Stephens Media Stephens Media ADVERTISING She was back in her hometown. Playing in front of her family. Playing against her friends. In North Hawaii’s rivalry game. “This was the game I waited for all season,” Honokaa sophomore guard Shayla Ignacio
Stephens Media
She was back in her hometown. Playing in front of her family. Playing against her friends. In North Hawaii’s rivalry game.
“This was the game I waited for all season,” Honokaa sophomore guard Shayla Ignacio said.
Ignacio, a student at Hawaii Prep last season, made it a game to remember.
Playing against her former teammates, Ignacio scored a game-high 14 points, hitting three of Honokaa’s nine 3-pointers in the first half as the Dragons defeated Ka Makani 64-27 on Saturday in a Big Island Interscholastic Federation girls basketball game.
“I was nervous, but the butterflies went away,” Ignacio said. “When we were warming up, my intensity came out.”
Senior guard Yvonne Daniels also hit three treys in the first half, helping Honokaa (3-1) bolt out to a 31-13 halftime lead.
“(The shots weren’t) open in the middle, and we kicked it back out and had the open shot,” Ignacio said.
In the paint, Dragons coach James Lukzen said, HPA (2-2) put “two or three” defenders on junior Hunter Liftee, a low-post specialist.
Despite the extra attention, Liftee still scored eight points.
“We were forced to shoot,” Lukzen said of the team’s proficiency from beyond the 3-point arc. “Now they’re understanding we have to pass.”
Junior Shemika Frazier (10 points), sophomore Jasmine Castro and freshman Kizzah Maltezo hit 3-pointers in the second half.
Junior guard Tiana Bertelmann-Tabac led Ka Makani with 12 points, and junior forward Tiana Reynolds added eight.
HPA 9 4 7 7 — 27
Honokaa 14 17 21 12 — 64
