BIIF basketball: Another Gatorade bath for Chanelle Molina

Chanelle Molina will have to wait until next season to try to lead Konawaena to a back-to-back state titles, but Thursday the star Wildcat garnered a second consecutive individual honor to add to her ever-growing trophy case.

Molina was named the Gatorade Hawaii Girls Basketball Player of the Year for the second season in a row on Thursday.

Molina is the third Gatorade Hawaii Girls Basketball Player of the Year to be chosen from Konawaena High School. The others are Dawnyelle Awa (2011-12) and Nancy Hoise (2003-04).

The award — which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the court, distinguishes Molina as Hawaii’s best high school girls basketball player.

The 5-foot-6 junior guard led the Wildcats to a 33-1 record and the Division I state title this season. Molina averaged 17.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 3.1 steals per game while shooting 57.9 percent from inside the arc. Molina is the three-time Big Island Interscholastic Federation Player of the Year.

Molina has maintained a 3.57 GPA in the classroom. She has volunteered locally on behalf of the Women’s Basketball Coaching Association’s Pink Zone initiative to promote breast cancer awareness in addition to serving as part of an elementary school literacy-outreach program.

“Chanelle Molina is a very gifted young student athlete who has all the skills and court savvy that any coach would love to have,” said Kevin Velasco, head coach at Punahou School. “But what I really like about her is the way that she leads her team. She is very positive at all times and never have I seen her raise her voice to her teammates.” She loves the game and enjoys playing with the other girls on the team.”