The gold bar was set over a decade ago, and the journey was laid out simply for Waiakea and Kelsie Imai, whose sisters Kirsty and Kamie, were on the school’s last BIIF championship team in 2008.
Then Konawaena came along and staked a claim as the greatest girls basketball program in the state: 10 straight BIIF Division I title and four consecutive HHSAA championships.
Throw in a 124-0 record in league play and the Wildcats looked invincible for so long. They were a dynasty, winning year after year in the BIIF. However, all dynasties come with an expiration date.
Konawaena’s glorious run would hit a stop sign on Jan. 10, 2019 at the Warriors gym, where Waiakea had depth and determination at its disposal.
The Warriors dominated on defense and stunned the Wildcats 54-22, snapping Konawaena’s long winning streak. Two weeks later, Waiakea beat Konawaena 58-48 for the BIIF title on the road, winning its first crown since 2008.
The other crowning achievement came when Kelsie Imai was named the BIIF Division I Player of the Year, in a vote by the league’s coaches, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald, and West Hawaii Today.
“It’s a shock, and I’m just glad to do this,” Imai said. “I know how much this makes my family proud, especially my sisters. I had big footsteps to follow.
“I couldn’t have done this without my team. I pushed them, and they pushed me to be better. And my coaches, I couldn’t have done it without them.”
Imai is joined on the first team by a pair of teammates in sophomore forward Jazelle Dorser, a repeat pick and strong post presence, and senior guard Zaelynn Lui-Cabinatan, a force on both ends of the floor.
Others on the team are Konawaena’s Caiyle Kaupu, a junior forward and three-time selection, freshman guard Kaliana Salazar Harrell; Hilo freshman guard Keirstyn Agonias; and Keaau sophomore Anela Gonzalez-Tremaine.
Waiakea’s Brandon Kauhi was named the BIIF Coach of the Year. He highlighted the improvement of Dorser and Lui-Cabinatan, who made the first team for the first time.
“Jazzie brings toughness to Waiakea. She displays great determination in whatever she doe. Her passing and desire to win come from her P&R days playing under coach Jason Mandaquit,” Kauhi said. “Zaelynn brought the intangibles on both sides of the court. Her defense was phenomenal the past two seasons, and her offense this year caught up to her defense.”
During the offseason, Imai will play with the Kona Stingray for the second straight time and was selected to represent Hawaii with Mufi Hanneman’s Team Aloha, which will compete in California on April 26-28.
Kauhi noticed the difference after Imai’s initial experience with the Stingrays and Hanneman’s group of all-stars.
“Kelsie makes everyone on the team better because of the way she sees the court,” he said. “She does it every day at practice by going 100 percent in everything that we did.
“She definitely took more of a leadership role since her freshman year. She is also becoming more and more comfortable with the ball, how she sets up her teammates and taking the ball to the basket.”
That’s best illustrated in the BIIF championship. Imai scored only seven points, but she shined in other ways. She played all 32 minutes, had great ball-distribution with six assists and only one turnover and snagged two steals.
There was a bit of a crash landing at the state tournament. Kalani upset No. 2 seed Waiakea 73-57 in the quarterfinals. But the Warriors rebounded to defeat OIA champion Kahuku 56-53 for fifth place.
After her summer tour of hoops, Imai, who’s still seeking a college basketball home, will be back putting her head down and dribble-penetrating and looking to set a new bar at Waiakea.
A lot of the core pieces will be along for the ride. Dorser is a sophomore, like guard Destynee Williams. It’ll be the last stand for Imai, Keeli-Jade Smith, Bethany Honma, and Tayvia Cabatbat, who will all be seniors next season.
“The most memorable part of the season was definitely winning the BIIF championship and cutting down the net,” Imai said. “I hope that makes everyone work harder. I know I will for sure. It’ll make me work harder.”
All-BIIF girls basketball
Division I
First team
Kelsie Imai, Waiakea, 11
Jazelle Dorser, Waiakea, 10
Zaelynn Lui-Cabinatan, Waikaea, 12
Keirstyn Agonias, Hilo, 9
Caiyle Kaupu, Konawaena, 11
Kaliana Salazar-Harrell, Konawaena, 9
Anela Gonzalez-Tremaine, Keaau, 10
Player of the Year: Kelsie Imai, Waiakea
Coach of the Year: Brandon Kauhi, Waiakea
Honorable mention
Hilo: Mindy Kawaha, Jamila Collins-Ebanez, Keani Midel, Tatiana Rideout
Kealakehe: Saidah Muhammad
Konawaena: Kayla Pak, Grace Hing
Waiakea: Destynee Williams, Tayvia Cabatbat, Keeli-Jade Smith, Bethany Honma