HILO — If there was ever a time for No. 4 Konawaena girls basketball to come through in a big moment, it was in the KTA/Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF) Division I Championship on Wednesday against No. 8 Waiakea. And came through, they did.
The Wildcats played arguably their best game of the season against the Warriors at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium, dominating from start to finish in their 63-44 win. Kona played at its typical high-tempo pace against the state-ranked opponent — playing aggressive defense at midcourt and forcing bad passes, leading to turnovers and easy transition baskets.
When the Wildcats found themselves in an early first-half lead, Waiakea began to rush its offense, often electing to take contested jump shots over Kona’s stragetic defense. From there, the lead kept growing, and the green and white never looked back.
With the win, the Wildcats officially end their BIIF season at 13-1 overall, with the only loss of the season coming against No. 11 Kamehameha Schools Hawai‘i on Jan. 8. Kona additionally claimed a first-round bye in the Hawaii High School Athletic Association (HHSAA) Division I Girls Basketball Tournament — notching the No. 2 seed.
The Wildcats will next play in the second round at states at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Moanalua High School on Oahu against the winner of Kamehameha Schools-Maui versus Radford. Waiakea (11-3 BIIF) will play in the opening round of the tournament, facing Moanalua at 4 p.m. Monday at Waiakea High School.
DII: KSH 53, HPA 27
Perfecting a defensive gameplan that trapped Hawaii Prep star Brooke Samura consistently, No. 11 KS-Hawai‘i comfortably handled Ka Makani in a 53-27 victory in the Division II championship game — punching a ticket to the state tournament on Oahu.
The Warriors had one goal in mind heading into the matchup — stop Samura and force the others to beat them. KSH’s strategies of double and triple-teaming Samura mixed with trapping proved to be effective, as the BIIF DII Player of the Year favorite scored just 16 points. Her highest-scoring teammate was Zoe Misho with five.
The Warriors’ two-headed monster of Keanu Huihui and Maela Honma was a handful for HPA, combining for 37 points. Huihui remains the team’s top scorer at over 26 points per game. Teammate Kacie Febo-Santiago added 10.
Finishing the year at a perfect 14-0 in the BIIF, KSH will be awarded with a first-round bye in the HHSAA tournament, with the official DII bracket expected to be released tonight. Ka Makani (10-4 BIIF) will also continue its season next week on Oahu, entering the first round unseeded.
DII third place: KOHALA 38, HONOKA‘A 29
Kohala additionally punched its ticket to the DII state tournament next week, beating Honoka‘a 38-29 in the third-place game.
The Cowgirls’ defense and resiliency proved to be the deciding factor against the Dragons, who struggled to generate offense.
With the win, Kohala (9-5 BIIF) will head to Oahu unseeded — finding out its first opponent tonight. Honoka‘a’s (7-5 BIIF) season has come to a close.