Hilo struggled with the two things it’s supposed to be good at, ball-handling and shooting, but somehow found a way to stun Waiakea again.
Freshman Keirstyn Agonias was saddled for much of the game with foul trouble but came up with a few clutch plays to help the Vikings beat the Warriors 49-43 in a BIIF Division I showdown on Saturday night.
Old friend Keani Midel, who transferred from Waiakea, scored 11 points, and Jamila Collins-Ebanez added 10 points for the Vikings, who shot 40 percent and finished with 17 turnovers.
Kelsie Imai slashed her way for 15 points, and Destynee Williams came off the bench and added 14 points for the Warriors, who converted 58 percent and had just 11 giveaways.
In the fourth quarter, Agonias hit a layup to give Hilo a 37-36 lead with under six minutes to play.
After Tatiana Rideout hit a pair of free throws, Agonias snagged a rebound and threw a half-court pass to a streaking Veda Galima, who caught the ball, stopped under the basket and scored to put the Viks ahead 41-37 with 2:30 remaining.
From there, the Warriors couldn’t core consecutive baskets while Hilo made 6 of 10 free throws. The Vikings went 11 of 17 from the line while Waiakea went 12 of 18.
The Vikings (4-1) beat Waiakea 88-75 in the preseason behind Agonias’ 23 points in a game she announced her arrival as someone to watch.
But she ran into foul trouble, didn’t play the third quarter and finished with four points, all in the second half.
It was an impactful loss for Waiakea (4-1), which hosts 10-time defending BIIF champion Konawaena on Thursday, Jan. 10. Should the Warriors lose that game, they’ll likely be the No. 3 seed in the four-team BIIF playoffs and play either Hilo or Konawaena again in the semifinals.
In a fast-paced first quarter, Imai scored eight points, and Williams added 10 points off the bench.
Hilo broke Waiakea’s full-court press, shared the ball and spread its scoring. Midel scored six points, Rideout scored four points, and Samm Brewer cleaned the glass for four points.
In the second quarter, Waiakea’s press gave Hilo major problems and caused six turnovers and too many empty possessions. The Vikings went cold from the field and hit just 2 of 9 field goals.
Meanwhile, the Warriors had a 10-0 run to jump ahead 28-22 with 1:40 until halftime. Midel sank a 3-pointer to break a six-minute scoreless stretch for the Vikings, who couldn’t stop Imai’s dribble-penetration. Imai went 5 of 8 from the free throw line.
Agonias, Hilo’s talented freshman, was in foul trouble in the first half and was held scoreless.
Williams scored 14 points, and Imai had 11 points to boost Waiakea to a 28-25 halftime lead.
In the third quarter, Hilo had a 10-0 run, nailing a pair of 3-pointers by Kawaha and Collins-Ebanez, against Waiakea’s 2-3 zone, to take a 25-20 lead with 2:22 left.