It looks like a better fit for Honokaa to drop back down to Division II and not worry about the league’s powerhouse trio — Konawaena, Hilo, and Waiakea — in the postseason.
For the last two years, the Dragons jumped to Division I but couldn’t duplicate what the Wildcats have done on the basketball court: dominate the BIIF and the HHSAA in Division I as a small school.
The nine-time defending BIIF champion Wildcats and five-time runner-up Vikings have had a stranglehold on the league’s two berths to the D-I state tournament. And with a ton of promising youth, the Warriors look like a strong contender for the foreseeable future.
If the Dragons needed any confirmation that their shoes were maybe too big, Waiakea provided it at the Hilo High/Holiday Prep Classic with a 68-31 rout on Saturday.
A few stats revealed the gap between the two teams. The Warriors shot 61 percent from the field, including 7 of 12 on 3-pointers. The Dragons were held to 34 percent shooting and committed 24 turnovers.
“No matter the division, we compete against all the BIIF schools,” said Honokaa first-year coach Aaron Tanimoto, who has big shoes to fill as Daphne Honma’s replacement and former assistant.
She coached the Dragons to consecutive Division II state championships in 2014 and ’15. Honma’s competitiveness was the reason for the move to Division I. Honma is now coaching a club team, Fro Hawaii Basketball Academy for ages 5 and older.
Longtime Honokaa hoops fixture Cheyenne Meyer serves as an assistant, directing traffic on the floor and moving chess pieces. He has also been an assistant under Honma and used to coach the boys team.
It’s perhaps fitting for the Dragons (1-0) that they face an early season test against Kamehameha (1-0) on Tuesday at Honokaa Armory because they’ve taken turns knocking each other off for the state championship.
In 2013, the Warriors defeated the Dragons 55-46 for the state title. The next year, Honokaa beat Kamehameha 54-35. That season the Fernandez sisters, Chancis and Eliyah, were eligible after sitting out a year after transferring from Hawaii Prep.
In a way, the Honokaa-Kamehameha rivalry has been defined by a line of sisters. There was Chelsea, Casey, Caitlin, and Camille Poe for the Warriors, and Chancis, Eliyah, and Bella Fernandez for the Dragons. Now, Camille Poe and Bella Fernandez are seniors and the last siblings left.
The Warriors return all their starters from a year ago. They’re motivated to make a correction for their last two years at states with runner-up finishes to Hawaii Baptist Academy and Mid-Pacific Institute.
As a freshman, Fernandez was part of that 2015 Honokaa state championship squad, along with fellow seniors Sharissa Bird, Azure Tolentino, Kuilei Aikau, Aulani Cordero, and Kawena Kaohimaunu, who’s now shooting 3-pointers for Konawaena.
Like her sisters, the last Fernandez is a vital court presence and not only with her ability to drive to the hoop and score under the basket.
“We have had many girls step up this season,” Tanimoto said. “Bella is a returning captain and has really taken on that role on and off the court. I’m really proud of her, and the other girls that have taken on leadership roles.”
Tanimoto didn’t want to spotlight any of his other starters, figuring they gain attention for being on the court for the majority of the minutes. Instead, he wanted to highlight a backup, Christine Candelario.
The junior guard is new to the game and not a product of youth camps and travel teams. Tanimoto noted that she loves the game and wants to represent her team, school, and community with pride.
“Christine embodies a lot of the good qualities that many of our girls demonstrate from 3 to 5 p.m. for practice after school: hard work, determination, grit, coachability, selflessness,” he said. “The other night she got a DNP (did not play) against Trinity Christian. I spoke to her after the game to say I heard her all night encouraging the girls. She said, ‘Got it, coach.’ Not all the girls are engaged in the game for all 32 minutes, even when they are on the court. But she is.
“She has made a lot of improvement because she is dedicated to improve and contribute any way she can. This is a high school story on a kid when it’s all said and done. To me, this is a highlight that represents the best of our entire team.”