Even with an eight-point lead with under two minutes left, Hilo gave Waiakea every opportunity to tie the game, taking quick shots and fouling on the other end.
The Vikings defeated Waiakea 46-45 in a BIIF Division I game Wednesday night at the Warriors Gym, pretty much, setting the seedings for the playoffs and putting in the history books a thriller for the ages.
The loss dropped Waiakea (8-1) from the driver’s seat for the BIIF regular season title, which includes the league’s first berth to the HHSAA tournament.
The Warriors host eight-time BIIF defending champion Konawaena on Saturday to close their regular season. The Vikings travel to Ka’u to tune up for the four-team BIIF playoffs, which start Thursday, Jan. 26 at Kealakehe High’s gym.
Jamila Collins-Ebanez scored 11 points for the Vikings (9-1), who shot 31 percent (18 of 59) from the field and made 5 of 13 free throws. Cherish Quiocho added 10 points, and Mandi Kawaha had seven points.
Kelsie Imai scored 14 points, Kryssie Okinaka 10, and Keeli-Jade Smith added nine points for the Warriors, who hit 28 percent (9 of 32) from the floor and sank just 20 of 44 free throws. That’s no typo: 20 of 44 from the line or 45 percent.
Waiakea kept tagging fouls on the Vikings; Sharry Pagan, Mindy Kawaha, and Quiocho all fouled out.
Late in the fourth quarter, Quiocho hit a jump shot at the elbow for a 44-36 lead. But the Vikings kept playing BIIF basketball, also known as run-and-gun ball. They shot, missed, and Waiakea charged the rim and drew fouls.
From there, the Warriors reeled off a 7-0 scoring run, capped by Okinaka’s 3-pointer to cut the lead to 44-43 with 14.2 seconds remaining.
Then Hilo’s Asia Castillo was fouled and made one of two free throws. Imai got the ball in transition, and her floater rimmed out, but she was fouled.
At that point, Imai was 1 for 8 on free throws in the fourth quarter. She swished both free throws to tie it 45-45 with 1.8 seconds to go.
What looked like certain overtime turned into something quite unusual.
Mandi Kawaha was fouled with 0.0 on the clock. The Vikings were in the single bonus. The junior point guard went to the line for, basically, one shot: hit it and Hilo wins; miss it and the game goes into OT.
She buried her one free throw for the victory, which goes down as both entertaining and unique in the long crosstown rivalry history between Hilo and Waiakea.
“We had a good talk after the game, about how we need to be a team,” Hilo coach Cliff Kawaha said. “We can’t do it with one person. We’ve got to win as a team.”
More than anything, the game served as a preview for the BIIF semifinals, which is, basically, a do-or-die scenario between Hilo and Waiakea. Unless Honokaa catches the Wildcats on a bad night for an upset, the Hilo-Waiakea winner will earn a state berth; the loser is eliminated.
Despite four new starters, the Vikings showed that they’re a strong candidate to reach states for the fifth straight year and maybe challenge Konawaena for the BIIF crown, something they haven’t won since 1996.
In the second quarter, both teams took turns making scoring runs. Hilo started with an 8-0 run. Then Waiakea followed with a 7-0 scoring spree for a 17-16 lead before Rideout’s buzzer-beater.
Hilo forced 23 turnovers but held just a 5-0 scoring edge off free gifts. The Viks had 17 giveaways and took too many quick shots in the fourth quarter.
That had members of the Viking faithful wondering aloud, “Why are they still shooting?”
“The girls got nervous,” Kawaha said. “We told them many times to hold the ball, but when they were wide-open under the basket their instincts took over, and they tried to shoot.”
Then coach Cliff the comedian offered his best line of the night.
“They’ve got to go home and clean their ears,” he said.
In the JV, it was Waiakea 64, Hilo 21.
Hilo 7 13 16 10 — 46
Waiakea 10 10 14 11 — 45
Honokaa 57, Hawaii Prep 17
Kawena Kaohimaunu and Ku’i Akau each scored 11 points, and the Dragons (6-3) cruised out at home for their third consecutive win, eliminating the Ka Makani from playoff contention.
Coco Shafer led Ka Makani (0-9) with seven points.
Honokaa’s JV won 45-11.
HPA 4 5 2 6 – 17
Honokaa 20 15 14 8–57
Konawaena 73, Pahoa 3
Mikayla Tablit hit three 3-pointers and scored 18 points and the visiting Wildcats put four scorers in double figures to move to the cusp of their ninth consecutive unbeaten BIIF regular season.
Celena Molina scored 14 points, Cherilyn Molina 13 and Caiyle Kaupu 12 for Konawaena (9-0).
Despite not scoring during the final three quarters, the Daggers (2-7) clinched a playoff spot in Division II.
In a JV game, Konawaena beat Christian Liberty 33-3.
Pahoa 3 0 0 0 –3
Kona 18 25 12 18–73
Kamehameha 58, Ka’u 26
Jordyn Mantz scored 19 points and Nikki Pacheco and Saydee Aganus each added 17 as the Warriors (5-3) won on the road to secure the top seed in the Division II playoffs.
Alysha Gustafson-Savella led the Trojans (3-7) with 11 and Reisha Jara had six. The loss doesn’t hurt Ka’u, which will avoid the Warriors in the semifinals and draw Kohala.
Kamehameha plays Pahoa in the semis.
KSH 22 11 15 10– 58
Ka’u 8 7 3 8 – 26
Kohala 36, Kealakehe 24
The Cowgirls (4-5) won on the road, clinching the No. 2 seed at BIIFs and dropping the Waveriders to 1-8.
