By Conor Langs West Hawaii Today clangs@westhawaiitoday.com
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Kamehameha Schools-Hawai‘i girls basketball got off to an ideal start in the opening round of the 2025 Pacific Century Fund Team Aloha Girls Basketball Division II State Championships against Castle on Wednesday at Kalani High School.

The Lady Warriors beat the Lady Knights 53-37, securing a quarterfinal spot against first-seeded Hanalani.

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KSH’s 20-8 start after the first quarter set the tone for the night, as the winners out-scored Castle in three of the four quarters.

Lady Warriors guard Shailan Benevides, who averages over 12 points per game, scored a season-high 33 points, six assists and four steals with eight 3-pointers made. Teammate Kacie Feebo-Santiago added 12 points, seven boards and six steals. KSH hung its hat on the defensive end in this one, swiping for 17 steals.

Princess-Kirra Pagba-Pimenta finished with a team-high 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Lady Knights. Dorian Pokipala added nine points and five rebounds.

The Lady Warriors moved to 15-6 overall on the season — averaging nearly 43 points per game while allowing under 33. See Saturday’s paper to catch up on the results from the quarterfinals.

Castle fell to 6-10 overall, and played Kaiser in the consolation semifinals on Thursday.

Damien 34, Pahoa 28

Pahoa girls basketball lost a close matchup against Damien in the opening round of the DII HHSAA tournament on Wednesday at Kaimuki High School. The Lady Daggers fell 34-28.

Pahoa led 11-6 after the first quarter, but the Lady Monarchs dialed up their defense, allowing 12 total points in the second and third quarters. This ended up being the X-factor in the result.

Sophia Moniz and Azariyah Brown combined for 16 points for the Lady Daggers. The team also produced 15 steals.

Brielle Nueku scored 16 points for Damien, followed by teammate Cristazia Joy Cristobal with 13. The Lady Monarchs put on a defensive clinic, logging 16 steals.

Pahoa fell to 11-4 and was reassigned to the consolation bracket. The team averages 43.9 points per game while allowing 32.7. The Lady Daggers played Molokai on Thursday; see Saturday’s paper for more.

The Lady Monarchs improved to 10-6 overall, and faced No. 2 Waimea in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

Kohala 87, Waiakea 51

Kohala boys basketball welcomed back a familiar face during Wednesday’s 87-51 rout of Waiakea in Hilo.

Star guard Layden Kauka suited up for the Cowboys for the first time this season. Spending most of his junior year at Utah Prep, the superstar elected to return to Kohala just before Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF) playoffs were set to begin. With his return, he was granted eligibility to begin competing immediately.

Kauka picked right back up where he left off from last season — scoring a game-high 34 points. Teammate Isaac Salvador-Libron scored 16, while Dillon Oandasan added 11. It was the highest-scoring game the Cowboys have put up this season, averaging 64.3 points per game in the BIIF. The black and gold also scored over 20 points in three of the four periods.

The Warriors had no double-digit scorers, but Josiah Amuimuia, Neikeias Une and Espn Pacheco combined for 20 points. Waiakea averages nearly 54 points per game in the BIIF.

Kohala elevated itself to 11-2 in league play and 13-7 overall, winning its fifth straight game. The team also played Kea‘au on Thursday on the road to conclude its regular season. See the paper Saturday for more.

Waiakea ends its regular season at 8-12 overall. It is unclear what seed the team will be in the BIIF DI playoffs. See the paper in the coming days for playoff coverage.

HPA 56, Hilo 45

It was another day, another win for Hawaii Preparatory Academy boys basketball.

Ka Makani won its 12th straight, beating the hosting Hilo Vikings 56-45 on Wednesday on the road. HPA improved to 18-5 overall and 12-1 in the BIIF, while Hilo fell to 9-10 (8-6 BIIF).

The paper was unable to obtain a box score for this game by deadline. HPA is averaging 63.3 points per game in the BIIF and allowing 37.2. Its top scorer remains to be Vander Eberhard, who averages nearly 17 points per contest. The Vikings average 52.1 while giving up 42.3 points. Their top scorer is Shayston Iyo at under 10 points per game.

While Hilo’s regular season ended, Ka Makani played rival KSH on Thursday night in Kea‘au. See Saturday’s paper for more.

Ka‘u 64, CLA 45

After dropping its last matchup, Ka‘u boys basketball routed Christian Liberty Academy 64-45 on Wednesday in Pahala.

The paper was unable to obtain a box score by deadline. The Trojans improved to 6-11 overall — led by Excel Bonoan in scoring at 20 points per game. Ka‘u averages 54.8 points per game.

The 1-13 Canefire is led by Jeziah Mahaulu at 16.2 points per game. CLA averages just under 30 points per game, and has lost 12 straight games.

Both teams played their last games of the regular season.