Maybe the Honokaa Dragons need to change their motto from GID (Get It Done) to Fast and Furious GID because that was the brilliance of their play in an annual march to that elusive BIIF championship.
It was much different a year ago.
Last season, Honokaa was part of the greatest BIIF Division II championship game since statewide classification started in 2007, but, unfortunately, the Dragons couldn’t follow their GID slogan, and the glory went to St. Joseph.
The No. 3 seed Cardinals overcame an 18-point deficit and stunned the No. 1 seed Dragons 51-50, rebounding from the deepest hole in league history to earn their first BIIF title since 2010 on the grand stage of Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.
As consolation, at least coach Jayme Carvalho’s Dragons went to the HHSAA Division II state tournament as the league runner-up, their first trip since 2007 when they were still a Division I member. (Honokaa dropped to Division II in 2010.)
And they didn’t have to worry about the defending BIIF champion Cardinals, who fell to Ka’u 49-46 on Monday for the last seed to the four-team BIIF playoffs.
In the BIIF semifinals on Thursday at Hilo Civic, again as the No. 1 seed, Honokaa went into Fast and Furious GID mode and flattened No. 4 Ka’u in a 76-43.
In the other semifinal, No. 2 Hawaii Prep defeated No. 3 Kohala 60-44, setting up an inaugural neighborhood battle for the BIIF championship at 6 p.m. Friday at Hilo Civic.
It’s been a long journey for the Dragons, whose last league title was in 2001 when there wasn’t statewide classification, and it’s been just as frustrating for their down-the-road Ka Makani neighbors.
HPA captured its first BIIF crown in 2012 and had an incredible three-year run, earning a title repeat the next year and seizing the state championship in 2014. But the small private Waimea school has missed states the last two years.
No worries, Honokaa (10-3) and HPA (9-4) both have berths to the HHSAA tournament, which will be held Feb. 15-17 on Oahu
Honokaa 76, Ka’u 43
The GID Dragons played fast-and-furious ball in the first half to take a commanding 48-22 into the break, jumping on scoring runs and getting stops.
Honokaa bolted on scoring runs of 10 and nine points in the first quarter while the Trojans scored consecutive baskets only twice.
In the second quarter, the Dragons had a 10-0 scoring spree, including eight points on layups off turnovers, and didn’t allow Ka’u to score any consecutive baskets.
The season is over the Trojans (4-10), who lose seniors Joven Padrigo, Titan Ault, Pete Dacalio, and Buddy Flores.
Kelvin Falk scored 19 points, hitting three 3-pointers, Koa Callihan 11 points, and Kamuela Spencer-Herring added eight points for the Dragons, who shot 55 percent (30 of 55) from the field and made 12 of 15 free throws, including 8 of 9 in the first half.
Padrigo scored 17 points, sinking two triples, and Ault added 10 points for the Trojans, who converted 35 percent (13 of 35) from the floor and buried only 12 of 24 free throws.
Honokaa threw out a 1-3-1 full-court press, dropped into a relentless man in half-court and trapped to force 24 turnovers. The Dragons, who had just 13 giveaways, held a 14-4 scoring edge off free gifts.
In the third quarter, Kainalu Lau provided a spark with all seven of his points, hitting a pull-up baseline jump shot, a 3-pointer and a transition layup as part of Honokaa’s 14-2 scoring run. The point barrage was capped by Falk’s layup for a 68-28 cushion with 2:46 left.
“We shared the ball and played like a team, and if we do that Friday we’ll be OK,” Honokaa coach Jayme Carvalho said. “We set an early tone that we were here to play and were not going to give anything away.
“Ka’u is a scrappy team and they had second shots. We need to limit second shots in the championship. I liked our free throw shooting. We’ve been working on that. That takes less pressure off our offense.”
Ka’u 11 11 13 8 — 43
Honokaa 23 25 24 4 — 76
HPA 60, Kohala 44
The much taller Ka Makani entered the fourth quarter with a 41-32 lead and opened the final eight minutes with seven straight points, but the Cowboys wouldn’t go away, thanks to their full-court pressure.
Kohala reeled off eight unanswered points to trim the lead to 48-40, capped by John Nicolas’ 3-ball, with under three minutes left.
But from there, HPA’s press-break offense started to find a rhythm, especially from Michael Hanano, who scored all eight of his points in the fourth period.
It was sort of a bizarro defensive day for both teams. Kohala is known for its tough man defense but played zone to limit drives to the hoop. HPA employs zone but stuck with man-to-man the entire way.
The season is over for the Cowboys (4-9), who lose seniors Marc Francisco, a sparkplug guard, and Kobie Aguilar, a backup.
Jonah Hurney scored 20 points, Matija Vitorovic added 18 points and both nailed three 3-balls, while Hanano had eight points for HPA, which shot an incredible 66 percent (21 of 32) from the field and made 10 of 13 free throws.
The bad news was that Kohala forced 20 Ka Makani turnovers, including nine in the second half, and held a 8-4 scoring advantage off giveaways. The Cowboys finished with just 13 turnovers.
Francisco scored 14 points, all in the first half, John Nicolas nine, Isaiah Salvador eight, and Maui Hook added seven for Kohala, which buried 33 percent (16 of 48) from the floor.
The Cowboys often grabbed offensive rebounds or picked up extra possessions with turnovers, a reason for the vast shot disparity.
However, they just couldn’t get past the length of HPA’s help-side defense and only made 7 of 13 free throws.
Still, Kohala, which has youth and potential up and down the roster, gave the resilient Ka Makani a good scare.
“It’s been kind of a trend,” said HPA coach Fred Wawner of his team’s woes against pressure. “Kohala is good at that. They play hard and force you to play at their pace. Michael Hanano had big plays for us in the fourth quarter, but first you have to get stops.”
His Ka Makani made enough stops against the youthful Cowboys, but Wawner is well aware that Honokaa subs five in and takes five out to keep a tidal wave of pressure going.
“Honokaa is the class of the division,” Wawner said. “We’ve got nothing to lose. We’re happy we’re going to states and will represent the Big Island.”
Kohala 5 20 7 12 — 44
HPA 16 13 12 19 — 60
