Girls basketball

There was no doubt in Bobbie Awa’s mind that her Konawaena squad could beat top-seeded ‘Iolani. The semifinal battle in the Snapple/HHSAA Girls Basketball State Championships began as a potential runaway when ‘Iolani opened a 9-2 lead. The Wildcats settled in and rallied for a 15-14 lead that stuck for more than three minutes in the second quarter. Then, slowly and surely, it unraveled. The Raiders used fullcourt pressure to break the game open in the third quarter en route […]

Just like that, three of the four seeded league champions are eliminated from the Snapple/HHSAA Girls Basketball State Championships. BIIF champion Waiakea, the second seed, fell on Thursday night against Kalani. MIL champion and third seed Lahainaluna tumbled against Kamehameha. OIA champion and fourth seed Kahuku fell short against Konawaena. Just like that. And the young Wildcats of Konawaena, a team without a senior, is now two wins away from winning a fifth state title in a row. Friday’s Division […]

The Kamehameha Warriors began the season as a high-pace, high-scoring force. It was week one, preseason action at McKinley in the Matsumoto Law Group Black and Gold Classic, where the Warriors strutted an impressive transition game that Coach Pua Straight wanted her team to embrace. Three months later, the Warriors are still running when the opportunity is there. They just understand what they do best: pound the ball in to the trenches and swarm over opposing shooters from start to […]

Kalani’s 73-57 win over Waiakea on Thursday night wasn’t shocking, but the domination the Lady Falcons demonstrated was. Kalani (21-6) advanced to the semifinal round of the Snapple/HHSAA Girls Basketball State Championships and will meet Kamehameha at Stan Sheriff Center in a showdown between the runners-up from the OIA and ILH, respectively. Waiakea, the BIIF champion, fell behind 9-2 and was never in the game despite a lot of hustle and effort. The Warriors didn’t utilize their tough fullcourt press […]

Here’s what the slate looks like for the Division I bracket of the Snapple/HHSAA Girls Basketball State Championships. Thursday’s Division I quarterfinals Moanalua bracket 5 p.m. ‘Iolani vs. Maui 7 p.m. Kahuku vs. Konawaena McKinley bracket 5 p.m. Waiakea vs. Kalani 7 p.m. Lahainaluna vs. Kamehameha If we look at these pairings as rankings, here’s what they look like. >> No. 1 vs. unranked >> No. 5 vs. No. 8 >> No. 4 vs. No. 6t >> No. 2 vs. […]

Offense sells tickets. Defense is appreciated by only a few. When Kamehameha suffocated Mililani in a 41-17 takedown on Monday night, only Warrior fans and, perhaps, the spirit of the first king himself enjoyed the way this team advanced in the state tournament. There were no chants of “Defense!” from the bleachers, and there were no defensive analytics printed out, but the Warriors delivered the basketball equivalent of a no-hitter on Day 1 of the Snapple/HHSAA Girls Basketball State Championships. […]

Retracing the steps of the Kamehameha Warriors also means a venture into the voyage of the Mililani Trojans. It was Mililani that met Kalani last week in the semifinals of the OIA Division I playoffs. Mililani went 10-0 in the West, but wasn’t able to break into the Star-Advertiser Girls Basketball Top 10 until Jan. 21, just days after defeating Moanalua in the OIA quarterfinals. The day after cracking the Top 10, the Trojans gave Kalani a major rub before […]