Tribune-Herald
Tribune-Herald
Mikaela Limper scored 10 points to lead Mililani to a 64-60 win over Hilo to claim third place in the HHSAA girls Division I basketball tourament on Saturday.
In the late game, top-seeded Lahainaluna (16-0) battled third-seeded Punahou (13-1) for the state title at Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu.
Alexis Pana led Big Island Interscholastic Federation runner-up Hilo (13-4) with 17 points.
Mililani (15-2) led 25-21 at the intermission, using its superior size in the paint to dominate rebounding.
In the semifinals on Friday, Lahainaluna beat Hilo 57-47 and Interscholastic League of Honolulu champion Punahou edged Mililani 53-48.
Last year, Hilo finished third in the state D-I tournament, falling to eventual champion Kamehameha-Kapalama in the semifinals. The Vikings defeated Iolani in the third-place game.
Hilo head coach Ben Pana loses five seniors from this year’s squad.
Konawaena, under head coach Bobbie Awa, won the BIIF D-I title this season but fell in a regional game leading to the Final Four on Oahu.
The Wildcats, led by sophomore guard Chanelle Molina, lost to Kamehameha-Kapalama in last year’s state final.