Girls basketball

The Lady Raiders of Kahuku never wavered. The ups and downs made them stronger as they rose to capture the Oahu Interscholastic Association girls basketball Division I title last week with a 63-59 win over Kalani. Leiah Naeata surpassed expectations all season, capping it with a 33-point, eight-rebound, seven-assist performance against Kalani. Coach Latoya Wily saw her team, especially returnees like Naeata, transform after a postseason loss to Moanalua last year. “I know that was one of her biggest games […]

The ‘Iolani Raiders remain at No. 1 for a 10th consecutive week in today’s Star-Advertiser Girls Basketball Top 10. ‘Iolani (20-6) completed its Interscholastic League of Honolulu season on Saturday, defeating No. 3 Kamehameha 60-48 for the title. The season-long No. 1 status for ‘Iolani is a rarity for any program. The Raiders are likely to be the top seed when the Hawaii High School Athletic Association reveals the seedings, pairings and brackets for the Snapple/HHSAA Girls Basketball State Championships […]

With the Snapple/HHSAA Girls Basketball State Championships brackets expected to be released soon, here’s a look at last year’s Division I pairings and how they would compare if the same numbers were used this season. 2018 D-I State Tournament pairings OIA 4 (Mililani) @ MIL 2 (KS-Maui). Winner vs. #1 seed Maryknoll. OIA 5 (Campbell) @ BIIF 2 (Waiakea). Winner vs. #4 seed Kalani. >> quarterfinals at Moanalua OIA 6 (Kaiser) @ OIA 2 (Moanalua). Winner vs. #2 seed Konawaena. […]

The drought has finally ended for Waiakea. The Warriors got 17 points from Tayvia Cabatbat to topple Konawaena 58-48 for the Big Island Interscholastic Federation championship on Saturday night at Col. Ellison Onizuka Gymnasium. Waiakea ended Konawaena’s iron fist atop the BIIF standings. Konawaena had won 10 league championships in a row. Waiakea also ended a title drought that went all the way back to 2008. Cabatbat, a transfer from Konawaena, scored seven points in the final quarter. Down by […]

‘Iolani’s 60-48 win over Kamehameha tonight means the Raiders have their first Interscholastic League of Honolulu girls basketball championship since 2012. In the six years since that crown, Kamehameha (’13), Punahou (’14) and Maryknoll (’15-’18) ruled the throne. In ’12, the Raiders reached the state final after defeating Mililani and Lahainaluna, but lost to Konawaena 56-45 for the title. Since then, the Raiders reached the big dance in ’13, losing to Konawaena in the semifinals, then went five seasons without […]

The four-time defending champion Konawaena Wildcats are back in the big dance. Sophomore Grace Lyn Hing scored 16 points and senior Caiyle Kaupu added 11 as No. 7 Konawaena edged No. 8 Hilo 37-33 on Friday night at Col. Ellison Onizuka Gym. Host Konawaena (11-3 overall) will meet No. 6 Waiakea (19-4 overall) on Saturday for the Big Island Interscholastic Federation crown. When they met during the regular season, the Wildcats rallied for a 46-44 win over the Vikings. This […]

The girls basketball season has entered jettison stage. There is shrinkage and not everyone likes it this way. In the Oahu Interscholastic Association, six teams qualified for the state tournament this week. That’s half of the state field because the OIA has half of the teams in all of Division I girls basketball. What longtime hoops fans lament is that the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, by that same ratio formula, is permitted just two state entries. That’s why Kamehameha’s 68-64 […]

It wasn’t a perfect day for Briarra Nakihei, but the Castle hoopster breathed a sigh of relief after the Knights pulled out a 63-52 overtime win over Farrington for the OIA Division II girls basketball title on Thursday night. Nakihei has been a force for the Knights, but her shot didn’t fall often on this night. She shot 3-for-13 from the field, but hustle (eight rebounds) and nonstop pressure defense were crucial from top to bottom for Castle. So was […]