Girls basketball

The more things change, the more the Lahainaluna Lunas dig deeper. The same is true for the Waiakea Warriors. At the Lahaina Civic Center, No. 9 Lahainaluna (11-6) swept through the second-round playoffs with wins over Kamehameha-Maui (51-37) and King Kekaulike (44-41). The Lunas sealed the MIL championship for a 16th consecutive season, rallying from behind to take the regular-season title before defeating KS-Maui and King Kekaulike. King Kekaulike, which has suddenly overcome a late-season swoon, will battle regular-season runner-up […]

A lot can happen when a team finds the simplest path. Farrington’s season-long quest for a title became reality on Wednesday night with a 41-28 win over Campbell at James Alegre Gymnasium. >> CLICK HERE FOR A PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE GAME The Lady Governors last won a Division II league title in 2014 under then-coach Steven Leopoldo. Caroline Tatupu, the current coach, last guided the team to an OIA D-I crown in ’17. This year’s squad isn’t particularly tall, […]

Kahuku is OIA girls basketball champion again, and the work won’t end. The Lady Raiders did what they do best — crash the boards — en route to a 47-27 title-game win over Moanalua on Wednesday night at James Alegre Gymnasium. Five Lady Raiders hustled for at least five rebounds, and as a team they collected 19 offensive rebounds. That nearly matched the 20 offensive caroms Kahuku grabbed in a semifinal win over Mililani. That night, Kahuku had a 45-20 […]

It won’t be long at all now. The girls basketball season began as early as ever, and in just 11 days, it will be over with the state tournament finals. Even then, there are matchups that can’t, or won’t happen. From schools within a country mile of each other, to crosstown rivals, here are 10 (and more) games I’d like to see. (Note: This post was written before the BIIF playoffs began.) ‘Iolani vs. Konawaena. Just curious. Are the Raiders […]

For a long spell, the ‘Iolani Raiders were unchallenged by local competition. Finally, on Jan. 14, the top-ranked team in the state lost to a Hawaii program. Maryknoll came to Father Bray Athletic Complex and put a dent into the Raider roundball machine with a 55-51 upset win. ‘Iolani returned the favor on Monday night, stifling the Spartans in the second half for a gritty 54-47 win. With the regular-season automatic state berth, ‘Iolani’s victory in tonight’s second-round final seals […]

They’re the cardiac kids, and coach Kirk Ronolo would admit it’s by design. Moanalua stunned the top team in the OIA West, Radford, 42-37, on Saturday night to reach the Division I final. Ronolo’s squad, the runner-up in the OIA East, unleashed full-court pressure midway through the second quarter to open a seven-point halftime lead. Na Menehune didn’t relent from that point on, even after the home team rallied for a 29-27 lead early in the final quarter with leading […]

The Kahuku Red Raiders are dominating the OIA girls basketball season, but they’re still hungry. After a 57-26 rout of OIA West runner-up Mililani in the semifinal round on Saturday night, Kahuku is in prime position to repeat as league champion. They did it with physicality and grit. Diving for every loose ball. Going after every missed shot. Kahuku outrebounded Mililani 45-20, and 20 of the Lady Raiders’ boards were on the offensive glass. More intriguing, Kahuku’s ball movement against […]

For the Kamehameha Warriors, it just wasn’t meant to be. No. 5 Kamehameha needed a playoff win over No. 3 Maryknoll to keep its postseason hopes alive, but the Spartans scorched the nets for 13 3-pointers in a 69-54 win on Saturday afternoon. A loud senior-day crowd at Clarence T.C. Ching Gymnasium saw Maryknoll (16-6) take a giant step closer to an automatic state-tournament berth. With the win, Maryknoll reaches the final of the ILH’s second-round tournament and will play […]