Kohala coach Adam Harrison credited his team’s heart for carrying it to a first-round 2OT win at the HHSAA Division II girls basketball tournament.
Kohala coach Adam Harrison credited his team’s heart for carrying it to a first-round 2OT win at the HHSAA Division II girls basketball tournament.
On Thursday in the quarterfinals, the Cowgirls were heartless in one sense: they showed little mercy.
Naai Solomon-Lewis scored 16 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and powered Kohala’s fast start as it cruised past fourth-seeded Molokai 50-30 at Keaau High.
Kohala (9-5), the BIIF runner-up, will be back at Keaau at 5 p.m. Friday to play top-seeded Hawaii Baptist for a spot in the Saturday’s championship match.
If the Cowboys are surprising some around the state, don’t count Harrison among them.
“The girls were determined, and it looks like they got their butterflies out of their system,” he said. “We played more like we did when we played Kamehameha (a 57-48 loss in the BIIF final).”
In fact, Harrison said no one should surprised if Kohala beats the ILH champion Eagles (15-0), setting up a potential rematch with Kamehameha for all the marbles.
“I watched Hawaii Baptist for a half and they are disciplined,” Harrison said. “I told our girls they will have to play defense with their heads on a swivel, but if they can I think we have a pretty good chance.”
Briana Harrison and Tezrah Antonio (five assists) each added eight points for the Cowgirls, who never looked back after grabbing a 13-2 lead after the first quarter.
“We were just playing tight defense and shutting down the middle,” Harrison said.
Solomon-Lewis was a force early, scoring eight points in the first quarter, and her jumper early in the second quarter gave Kohala a 15-2 lead which quickly grew to 16 on a basket by Antonio and a three-pointer by Kyrah Sol.
Kohala led by 16 at the half, and when the Farmers started to fight back the Cowgirls answered with a 7-0 run, running the lead to 20 on Briana Harrison’s layup midway through the fourth quarter.
Camylle Agbayani scored seven points and Mikayla Kekoa added six as Kohala shot 43.5 percent and overcame 25 turnovers with stifling defense. Molokai shot just 12 of 56 and was outrebounded 43-31.
Adam Harrison’s favorite numbers came at the free throw line, where the Cowgirls were 12 of 16.
“We’ll take 75 percent,” he said.
Kohala 13 16 11 10 – 50
Molokai 2 11 12 5 – 30