Isabella Arrisgado scored 13 points and Rebekah Lum Kee provided five crucial points in the fourth quarter as second-seeded Maryknoll outlasted unseeded Hanalani 46-33 to capture the Division II title at the Heide & Cook/HHSAA Girls Basketball State Championships.
The state crown is Maryknoll’s first since 1978. The Spartans played in four state finals prior to Friday night.
Arrisgado was in foul trouble for much of the game, but still managed to shoot 3-for-7 from the arc. Guards Hailey Perez and Madison Guillermo held down the fort, attacking the taller Royals in the paint to keep Maryknoll afloat in what could have been a dire situation.
“I’m relieved, a little bit. Hanalani made it tough on us, but I didn’t expect any less,” Spartans coach Chico Furtado said. “I watched them play the last two nights. They’re a different team from when we played them earlier. It took my team a whole half to realize that. We finally came out and played better defense and hit some shots.”
Perez was rock solid as their floor leader. With Janelle Yap out (shoulder) and Arrisgado on the bench, the weight was carried by their smallest, but perhaps toughest, players.
“Since I was little, I was watching Rhianne (Omori) and Coach Chico. I was around this program my whole life. It feels good to finally get one,” said Perez, clutching the koa championship trophy. “We’re fortunate we had our role players step up. They were able to hit big shots, play defense. That’s all we need.”
Playing Division II for the first time since 2008 — the Spartans lost in the state semifinals that season — Maryknoll closed the year 26-3. They were 11-0 in league play, then beat Farrington 70-27 and third-seeded Kamehameha-Hawaii 48-34 to reach the final.
Tamlyn Celestino led Hanalani with 12 points but committed 10 turnovers. Next season, ILH runner-up Hanalani (19-4) has only one player graduating. Sophomore Ellana Klemp finished with eight points and 10 rebounds, well under her tournament numbers, as the Spartans sandwiched her with defenders.
“They weren’t better than us. They just had better moments in the game than us. We could’ve played better,” said Klemp, who had a black eye after taking an elbow in a win over Kapaa in the semifinals. “We’re going to come back.”
Coach Charlie Hiers is leading a resurgence at Hanalani.
“We were trying to just battle, stay disciplined. We had breakdowns. Maryknoll is a great team, coached well. They’re in the right spots, doing the right things,” Hiers said. “I’m proud of my youngsters. They did great.”
Arrisgado’s 3 capped a quick 7-0 run by Maryknoll to start the game.
The Spartans pulled back their fullcourt press in the second quarter, which is when Hanalani got comfortable against Maryknoll’s zone. However, Arrisgado picked up her third foul with 4:34 left in the first half and sat down.
Using their height advantage, the Royals got buckets from Celestino and Klemp to stay close. Jeanie Sniffen’s follow shot lifted Hanalani into the lead, 15-14.
Maryknoll went on a 5-0 run, but Hanalani battled back again. With one second on the shot clock, Klemp caught an inbounds pass from halfcourt and swished a 22-foot jumper from the left wing.
Celestino’s steal and two free throws with 1.2 seconds left in the first half gave the Royals the lead, 22-21.
Arrisgado’s 3-pointer helped Maryknoll surge ahead, 28-22, in the third quarter. However, she picked up her fourth foul with 5:40 left in the third and returned to the bench.
Despite Arrisgado’s absence, the Spartans attacked the low post off the dribble with persistence and shot 6-for-8 from the free-throw line in the third quarter. Klemp was active with five rebounds, but did not have a single shooting attempt as Maryknoll stayed ahead, 32-27, entering the final quarter.
Lum Kee’s 3 from the right wing ended a scoring drought, opening the Spartans’ lead to 35-27 with less than four minutes to play in regulation. Lum Kee’s steal and dish to Guillermo for a layup extended the lead to 37-27 with less than two minutes to go.
“Well, this is the last game of the state tournament. We lose three seniors, next year Rebekah is a go-to player,” Furtado said. “She went from a role player tonight to a go-to player next.”
Maryknoll beat Hanalani in both regular-season matchups, 47-19 and 49-37.
Hanalani reached the final by surprising defending champion and top-seeded Kapaa 43-40 in the semifinals.
When the teams played at the Kapaa Classic on Dec. 1, the Warriors routed the Royals 57-26
Klemp played lights out from day one of the tourney. She had 19 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and three steals against Lanai; 28 points, 10 rebounds and five steals against McKinley; and 26 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and four steals against Kapaa.
Maryknoll’s celebration will wait for a bit.
“We’ll celebrate by watching our boys play tomorrow,’ Furtado said, “against Saint Louis.”
MARYKNOLL 46, HANALANI 33
SPARTANS (13-0)
MIN FG-A FT-A R A PF PTS
Perez 32 0-6 6-6 4 3 3 6
Lum Kee 29 3-9 0-0 2 1 2 8
Guillermo 32 2-6 4-6 1 3 1 8
Tuisamatele 23 3-9 0-0 3 0 3 6
Arrisgado 10 4-8 2-2 6 2 4 13
Kaio 1 0-0 1-2 0 0 0 1
Silva 21 2-3 0-0 3 0 2 4
Wu 12 0-0 0-0 2 1 0 0
Kaopua 0+ 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
TEAM 2
TOTALS 160 14-41 13-16 23 10 15 46
ROYALS (10-3)
MIN FG-A FT-A R A PF PTS
Celestino 29 5-8 2-2 5 1 4 12
Okuhara 25 0-6 0-0 2 1 2 0
Sniffen 23 2-5 0-0 5 1 5 4
Akiona 31 3-7 3-4 5 1 0 9
Klemp 26 3-11 1-210 0 4 8
Kurihara 0+ 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
Harrison 6 0-1 0-0 1 0 1 0
Komine-Bolosan 20 0-0 0-0 2 0 0 0
TOTALS 160 13-38 6-8 30 4 16 33
Maryknoll 9 12 11 14 – 46
Hanalani 3 19 5 6 – 33
3-point goals — Maryknoll 5-22 (Arrisgado 3-7, Lum Kee 2-7, Silva 0-1, Perez
0-3, Guillermo 0-5). Hanalani 1-7 (Klemp
1-4, Sniffen 0-1, Okuhara 0-2). Steals —
Maryknoll 15 (Guillermo 7, Lum KEe 3, Perez 2, Tuisamatele 2, Arrisgado). Hanalani 7
(Akiona 3, Celestino, Okuhara, Sniffen,
Klemp). Blocked shots — Maryknoll 1 (Tuisamatele). Hanalani 2 (Celestino, Klemp).
Turnovers — Maryknoll 17 (Arrisgado 5,
Perez 3, Lum Kee 3, Guillermo 2, Wu 2, Tuisamatele, Silva). Hanalani 26 (Celestino
10, Sniffen 4, Klemp 4, Okuhara 3, Komine-Bolosan 3, Akiona, Harrison). Technical fouls — none. Officials — Bryan
Cannon, Ryan Akamine, Frank Gonzalez III.
A — n/a.
