KEAAU — Treading water in the pool with the ball in her hands and open space in sudden-death overtime, Kamehameha sophomore Lahela Rosario said she never heard Warriors coach Dan Lyons implore her to shoot.
But Rosario had heard Lyons’ season-long message: be confident.
A streak of sorts fell in the early-going Saturday morning when Hawaii Prep, not all that surprisingly, took it to Kamehameha in the BIIF water polo championships. Another streak, however, didn’t fall after Kamehameha fought back, took the lead, lost it, got it back and held two premature celebrations.
“I didn’t know where the water polo Gods were going with this,” Lyons said.
The same place they always do – a seventh consecutive BIIF championship for Kamehameha after Rosario’s sudden-death goal lifted the Warriors to a 13-12 victory at Naeole Pool.
“Coach Dan always tells me I have the ability to do so much, but I have to be confident in myself,” Rosario said. “I really proved it that I can do it if I can believe in myself.”
Usually, the Warriors’ title game victories are a foregone conclusion and anti-climatic, but this time, they gathered and screamed mid-pool after Rosario’s game-winner avenged two losses this season to top-seeded Ka Makani (11-1), who entered having outscored their BIIF competition 203-58.
“I was very shaky, honestly, and I didn’t know where it went in,” Rosario said. “All I saw was my (teammate). When I saw her face, I said, oh, I actually scored. This is done already.”
The dynasty lives on for the Warriors (10-2), who earned a seeded berth to the HHSAA tournament (May 4-7 on Oahu) after persevering through a final that won’t soon be forgotten.
“HPA was by far the best team in our league this season,” Lyons said. “I think they challenged us to reach our potential and it’s great to see the league be competitive and come down to a close game.”
As far as traditional BIIF team sports, Lyons’ string of seven league titles ties that of Stephen Perry’s HPA girls soccer dynasty. Bobbie Awa’s Konawaena girls basketball juggernaut tops the list at eight.
“It was one of those things where the cookie crumbles their way and it was good for them,” Ka Makani coach Greg McKenna said.
With Elizabeth Jim (four goals) and Louisa Dugan (three) slotting shots into the net on the perimeter and Janelle Laros (four) working inside, the match just as easily could have gone HPA’s way.
“We’re still going to states, and this is probably going to be good for us,” McKenna said. “They were prepared. We were prepared. It was a hell of a game.”
Rosario netted a hat trick and was the ultimate hero for Kamehameha, but senior 2-meter-player Alyssa Pelanca (five goals) and senior attacker Katelynn Kubo (two) did much of the heavy lifting. Seizen Alameda added a goal.
Trailing by three goals, Pelanca scored three times during a spurt spanning the second and third quarters that saw Kamehameha go ahead 8-7.
“The girls started to become aware of where our advantages were,” Lyons said. “We really pounded the ball inside and we had an advantage there.”
Jim tied the match entering the fourth, but Kamehameha seemed to take control on goals by Kaiao Shine and Kubo, who scored on a powerful surge inside with less than two minutes remaining in regulation.
Jim answered with a goal and after Kubo fired wide, Laros tied the match when her deflected shot skipped past goalkeeper Hopoe Sipinga.
Pelanca sandwiched two goals around a score by HPA’s Taylor Doherty in the three-minute overtime, and some of the Warriors celebrated when the clocked ticked down, only to learn that the rules called for a second OT.
Laros scored to force sudden death, which the Warriors thought they had won when Kubo quickly scored a goal that was waved off because of a quick start.
HPA never got the ball in the sudden death because of Rosario, who had plenty of space as Ka Makani, down a swimmer, pinched in on Pelanca.
“I knew she could shoot,” Pelanca said. “I saw the open corner and I was just hoping she saw the same thing.”
It wasn’t even noon yet, and Pelanca and Kubo, who both played the entire game, already had put in a full day’s work.
“I’m tired but just stoked,” Pelanca said. “Now we have to stay up all night for prom.”
