KAILUA-KONA — It was a victory no one saw coming.
Hawaii Preparatory Academy, which started the season on a seven game losing streak, and lost eight of 10 regular season games, were the final team to sneak into the BIIF playoffs and then surprised everyone on the Big Island by running the table on the way to the school’s first girls basketball title since 2007.
“I’m still on a little bit of a high with how well the girls did and how well we came together when it was necessary,” said first year Ka Makani head coach Lacey Hester. “We knew we were better than what our record indicated. We are a boarding school and for nearly a month we had many kids missing.
“For three or four games we had only seven kids,” she added. “It was really difficult, but the rough start taught us a lot of lessons, and in hindsight I am glad it worked out that way.”
It was a young Ka Makani team that earned the 35-24 upset victory over No. 1 seed Kamehameha in the league semifinals and then defeated Ka’u 38-32 in the title game. Hawaii Prep did not have a senior on the roster, which included six freshmen.
HPA was led by a pair of those freshmen in Kyana Brucelas and Maja Burdova, as well as junior Mariah Borce. All three players were named to the 2018-19 All-BIIF Division II girls basketball team.
Brucelas receives the highest honor with the Player of the Year nod as decided by league coaches, West Hawaii Today and Hawaii Tribune-Herald.
Winning the POY honor is just one of many things that has happened to Brucelas over the last year that she just can’t believe has happened to her.
“Oh my god, I am so excited and kind of in shock,” she said when she first got the news. “I never in my life thought I would be playing at HPA, never thought I would get a chance to play with girls from all over the world, and never thought I would win this award. It means a lot to me.”
For Brucelas, the girls basketball team at Hawaii Prep is like a family.
“There is an ohana vibe,” she said. “It was so easy for us to come together and play basketball.”
And Brucelas has been clutch for her “family” when they have needed her the most. In the semifinal game against the Warriors, she recorded a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
“It’s funny because she never knows what is happening with her numbers,” Hester said. “I asked her after the game if she knew she had a double-double, but she had no idea. I love seeing her face light up when I get to tell her what she has done.”
Hester and her girls prepared a week for the match against Kamehameha, knowing they would need to pull out all the tricks to slip by the Warriors to claim the school’s first trip to the state tournament since 2012.
“Kamehameha is always a threat in nearly every sport but we had played a close game with them previously so that helped with our confidence,” Hester said. “The girls really wanted to win that game and it was a great feeling when they did.”
But the playoffs, like in many sports, wasn’t a one woman show. In the championship game against Ka’u, Brucelas and Hester had some help from Burdova, who recorded her own double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Burdova was surprised by her father in attendance who made the trip from the Czech Republic to attend the playoffs.
“That was a good game for her and her dad surprising her was definitely a motivating factor,” Hester said. “She has a natural talent for the game and will drive into the lane with anyone. It’s awesome.”
Borce, the elder statesman of the HPA first team selections, was Ka Makani’s leader on and off the court throughout the season.
“She is a solid kid, has good grades, is a great sibling, a great daughter and a great role model,” Hester said. “On the court, when things are not going our way, the girls will look to her for motivation. She never has a negative word to say.”
With such a strong finish to the season, Hester was an easy pick to be named Coach of the Year. It was an honor that surprised her nearly as much as being named Player of the Year surprised Brucelas.
“That’s crazy,” she said. “I could not have done it without the support system around me including my assistant coaches, the athletic director and my players. Everyone had my back and I just look forward to what we can do in the future.”
With such a young team, and the possibility of everyone on the roster returning, the future looks bright for Hester and the HPA girls basketball team.