Girls basketball

Let the games begin. The Monday opening round scheduling format for state tournaments has only been around for a few years, but has a unique flavor. Today’s winners in the first round of the Snapple/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Girls Basketball State Championships in Division I are, in effect, playing for the right to battle league champions in the quarterfinal round on Thursday. Some college conferences might refer to this as a play-in or “pig-tail” game. For the eight teams […]

St. Francis has talent, just enough depth, size and skill. Even with the departure of two key players during Christmas break, the Saints keep winning and are 23-0 now. In the Star-Advertiser Girls Basketball Top 10, they are locked in at No. 6, the highest position for any Division II team. On my ballot, though, they are No. 2 based on a 4-0 mark against ranked teams and that incredible ledger of wins. It’s already mid-week, the OIA girls championship […]

For a half, the Castle Knights played some of their best basketball of the season. They opened a 20-13 lead on Roosevelt, a team that had won their previous matchup by 17 points. Signs of a big upset in the OIA Division II girls basketball championship game were beginning to fade. Roosevelt, which shot just 4-for-13 from the field and committed six turnovers, turned it around in the second quarter. By the end of the third, it was Roosevelt’s game […]

What if this deal was on the table: you endure the worst possible game experience of your basketball season, but in return, maybe you win the OIA championship? Of course, there are no such deals to be made. What Kalani gained from a profoundly painful senior-night 60-55 loss to Moanalua 15 days ago was a renewal. Renewed spirit. Renewed commitment. Renewed heart. Tonight’s wipeout of that same tough Moanalua squad wasn’t as close as the score may indicate. Kalani’s 55-33 […]

Our resident Mad Librarian, Jerry Campany, scoured through the record books to create 1) a Hawaii Prep World page that summarizes every OIA girls basketball championship game (Division I) since 1977, and 2) a litany of interesting information. See below. >> Flawless Falcons Although Kalani has three Division II titles, it is unbeaten in a D-I title matchup winning it in 2008. >> More game, more fun Three of the last six OIA D-I championships have gone to overtime. Before […]

Maybe in a year, the ‘Iolani Raiders will be celebrating. Or maybe in a week plus. After a 51-31 loss at No. 1 Maryknoll on Tuesday night, the Raiders are in good shape. The fourth-ranked team in the state has a state-tourney berth, the result of a 48-44 win over Kamehameha on Monday in the ILH playoff semifinals. “That was a huge win last night,” Raiders coach Dean Young said on Tuesday. Twenty-four hours later, the Raiders had their running […]

At this time next year, things might be quite different. For now, Maryknoll is boss and queen of Interscholastic League of Honolulu girls basketball. The Lady Spartans’ 12-0 run was completed tonight with a thoroughly decisive 51-31 victory over the young ‘Iolani Raiders. Piece by piece, the roster is exquisitely balanced. Chapter by chapter, over the last four seasons, Maryknoll has gained more strength and understanding of every aspect of defense and offense. When they pummeled defending state champion Konawaena […]

Tani Almont-Done is a communicator. A heck of a communicator. It was that talent that helped Radford capture an OIA Division II girls basketball championship in 2011. She stepped down after that season, then emerged a few seasons later at nearby Moanalua. The effect has been about connection. In Delylah Sanerivi, a volleyball/basketball standout, she has a poised, tough and consistent producer in the paint. The 5-foot-10 senior had 21 points and 16 rebounds in her biggest game to date, […]