In Brief | Local

Waimea’s Tablit competing in
national semifinals

Waimea’s Mikayla Tablit will compete in the Elks Hoop Shoot West Region 7 Semifinals today in Las Vegas, vying for a spot in the Elks Hoop Shoot National Finals.

Tablit, a 12-year-old who attends Waimea Middle school, made 21 of 25 free throws — the highest total in the girls 12-13 age group — at the Kona Lodge 2616 Elks Hoop Shoot contest held Jan. 12 at Kekuaokalani Gymnasium. Of the 174 California-Hawaii Elks Association contests held in this year, Tablit’s total ranked first in her age group, giving her a ticket to Las Vegas.

The West Region 7 Semifinals is one of 12 Elks Hoop Shoot regional competitions, and Tablit will compete against participants from Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah.

Regional competitions feature three age groups (8-9, 10-11, 12-13) for both boys and girls, with each entrant attempting 25 free throws. If needed, participants will shoot extra free throws in sets of five to break ties. The winners will advance to the Elks Hoop Shoot National Finals, which take place April 18-21 in Springfield, Mass.

Tablit is the first Kona Lodge representative to compete in a regional competition since 2001, when Jazzmin Awa-Williams, a 2007 Konawaena graduate, competed in the 12-13 age group.

Konawaena to host preseason baseball tournament

For the third straight season, Konawaena High will serve as the host school for Keaau’s Cougar Invitational, a round-robin tournament that will take place Feb. 28 through March 2 at Konawaena’s Gabby Inaba Field.

Hawaii Prep, Keaau, Kealakehe and Konawaena will each play three games, with the schedule as follows:

Thursday

c Kealakehe vs. Keaau, noon

c Hawaii Prep vs. Konawaena, 2 p.m.

Friday

c Hawaii Prep vs. Kealakehe, noon

c Keaau vs. Konawaena, 2 p.m.

Saturday

c Keaau vs. Hawaii Prep, 10 a.m.

c Kealakehe vs. Konawaena, 2 p.m.