Sometimes there is no substitution for experience.
Konawaena proved that in the HHSAA Division I state championship game on Saturday, showing off championship poise in a tight fourth quarter and downing Maryknoll 53-48 for the program’s third consecutive title and eighth overall.
Cherilyn Molina led the Wildcats to victory, notching 14 points, six assists and six steals.
“We stayed composed and the entire team stayed in control,” Molina said in OC16 television interview after the game. “I just worked harder and harder to get here every year.”
Fans entered Blaisdell Arena anticipating a battle between No. 1 Konawaena and No. 2 Maryknoll. The two squads met for the title a year ago, and have been far-and-away the top squads in polls around the state.
At first it looked as though the fans would go home disappointed, as Konawaena went on an early 11-0 run, something teams in the BIIF are very familiar with. After allowing a quick basket to the Spartans, the Wildcats scored on five straight baskets in typical Konawaena fashion in the first quarter, keeping the ball moving and forcing turnovers.
Behind the play of Rhianne Omori, who finished the game with 12 points and four assists for Maryknoll, the Spartans slowly cut the deficit to one point with 25 seconds left in the second quarter. Konawaena set up for the final play of the half, but could not get an open look. However, a foul with only a second remaining sent Mikayla Tablit to the line.
She sunk them both, but by halftime Maryknoll had made a game of it, creeping back into contention, making it 22-19.
Konawaena’s Caiyle Kaupu and Maryknoll’s Chayse Milne put on a show early in the third quarter. The two players were the only source of offensive over a three minute period. Milne scored seven on a couple of short jumpers and a 3-pointer. Kaupu hit a short shot and rolled in two layups for six points.
The Spartans took a brief lead late in the third quarter — their first since it was 2-0 — when Ysabelle Halemano hit a shot with 2:15 on the clock. Halemano later gave the Spartans their biggest lead of the game at 35-32, but the Wildcats ended the period on a 7-0 run, getting a much needed 3-pointer from Tanniya Uchida.
Maryknoll cut the deficit to two points to start the final quarter, but Uchida answered back with her second 3-pointer of the night to put the Wildcats up 42-37.
After forcing another turnover, Konawaena decided to slow the game down since they were already in the bonus. They maintained possession for a lengthy amount of time, but Maryknoll pressed with a trap defense, forcing back-to-back errant passes that were picked off for easy buckets by Milne and Dakota Viena. A foul on Viena allowed for a 3-point play, tying thethe game at 42-42 midway through the quarter.
Tied at 44, Konawaena managed gain a little breathing room, with Celena and Cherilyn Molina going 4-for-4 from the line. Two more free throws in the final seconds by Kaupu were just a formality as the Wildcats secured another Koa trophy.
Kaupa, only a freshman, finished one rebound shy of a double-double. She had 11 points.
The championship win increases coach Bobbie Awa’s record, and is three more state titles than former Kamehameha-Kapalama coach Al Apo, who previously held the state record with five.
But now she has some competition. Dawnyelle Awa — who joined the Wildcats this year as a co-head coach — picked up her first state title.