Goliath can’t seem to keep up with the Konawaena Wildcats.
For the second time in as many nights, the defending Big Island Interscholastic Federation girls champions upset a nationally ranked team. On Friday night, Konawaena shocked No. 1-ranked Riverdale Baptist (Md.) 49-41 in the semifinal round of the ‘Iolani Classic.
Chanelle Molina, the returning All-State player of the year, scored 22 points to pace Konawaena. It was a phenomenal performance for the Wildcats, a team of players no taller than 5 feet 8 — mostly in the 5-4 to 5-6 range. They were dominated in the paint early and often by the Crusaders, who had a frontcourt of 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 and 6-1.
"We knew we had to box out. Every single shot, we had to box out," said Molina, who never seemed to tire despite playing nearly every minute in two wins. "We had energy because we feed off each other. We just played smarter. We knew we had to set up our plays and work the transition."
Wildcats coach Bobbie Awa conceded that aside from state-championship wins — five in all — this might have been the biggest win in the program’s history.
"I’m so proud of these girls. They’re pretty amazing, so filled with confidence. They do everything we ask them to do. I’m excited to be back in the championship game," she said.
The Wildcats’ resolve proved valuable against Riverdale’s relentless halfcourt traps. Celena Jane Molina added 10 points and freshman Cherilyn Molina added seven.
Lena Niang, a 6-2 guard who is one of four college recruits in the Riverdale lineup, scored a team-high 16 points. Janice Ladson and Zion Campbell added nine each. Riverdale (3-2) is ranked No. 1 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 Writers Poll.
The Crusaders’ kryptonite proved to be free throws. They shot 3-for-10 at the line after going 8-for-19 there the night before in a win over Shenzen (China). Konawaena shot 8-for-11 at the charity stripe, including 5-for-6 by Chanelle Molina.
Riverdale also lost its edge on the offensive glass down the stretch as sisters Chanelle and Celena Jane Molina took command.
A stunned audience, including roughly 40 Wildcat devotees, watched Konawaena (13-0) take the lead for the first time on a corner 3 by reserve guard Mikayla Talbit.
That gave the ‘Cats a 40-38 lead with 6:54 to play.
"I knew we were down and I knew my team needed points to get ahead. I just had confidence," the freshman sharpshooter said.
From there, Konawaena’s 2-3 zone — a rare move away from coach Awa’s usual man defense — kept a lid on the tall Crusaders.
Konawaena closed the game with a 9-2 run. Campbell, a 6-foot-4 senior, hit one of two free throws to cut the lead to 40-39, but the visitors from Marlboro went cold from the floor.
Chanelle Molina, doing damage as the offense’s hub at the elbow, swished a 15-footer, and Lindsay Bates fed Celena Jay Molina with a wraparound pass for a layup as the Wildcats opened the lead to 44-39 with 5:10 remaining.
Niang, a commit to Clemson, turned a steal into a layup to cut the margin to 3 with four minutes to go, but Konawaena’s keep-away delay game melted time off the clock.
Chanelle Molina finally ended the drama with a layup off a feed from Cherilyn Molina with 58 seconds left for a 46-41 lead. The two combined to hit three free throws in the final 17 seconds to ice the win.
In addition to Niang, guard Honesty Grayson has offers from Tennessee, Maryland, Ohio State and Georgia Tech. Campbell has committed to Mississippi State, and guard Passion Scott has committed to Morgan State.
In Thursday’s opening round, Konawaena edged No. 23-ranked Miramonte (Calif.) 63-62.
