KAILUA-KONA — Konawaena has never been a team that needs bulletin board material.
The Wildcats usually just let their mighty resume speak for itself — a ridiculous 116-game winning streak against league opponents, 10 consecutive BIIF titles and eight state championships since 2004, including the last three consecutively.
But when the HHSAA state tournament seedings were announced last weekend, Konawaena (12-0 BIIF, 23-2 overall) did not find a familiar No. 1 next to its name — the first time since 2009.
Instead, the top seed in the tourney belonged to Maryknoll (12-0 ILH, 26-2), the two-time state runner-up to the Wildcats but who won a preseason matchup against Konawaena 56-37.
While veteran head coach Bobbie Awa didn’t argue the Wildcats’ placement, she had a good laugh thinking about how it would fire up her uber-competitive squad.
“It will be talked about in the locker room,” Awa said. “It is motivation, for sure.”
The Wildcats took off Wednesday night for Oahu. The first step toward a fourth consecutive state title starts with Moanalua (10-4 OIA, 17-10) today at 5 p.m. at McKinley High School.
Konawaena is seeking to become just the second girls program in Hawaii history to reel off four state titles in a row. Kamehameha-Kapalama also did it in the early 1990s. However, Awa isn’t letting her team hang their hats on the past, or get too caught up thinking about the future.
“One of our coaches told the girls, our season starts on Thursday,” Awa said. “Right now, it’s one game at a time. We don’t want to show up and be one-and-done. To get to that ultimate goal, we can’t skip forward and start looking at the end.”
As per usual, Konawaena played a very competitive non-league schedule, and just a glance at the bracket is evidence of that. Of the seven other teams remaining in the quarterfinals, the Wildcats are familiar with five, the outliers being Kalani and Kamehameha-Maui.
That kind of familiarity with opponents is invaluable when tournament time rolls around.
Konawaena hosted Moanalua at their invitational and beat Iolani twice in a pair of close games at different tournaments. The Wildcats also dropped preseason contests to Maui rival Lahainaluna and Maryknoll.
But as Awa knows all too well, it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish, something the Wildcats have been the best at for the better part of 15 years.
“As every team out there probably has, we have got better as the season went on,” Awa said. “I like the way we look and how we are playing.”
Premier among the Wildcats improvements has been their ability to capitalize on momentum swings. Once one Wildcat starts to get hot, it’s contagious in the best way possible.
While tight games on the Big Island are hard to come by for the ‘Cats, the BIIF championship against Waiakea — which will play in its own quarterfinal game Thursday — is a prime example. Konawaena was down 17-16 at the half, but erupted with a 15-1 third quarter where it seemed the Wildcats could do no wrong, leading to the eventual 48-29 win.
The big three of seniors Cherilyn Molina, Mikayla Tablit and sophomore center Caiyle Kaupu have led the way. In the BIIF championship, the trio combined for 38 of the Wildcats 48 points, hauling in a combined 32 rebounds. Molina and Tablit were all-tournament selections a year ago, while Kaupu emerged as a major piece for Konawaena as a freshman.
“I like the way the girls have been playing with a lot of emotion. They have a never give up attitude and are able to get in that rhythm,” Awa said. “We are good at finding the hot hand. The girls are not selfish when they see that and sometimes even overpass.”
Awa admits the state tournament experience can be draining, with travel and three consecutive days of high-level preparation. But it’s something the Wildcats never get tired of. After all, the postseason is Wildcats season.
“We always embrace it. For the girls, these are the memories they will remember,” Awa said. “There are so many kids out there who don’t get the opportunity to play in the state tournament. This is special.”
