The reigning HHSAA Division I state champion Konawaena Wildcats welcomed Honokaa to Division I Thursday evening with a dominating 67-18 victory at the Konawaena Invitational at the Ellison Onizuka Gym. Honokaa, the defending D-II state champion who decided to make the move to D-I this season, knows that a step up in play will bring new challenges and the transition is not going as smoothly as hoped.
“It has been a little difficult I think because the complexion of our team is a little different,” Honokaa head coach Daphne Honma said. “We are struggling to come together as a team but luckily that is why we have preseason.”
Honma added that a lot more hard work will be required to compete at the D-I level, and the expectations of the program remain the same. The ultimate goal is a championship.
“The players were pretty excited and it is something they are looking forward to doing,” Honma said. “It is always about the journey and the life lessons you learn along the way.”
As for Thursday’s game, Honokaa can rest assure that not all their opponents will be as tough as the Wildcats.
Konawaena had three players score in double digits — Mercedes “Ihi” Victor (16), Chanelle Molina (14) and Cherilyn Molina (12).
The Wildcats wasted little time flexing their muscles, taking an 8-0 lead in the first quarter. Senior leader Chanelle Molina set the tone early with a putback for a 2-0 lead. Celena Molina and Mercedes Victor followed with a pair of break-away layups, with Victor setting up her score with a steal. Celena Molina wrapped up the run with a putback of her own.
“We came out strong and it was nice to see our senior balance each other out,” Konawaena assistant coach Jessica Hanato said. “Chanelle is becoming a lot more vocal instead of a leader by example and that was pleasing to see.”
Honokaa scored its only points in the first quarter on a Taylor Souza layup. Konawaena then rolled off 11 straight points to take a 19-2 advantage by the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter was much more competitive, with Honokaa’s Kizzah Maltezo scoring on a pair of plays. Aulani Cordero also added two points for the Dragons, but the Wildcats led 25-8 at the half.
Konawaena turned steals into points at a regular clip in the third quarter. On the offensive side, even when the Wildcats made mistakes, they would take the ball back in a matter of seconds. Cherilyn Molina did most of the damage with six points and by the end of the third, and Konawaena led 45-14.
In the final quarter, Konawaena saw some promising play from freshman Tanniya Uchida. Uchida, while small in stature, can shoot from long range, and she nailed two 3-pointers late in the game, with the last one putting the Wildcats up by 40. It was just a matter of the clock ticking down from there.
“Tanniya passed up a lot of shots early and I think she was feeling her way out on the court,” Hanato said. “It was nice to see her be aggressive at the end and as long as she keeps doing that she will be alright.”
The Wildcat Invitational continues today with the competition being capped off by a rematch of last years HHSAA Division I championship game when Konawaena takes on Lahainaluna at 7:30 p.m.
