Girls basketball

In a game that could’ve been fitted on a raceway, the final minutes of Lahainaluna-‘Iolani instead turned into survival of the fittest. Maybe luckiest. Or most opportunistic. Third-seeded Lahainaluna’s 38-36 win over ‘Iolani in the quarterfinals of the Snapple/HHSAA Girls Basketball State Championships on Thursday night was epic, confounding and, ultimately, relief for the Lunas and heartbreak for the young Raiders. “We advanced,” longtime Lahainaluna coach Todd Rickard said. “That’s the main thing.” As expected, the matchup between Lahainaluna (21-4) […]

For the first time since 2009, the No. 1 seed in the Snapple/HHSAA Girls Basketball State Championships is a team from the Interscholastic League of Honolulu. Four-time defending league champion Maryknoll is the top seed as it tries to break through for its first state title since 1978. The Spartans have lost to three-time defending state champion Konawaena in the final in each of the previous two seasons. The Wildcats, who have won eight of the last 14 Division I […]

ILH champion St. Francis ticked another box on its list of accomplishments. The Saints drew the top seed in the Division II portion of the HHSAA Girls Basketball state championships, the first time in the history of the program they have been seeded. St. Francis has been in the last five tournaments, but hasn’t reached the final since 2005. The Saints are followed by fellow champions KS-Hawaii (second), Roosevelt (third) and Kauai (fourth). Those teams have the benefit of waiting […]

Twelve is a lovely number that is welcome in every corner of planet earth. Unless it is state-tourney time in Hawaii. On Monday, the field was trimmed down to eight teams. By the end of today, barring any chain of multi-overtime battles, the Snapple/HHSAA Girls Basketball Division State Championships will be whittled down to four in Division I. As usual, there will be at least one elite-level team ousted in the early going due to the nature of the system […]

It’s time for the Big Dance. It’s also time to see how the hottest team in the OIA, Kalani, will fare against the rest of the state. Here’s how I voted. (All win-loss records as of Saturday, Jan. 20.) Pupule BKG Top 10 01/28/18 1. Maryknoll Spartans (26-2, 10-0 ILH) > Vs. Top 10: 20-2 (.909). 2. St. Francis Saints (23-0, 15-0 ILH D-II) > Vs. Top 10: 4-0 (1.000). 3. Lahainaluna Lunas (20-4, 12-0 MIL D-I) > Vs. Top […]

Twelve days is a mighty long time to go without a game. Somehow, the top-seeded St. Francis Saints will make do when they meet unseeded Castle tonight in the quarterfinals of the Snapple/HHSAA Girls Basketball Division II State Championships. St. Francis is unbeaten and largely rested since winning the ILH D-II championship on Jan. 20. They rallied to edge Hawaii Baptist that night, and have been stellar against Top 10 competition. Kamehameha-Hawaii, Roosevelt and Kauai round out the seeded (league […]