Sophomore guard Tess Ida poured in 21 points, including 5-for-10 shooting from the 3-point line, as West Torrance (Calif.) routed No. 2 Maryknoll 60-37 on the final day of the HBA Invitational.
Asami Tom, a freshman guard, added 14 points as the Warriors (12-5) finished 2-1 in the tourney. Senior guard Ava Lee chipped in nine points, while Kelsie Lee tallied five points and a team-high seven rebounds.
Senior guard Rebekah Lum Kee led Maryknoll (11-6) with 12 points. Senior center Talitha Tupola added nine points and 11 rebounds, while junior Skylyn Moore added eight points and sophomore Kalae Kaopua chipped in seven.
In the end, no team went unbeaten in the tournament. Maryknoll, Konawaena, North Torrance (Calif.) and West Torrance (Calif.) finished 2-1. King’s (Seattle, Wash.) finished 1-2. Host HBA was 0-3.
Long before game time, Maryknoll coach Chico Furtado opted to rest two starters, while a third was already out after an injury on Friday. Dynamic forward Zoe Silva is out with a sprained foot. Point guard Hailey Perez sat after aggravating an ankle injury in Friday’s game with North Torrance. Leading scorer Pua‘ena Herrington averaged 28 points in the first two tournament games but rested after playing through an ankle injury for two weeks.
“I was bummed, too. I wanted to play them at their best whether it’s win or lose,” West Torrance coach Keith Prendergast coach said. “I was impressed with how they played, how well coached they are. Twenty-three (Herrington) is a stud and 1 (Perez) is really good. (Herrington) is Caitlin Clark-esque, a little bit. She floats to the right when she shoots. Caitlin floats to the left. I was really impressed with her game.”
Maryknoll got an opportunity to see reserve players get extended minutes on the floor.
“We’re just trying to develop our bench. We’re really six deep. I saw some good things today, and I saw some not-so-good things,” Furtado said.
Maryknoll stayed in a 2-3 matchup zone in the first half, went to man defense in the second half, and saw West launch a barrage of 3-pointers from start to finish. The Warriors shot 11-for-38 from the arc and hustled for 19 rebounds, mostly off long misses on 3-point shots.
“For us, I feel like 3s are worth more than 2s. We want to shoot 40 to 50 3s a game,” Prendergast said. “Early 3s in the shot clock, it’s very difficult to rebound defensively. It kind of takes teams off guard. We’re not big. If we let teams set up, we’re not going to be able to rebound.”
West’s torrent of bombs from 3-point range led to an almost high retention rate on long offensive rebounds. The Warriors were 6-for-21 from the arc en route to a 23-9 lead in the second quarter.
Ida’s steal and left-handed scoop layup at the buzzer made it 30-17 at the half. By the break, West was 7-for-27 from the arc, hustling for 10 offensive rebounds. Maryknoll was 1-for-6 from the arc with one offensive rebound.
Prendergast’s team hasn’t been idle on this trip. They went snorkeling before Friday’s game. After beating Maryknoll, they headed to the North Shore.
“It’s been the experience of coming to Hawaii. The hospitality of Hawaii Baptist, which does a great job with a great event. It’s really an experience for the players to see the different teams. I’m super impressed with how the teams play with togetherness. It’s really like a family,” he said. “The team worked really hard to make the trip happen. It’s been a lot of fun.”
West and North will meet on Jan. 10 in league play. Prendergast is in his first year as a head coach after stints as an assistant with West’s boys team and on the staff of longtime North coach Lauren Kamiyama.
“I started my high school coaching career with Coach Lauren. I’m a huge fan of hers. They’re extremely disciplined. I still say she’s the best coach in California,” he said. “She does not get enough credit for what she does with the players she has. She’s like my sister. That’s a life force for me, for us to play like they do.”
North Torrance (Calif.) 58, No. 2 Konawaena 48
Camryn Shimazaki scored 12 points, while Keimi Santiago and Shay Tokeshi tallied 11 each as the Saxons overcame a sluggish start for a decisive win. Leila Fitzgerald had nine points, six rebounds and four blocked shots to spark North (12-5).
Ki‘ilei Leleiwi and Shaileia Hookahi-Bannister scored nine points each to pace the Wildcats (14-3). Mikela Salazar-Harrell and Kayzia James added seven points apiece.
The 10 a.m. tip-off came with wild swings in momentum. North shot 0-for-5 with five turnovers in the first five minutes as Konawaena opened with a 7-0 lead.
The Saxons seemed to awaken with a 20-3 run behind Tokeshi, who hit three 3-pointers in a row before the end of the first quarter.
After Fitzgerald hit an elbow jumper, North Torrance led 20-10 early in the second quarter.
Konawaena rallied with a 14-2 run. Hookahi-Bannister scored five points in a row as the Wildcats surged ahead, 24-22. The game was tied at 28 by intermission.
From there, the Saxons were one step quicker, more cohesive and active. Fitzgerald, their post, was busy with three rebounds and two blocked shots, scoring four points during a 13-2 run in the third quarter. North led 41-30 late in the third stanza.
Despite nine turnovers in the second half, the Wildcats got within 52-48 on Leleiwi’s follow shot with a minute left. North then closed out the game with a 6-0 run.
Leleiwi was less active down the stretch. The talented junior swingman took only one shot and grabbed one rebound in the final six minutes.
King’s High (Wash.) 63, Hawaii Baptist 40
Junior guard Kaleo Anderson dominated the paint with 27 points as King’s (6-4) posted its first win in the tournament. Senior forward Cat Ellard added 18 points and junior forward Kaitlyn Cramer chipped in seven.
Junior guard Sienna Lamblack led the Eagles (14-8) with 18 points. Sierra Ramos and Lauren Okuda added seven points apiece.
The Knights rallied from a 17-10 deficit for a 29-23 halftime lead.
HBA got within 29-26 early in the third quarter but ran into some trouble against King’s fullcourt press.
King’s went on a 16-7 run, building a 45-33 cushion late in the third quarter.
With a 45-35 lead to begin the fourth quarter, the Knights pounded the ball inside and dominated the boards, extending the lead to 56-37.
