and Galima traded 3-pointers, right before Konawaena’s Jayla Medeiros scored before the halftime buzzer.
Near the end of the second quarter, Salazar-Harrell picked up her second foul. The Wildcats have rarely been blessed with great depth. But they have always been able to play tough defense without fouling. No one fouled out.
To kick off the third quarter, Kaupu scored inside, and then it was Agonias’ turn. She went down the court, posted up Kaupu and scored on a Kevin McHale up-and-under move. She came right back on the next possession, displacing her ball-handling skills.
Agonias got the ball on the wing, slashed to the hoop and kissed a shot off the glass with her left hand for a 23-18 lead.
Hilo’s lead was eventually trimmed to one point heading into the fourth quarter. It would prove not to be enough.
Waiakea 58, Kahuku 31: Keeli-Jade Smith scored 16 points on an assortment of post moves, Kelsie Imai slashed for 15 points, and Ayana Meyer added 13 points for the Warriors, who led 25-18 at halftime.
Leiah Naeta scored eight points to lead Kahuku.
The game was a rematch of last year’s state fifth-place game. Waiakea won 56-53 against the OIA champion, who have been to states the last three years.
Waiakea’s ball pressure overwhelmed the Red Raiders, especially in the third quarter. Imai scored eight points and had two assists as the Warriors outscored Kahuku 20-6.
“The physicality of Kahuku was something we were worried about, bu the girls buckled down and played well,” said Waiakea coach Alika Smith, who was pleased with his team’s defense. “When we share the ball, we can get the job done. We want to focus on defense. You can’t run when the ball is going through the hoop, but you can when you get stops or get rebounds.”