Too bad the UH-Hilo women’s basketball team couldn’t switch the schedule of its last two opponents, cellar-dweller Chaminade and No. 21 Hawaii Pacific, which was probably steaming mad after its 19-game winning streak was snapped.
The Sharks took it out on the Vulcans and carved them up 66-50 on Saturday at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium, sticking a last-game loss on UHH seniors Safia Sheikh, injured Amber Vaughn, a 2014 Hilo graduate, and Kailani Jones, who was raised in Kansas but whose parents live in Waimea.
Allie Navarette finished her UHH freshman season with promise. The 6-foot forward buried field goals with both hands, scored 16 points on 6 of 13 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds.
The HPU defense threw glue on Sheikh, who scored 11 points on 3 of 14 shooting, including 3 of 8 from long range. Jones scored four points for UHH (7-16, 5-15 PacWest), which suffered its fifth straight losing season.
For most the of the game, the Sharks showed that they outweigh the Vuls in several important categories, such as athleticism, length, and depth (thanks to more scholarship money).
And it helps to have a carrot dangling like a PacWest tourney appearance waiting.
The Sharks, who share the conference regular-season title with Azusa Pacific, play defense with a passion. They contest shots like crazy, close out shooters and muscle their opponents off the ball in the paint. HPU lived up to its reputation as the conference scoring defense leader, allowing just 62.2 points per game.
For most of the game, HPU held the Vuls to one shot, walked into their kitchen and ate UHH’s lunch with more rebounds, 43-32. And too many times, the Sharks established inside position and made easy bank shots.
Jessi Reeves had a nice double-double day in the post with 14 points on 5 of 8 shooting and gathered 10 rebounds. Gabriella Fotu added 13 points off the bench, and Janessa Manzano scored 10 points for the Sharks (24-3, 18-2).
There were a few Vulcan highlights in the first half: Sheikh knocked down a pair of free throws in the first quarter for her 999th and 1,000th point in a career that also included time with BYU-Hawaii.
UHH coach David Kaneshiro likes the group that he’s got coming back, especially the potential of Navarette and the possibility of having Vaughn back if she can qualify for a redshirt season.
“The team worked hard and was coachable,” he said. “With only seven or eight players, everyone played an awful lot, and we’ll learn from this season. We’ll get six players back, and I’m excited about the group coming back.”
The most promising sign is that Konawaena senior guard Mikayla Tablit is interested in the Vuls, who would die to have her ball-handling and defensive skills, two major weak spots.
The Vuls had just 10 assists and 20 turnovers, a very, lopsided margin. UHH had just six steals; HPU had 12 steals and 16 assists and 13 giveaways.
UHH often plays with one hand tied behind its back because of poor ball security. The rebounding has been a season-long issue, so the Vuls are used to playing with gum under their shoes. That’s a big reason HPU had far more field goal attempts, 62-45, never a good thing for the short-handed team.
In any case, Kaneshiro has high hopes for next season. He’s crossing his fingers that Tablit, who has been a key part of four HHSAA Division I titles, comes aboard and cleans up the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. No doubt, that would be his biggest get of his recruiting time at UHH.
