It wasn’t pretty, but Kohala battled big-time, basketball-sized butterflies and cold shooting to get the job done.
It wasn’t pretty, but Kohala battled big-time, basketball-sized butterflies and cold shooting to get the job done.
The No. 1 seed Cowgirls played up and down, like a team on a roller-coaster, but defeated No. 4 Pahoa 32-25 in the BIIF Division II semifinals on Friday, earning their first state tournament appearance since 2014.
In the other semifinal, No. 2 Kamehameha defeated No. 3 Ka’u 50-7.
Kohala (7-4) and Kamehameha (7-4) clinched berths to the HHSAA D-II state tournament, which will be held Feb. 10-13 at the Keaau and Waiakea Gyms.
In the regular season, the Cowgirls hosted the Warriors and won 54-53.
Kohala last captured a BIIF title in 1981 while powered by Lynette Liu, who played for the UH Rainbow Wahine. That year at states, Liu set a three-game record with 85 points, despite the fact there wasn’t a 3-point shot. (The 3-point shot was introduced in 1985.)
Before Honokaa’s two-year run of dominance — two state titles and two BIIF crowns — the Warriors were the league’s gold standard on the Division II level with six straight championships from 2008 to ’13.
For the Cowgirls, it’s all about family. Kohala coach Adam Harrison’s wife Michelle is an assistant and another assistant is Galo Fernandez, a Big Island Sports Hall of Fame member and dad of Kohala boys coach Don Fernandez.
It’s perhaps fitting that CJ Agbayani drilled the go-ahead basket, a 3-pointer to open the fourth quarter for a 22-19 lead that the Cowgirls never relinquished.
The sophomore point guard is the sister of 2015 Kohala graduate Justin Agbayani, who was on the Cowboys team that went to states three of his four years.
During his time, the Cowboys won one BIIF title in 2014. CJ Agbayani has a chance to match her brother. She finished with seven points.
Brittany Shimono scored 12 points while senior Briana Harrison, the coach’s daughter, and freshman post Mikayla Kekoa added five points each for the Cowgirls, who shot 29 percent (12 of 41) from the field.
“It was tough today,” coach Adam Harrison said. “It was probably nerves. It was the first time we were in a situation where we had a really good chance to be in the championship game. Usually, we have to deal with Honokaa or Kamehameha.”
Well, one team’s departure is another’s opportunity. Honokaa jumped to Division I. Besides, who can say that Kohala wouldn’t somehow reach the BIIF championship anyway?
As the famous philosopher Bill Belichick once said, “It is what it is.”
So it went for the Cowgirls, who had a whopping eight turnovers in the third quarter. They finished with 19, and the Daggers had 21 giveaways.
However, in that critical fourth period, Kohala tightened its defense, and Pahoa went 0 for 8 on field goals. The Daggers only scored from the free throw line.
Faith Manuel-Kamakeeaina scored 10 points, Alyssa Padilla six and Ema Tua four points for the Daggers (1-10), who converted 19 percent (7 of 37) from the floor.
It was the final game for Pahoa senior starters Tua and Heavenly Kahalewai-Ke.
Both teams made it an adventure at the free throw line. Kohala went 5 of 26 or 19 percent and Pahoa was 7 of 17.
“I don’t know who that team was,” Harrison said. “At practice, they’re fine. It was probably just the jitters.”
Pahoa missed its first 13 field goal attempts and was pretty lucky to trail just 11-5 at halftime. And for most of the first half, both teams struggled mightily to find their shooting touch.
The Cowgirls threw a 1-2-2 zone to stifle the 6-foot-1 Tua, the tallest player on the court, who was scoreless in the first half and went 0 for 4 from the free throw line.
Jescenia Tadeo swished a 3-pointer with 3:04 remaining in the second quarter to snap the Daggers’ scoreless streak. Then Raynah Berinobis followed with a layup for Pahoa’s only other basket.
The Cowgirls forced 12 turnovers in the first 16 minutes, but only Shimono was able to capitalize with a layup.
In the first half, Pahoa shot 2 of 17 from the field while Kohala made 5 of 21 field goals, and 1 of 10 free throws.
When the Daggers came out of the locker room to start the third quarter, they were a different team. They outscored the Cowgirls 14-8 to head into the final eight minutes tied 19-19.
But as the fourth quarter rolled around, Kohala’s butterflies were gone, and history was waiting to be written.
Pahoa 0 5 14 6 — 25
Kohala 5 6 8 13 — 32
Kamehameha 50, Ka’u 7: Makenzie Kalawaia scored nine points, Saydee Aganus eight, while Kyla Aguiar and Taylor Sullivan had seven each for the Warriors.
Freshman guard Alyssa Bivings, senior guard Deisha Gascon and junior center Alysha Gustafson-Savella each scored two points each for the Trojans (2-9).
It was the final game for Ka’u senior starters Gascon and forward Maricar Manatan.
“I really liked that everybody played for each other, and I liked our senior leadership,” Kamehameha coach Weston Willard said. “The score didn’t reflect how competitive Ka’u was. They really played hard.”
It’ll likely be a much different atmosphere against Kohala, which couldn’t get its most athletic big, Naai Solomon-Lewis, untracked. The 5-10 senior forward finished with two points and went 0 for 6 from the free throw line.
“The key for us is not fouling. Pressure is our game,” Willard said. “If we get too many fouls, we have to pull off our pressure. But we go 11 deep. Our strength is our depth.”
Ka’u 0 5 0 2 — 7
Kamehameha 17 17 10 6 — 50