KAILUA-KONA – For a few fleeting seconds, the Kealakehe Waveriders held the lead against visiting Hilo in Tuesday’s BIIF season opener. An early foul allowed Nicole Cristobal to connected on 1-of-2 shots from the line for a 1-0 lead. However, the Vikings were just too strong and turned that one-point deficit into a 9-1 advantage. Hilo never looked back from there as they picked up their first league win 65-27.
Despite the dominating win, “sloppy” was the word that first-year Hilo head coach Henry Miranda focused on after the game.
“The team is very talented but we are just trying to find chemistry right now,” Miranda said. “I will have a meeting with my coaches to try to clear up some of the sloppy plays and get these girls going in the right direction.”
Hilo was able to jump out to a 23-7 first quarter lead thanks to Alexis Pana, who did not contribute much as far as points through the first eight minutes – only two to be exact after hitting a layup to give Hilo a 2-1 lead. But she instead made a difference with her dominance in the paint in the form of precision passes, including a no-look gem midway through the quarter, and several blocked shots.
“My shots were kind of off and I knew I could only contribute to the team by passing and defense,” Pana said. “My team was able to pick me up and give me motivation.”
Sharlei Graham-Bernisto lead the scoring in the opening quarter with six points. She knocked down a pair of free throws early, and then followed that up with a layup and a short jumper.
Hilo stepped up its game in the second quarter, especially on defense, holding the Waveriders to three points, all of which came on free throws. Cierra Kelii led the Viking offense with six points and Sharry Pagan added four. Hilo led at the break, 45-10.
Kealakehe came out in the second half and showed a strong defensive front, which held the Vikings to only nine points in the third quarter. However, the offense continued to struggle as the Waveriders managed only four points. The third was controlled by Pana, who opened the quarter with a 3-pointer and closed it with a layup.
Kealakehe managed to outscore Hilo in the final quarter as the Vikings rotated their subs into the game.
Kelii led all scorers with 14 points. Graham-Bernisto had 12 points, all in the first half. Pana ended the night with nine. Cristobal led Kealakehe with seven points, going 5-for-8 from the line.
Hilo also took the the JV game, 54-14.
Hilo 23 22 9 13–65
Keal 7 3 4 9– 27
Honokaa 47, Keaau 3: Markell Marquez scored 18 points and the visiting Dragons returned to Division I with a stifling defensive effort, holding the Cougars scoreless in the first, third and fourth quarters.
Kyra Banasihan had two of Honokaa’s three points in the second quarter.
In JV, Honokaa won 47-3.
Honokaa 15 15 9 8 – 47
Keaau 0 3 0 0 – 3
Kohala 58, Ka’u 33: Naai Soloman-Lewis scored 17 points and Tezrah Antonio (16) and Brittany Shimono (10) also reached double-figures in Pahala as the Cowgirls rolled in the season-opener.
Analei Emmsley paced the Trojans with 10 points.
In JV, Kohala won 58-33.
Kohala 15 17 11 15– 58
Ka’u 11 3 14 5– 33
