Ciera Kameehonua was a cool and patient contributor for some time.
In the biggest game of her life, the junior caught fire. Kameehonua scored 11 of her game-high 25 points in the first quarter as top-seeded Mid-Pacific roared past Kamehameha-Hawaii 63-38 to capture the Division II title of the Snapple/HHSAA Girls Basketball State Championships on Saturday at Blaisdell Arena.
Senior Harley Simon took advantage of the wide driving lanes in the second half and finished with 22 points, five rebounds and four assists as the Owls earned their first state title in girls hoops.
“It was a lot of gutting it out the past two, three weeks at practice,” coach Sherice Ajifu said. “We needed to clean it up and peak at the right time.
MPI was unbeaten in ILH D-II (17-3 overall, 11-0 league), but a close margin of victory over a tough St. Francis squad in the league final was a warning signal to Ajifu, a former standout Owls guard.
The entire team followed suit, and the result was a string of blowout victories at the state tourney. Ajifu already has said that her vision includes a move to D-I sooner rather than later. For now, the Owls will cherish and celebrate this championship.
The Owls, using a fullcourt press and quick ball movement against KS-Hawaii’s man defense, jumped to a 9-0 lead before Kameehonua, who also corralled a team-high 10 rebounds, drilled the first of her six 3-pointers. By the time they had a 24-6 lead at the end of the first quarter, she had two treys, and by halftime, she had four from long distance, including an all-net corner shot four seconds before the buzzer.
All hope for a Warriors comeback was neutralized by Mid-Pacific’s 15-4 run to start the second half.
Brilie Kovaloff, a versatile sophomore who had an outstanding tournament, added nine points, four dimes and three steals. Simon, who never stopped attacking, played on despite a hard collision. She was happy to carry scoring duties as much as she was happy to feed a hot teammate in the first half.
“We keep feeding Ciera the ball and keep momentum going,” Simon said.
Jordyn Mantz led KS-Hawaii’s junior-heavy lineup with 18 points. The Warriors shot 9-for-21 from the foul line and were outrebounded 36-25.
Mid-Pacific 63, Kamehameha-Maui 38
Warriors (11-4)
MIN FG-A FT-A R A PF PTS
Poe 22 0-0 0-0 1 1 3 0
Aganus 31 1-7 3-9 3 4 4 5
Kalawaia 19 2-7 2-4 5 0 3 6
Mantz 30 7-16 1-2 2 0 1 18
Sullivan 22 0-3 0-2 5 1 1 0
Pacheco 22 2-9 3-4 2 0 3 7
Evans-Bautista 9 1-2 0-0 3 0 1 2
Kupahu-Canon 2 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0
Rapoza 3 0-1 0-1 1 0 0 0
TEAM 2
TOTALS 160 13-45 9-21 25 6 16 38
Owls (14-0)
MIN FG-A FT-A R A PF PTS
Simon 29 6-12 9-9 4 4 4 22
Wong 29 0-4 0-0 4 2 4 0
Kameehonua 25 8-10 3-5 1 0 1 25
Fahrni 13 1-1 1-2 2 0 2 3
Kovaloff 26 3-9 2-2 1 4 1 9
Suehiro 10 0-0 0-0 2 0 2 0
Porter 5 0-2 0-0 2 0 2 0
Antonio 7 0-0 2-2 1 1 1 2
Lindbo 13 0-2 0-0 0 2 0 0
McGill 3 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 2
TEAM 4
TOTALS 160 19-42 17-20 36 13 17 63
Key — fg-a: field goals made-attempted; ft-a: free throws made-attempted; r: rebounds; pf: personal fouls; pts: total points; a: assists; to: turnovers; min: minutes played.
Halftime — Mid-Pacific 36, KS-Hawaii 15
3-point goals — KS-Hawaii 3-10 (Mantz 3-6, Kalawaia 0-1, Aganus 0-1, Pacheco 0-1, Rapoza 0-1). Mid-Pacific 8-19 (Kameehonua 6-8, Simon 1-4, Kovaloff 1-5, Wong 0-2). Steals — KS-Hawaii 10 (Aganus 4, Poe 3, Sullivan, Pacheco, Evans-Bautista). Mid-Pacific 8 (Kovaloff 3, Simon 2, Wong 2, Kameehonua). Blocked shots — KS-Hawaii 1 (Aganus). Mid-Pacific none. Turnovers — KS-Hawaii 15 (Aganus 4, Sullivan 3, Pacheco 3, Poe 2, Kalawaia, Mantz, Evans-Bautista). Mid-Pacific 18 (Kameehonua 5, Lindbo 5, Wong 4, Kovaloff 2, Simon, Antonio). Technical fouls — none. Officials — AJ Roloos Jr, Amber Lee, Brandy Richardson.
Third place
Kalani 59, St. Francis 26
at Neal Blaisdell Arena
Kalani (11-4) 8 17 10 24 — 59
St. Francis (12-3) 8 8 6 4 — 26
KALANI—April Kochi 0, Chara Higaki 3, Kirstin Kouchi 15, Daesha Viela 2, Kiana Coffin 2, Lilehina Oyama 12, Noelle Suzuki 2, Kaylie Espinas 7, Logan Luke 4, Heidi Kishaba 5, Sydnee Kishaba 0, Kandyce Woods 7, Aiya Souphilavong 0.
ST. FRANCIS—Haley Yoshioka 0, Misiona Ribeiro 1, Cara Paranada 0, Kahili Liu-Hanohano 3, Rebecca Ziegler 2, Rya Ornong 0, Kaimi Kalei 1, Skye Ah Yat 0, Zayla Sismar-Evangelista 0, Kamaile Perreira 0, Kawena Kalani 6, Mata Sagapolutele ,6 Olivia Vaeatangitau 7.
3-point goals—Kalani 5 (Kouchi 3, Oyama, Espinas). St. Francis none.
Fifth place
Moanalua 37, Kauai 35
at Neal Blaisdell Arena
Kauai (9-4) 4 8 12 11 — 35
Moanalua (10-7) 11 6 7 13 — 37
KAUAI—Cici Tanicala 0, Melanie Matsunaga 0, Sierra Fernandez 0, Sheryl Tomas 6, Monique Tomacder 3, China Yasay 0, Marissa Layosa 10, Kaylee Braun 2, Taegan Keep 14.
MOANALUA—Lei-helani Talaro 6, Jillian Ota 0, Kylie Casinas 1, Kelcie Leong 3, Raven Rosa-Lasco 19, Amber Balite 2, Delylah Sanerivi 4, Brittany Passi 2.
3-point goals—Kauai 1 (Tomacder). Moanalua 2 (Rosa-Lasco 2).
