Leinaala Wong scored three goals and senior goalie Kahala Neumann amassed 10 saves as Kamehameha stunned Punahou 7-4 to capture the ILH girls water polo championship on Tuesday.
The Warriors ended Punahou’s dynastic run of 13 league titles in a row before a big crowd at Kalaniopu‘u Swimming Pool.
“I started (water polo) in seventh grade. It’s been a wild ride. I feel amazing right now. it’s so crazy. The. team deserves all the credit,” Neumann said. “It’s all of their hard work. It’s finally paid off.”
Senior Kohia Rego added two goals, while senior Jordyn Nishimura and Ava Gurney chipped in one goal each for Kamehameha (8-2).
“The girls have put in a lot of hard work over the offseason. Weight room, conditioning, playing every chance they can. A lot of them traveled to the mainland to play a bunch. The girls have put in all the work,” Kamehameha coach Anthony Cabrera said. “It’s a bunch of girls who have played together for a long time. We just have a good, experienced team, that’s probably the biggest difference.
Freshman Laikukamahina Wong, younger sister of Leinaala, had two of her three assists in the opening quarter. The Wong sisters switched positions for the title match.
“I think it worked really well today. It’s not expected. I think Punahou just didn’t expect it,” Leinaala Wong said. “Punahou is a really good team and they know us and where we play.”
Freshman Ava Aguilera led Punahou (9-3) with two goals, while Hudson Geier and Synnove Robinson had one each.
“Now, we have to respond. We have to get back to the drawing board, start working hard again,” Punahou coach Ken Smith said. “You’ve got to give credit to Kamehameha. They’re tough all the way around. They don’t have any weak spots and they’re well coached. They deserve to win.”
Kamehameha beat Punahou in their first two meetings, 5-2 and 8-4. Punahou won the third battle, 7-6, then edged the Warriors again in ILH tournament play, 5-4, to set up the winner-take-all matchup.
The gauntlet of ILH competition forced both teams to evolve.
“Oh, definitely. We’ve definitely been through that. I really think we needed those losses,” Neumann said. “It kind of humbled us in a way. It made us go back and rethink our whole entire plan, all of our plays. It helped us to get better in the end because we know what it’s like to lose.”
It was not meant to be against a stingy Kamehameha defense. Five of Punahou’s scoring attempts were off the crossbar.
“That’s what it comes down to. You’ve got to put your shots away when you have them. They just outplayed us, I think, in all parts of the game,” said Smith, who has coached water polo at Punahou for five decades.
The home team raced to a 3-0 lead on goals by Rego, Leinaala Wong and Nishimura. Aguilera’s first score cut the lead to 3-1, but Rego added another goal for a 4-1 lead going into the second quarter.
Robinson’s goal brought the Buffanblu within 4-2 in the second quarter, but Leinaala Wong answered with a score on a penalty shot.
Geier’s goal on a feed from Holly Chong-Gangl brought Punahou within 5-3 going into the half.
Gurney’s lone goal opened Kamehameha’s margin back to three goals early in the third quarter. Allison Kauahi’s attempt caromed off the bar for Punahou, while Neumann had two quick saves.
Punahou got within 6-4 on a goal by Aguilera with 1:02 left in the third period.
A goal in the 2-meter area by Nishimura just before the end of the quarter was called off by an offensive foul.
Punahou’s Reece Stallsmith was disqualified with her third major foul and 4:46 remaining in the match. Kamehameha failed to score in the ensuing power-play scenario, but eventually got another score from Leinaala Wong to open a 7-4 lead with 4:26 left.
Another attempt by Kauahi ricocheted off the crossbar with 2:10 to go. Rego was ejected for a two-handed hold with two minutes to play, but Punahou was unable to take advantage.
Neumann came through with another save and Kauahi had another hard-luck play, with a third attempt bouncing off the post, giving the ball back to Kamehameha with 48 seconds left.
“I think we realized that it’s a combination of both speed and game knowledge, so we amped up that game knowledge,” Neumann said. “Defense is really our strong point. We’re really good at helping back and communicating.”
Both teams had already qualified for the HHSAA Water Polo State Championships (May 8, 11-13). Punahou is ready for its next stage of evolution.
“I think they’re ready to move on,” Smith said. “The next 18 days will tell.”
