Last season, Keirstyn Agonias burst onto the basketball scene, dazzling onlookers with her drives to the basketball and stifling defense.
But she and the Vikings ran into a roadblock at the BIIF Division I semifinals, where Konawaena ended their season with a 37-33 victory.
It’s time for Hilo to serve a cold dish of revenge at its preseason tournament, where the two rivals meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Vikings gym.
The Viks are deep and experienced. They feature five seniors in guards Mindy Kawaha, Keani Midel, Tatiana Rideout, Tejah Rosas-Suenishi, and Jamila Collins-Ebanez.
Agonias was an All-BIIF first-team pick as a freshman while Kawaha, Midel, Rideout, and Collins-Ebanez earned honorable mention. Veda Galima played solid minutes as a freshman.
Hilo has the benefit of height in 5-foot-10 freshman Kalea Harris and additional firepower with junior Hannah Cabreros, daughter of former Waiakea standout Wes Cabreros.
One of the biggest challenges for coach Cliff Kawaha is putting the puzzle together. Some of his players played on different club teams during the offseason.
That instant team chemistry has always been Konawaena’s strength. So many of coach Bobbie Awa’s players play on the Stingrays club team, and that camaraderie always shows with the ball-sharing and help-side defense.
The Vikings went 1-1 last week at the Waiakea preseason tourney, losing to the Warriors and beating Waimea. Hilo had one week of practice before that. Toss in conditioning as another hurdle.
“We have a couple of new faces,” Kawaha said. “We have to put things together. But I liked what I saw at the Waiakea tournament.”
Agonias is the niece of former Hilo standout Vicky Tagalicod, who played at USC and UH-Manoa. Basketball is in her bloodlines, so is self-improvement.
She played for the Stingrays during the offseason and worked at expanding her game. Agonias sharpened her jump shot and her post moves. She’s 5-7 and scored most of her points slashing to the rim.
“I was about driving and defense more,” she said. “I worked on my jump shot and have more confidence.”
Agonias can offer the scouting report on the Wildcats. But their strategy is simple: post the ball to Caiyle Kaupu and kick out to Kaliana Salazar-Harrell, both All-BIIF picks.
Salazar-Harrell is a great momentum shooter. Once she gets on a roll, 3-balls keep going through the hoop. That will test Hilo’s ability to deny her the ball.
Then there’s Kaupu, who’s got a master’s degree in board work. She’s a presence under the glass and has a million and one ways to score. When the Viks double her, that’ll test Hilo’s off-ball defense to cover the open shooter.
Like Salazar-Harrell, Collins-Ebanez is another deep threat. But coach Kawaha doesn’t want to see Agonias and Collins-Ebanez headline all the scoring. He’d prefer a more balanced attack.
“If Keirstyn can get her shooting going, she’ll be a threat to a lot of teams,” he said. “She brings defense. What I like about her is she’s strong and athletic. But we can’t rely on her a lot. I want to see others step up, especially the seniors.”
His niece Mindy Kawaha ran the point last year while job-sharing the role the first two years with her sister Mandi Kawaha, now at UH-Hilo.
She went to states as a freshman in 2017, before the rise of Waiakea. She missed going to Oahu the last two years. Kawaha would like to go back.
“I feel like we’re not starting over but continuing where we left off,” she said. “We want to win. Especially for the seniors, we want to win.”
Kawaha, Collins-Ebanez and a few other Vikings played for the Wahine Ryders club team, coached by Fred Collins.
The Vikings will need to find their team chemistry. But once they do, they’ve got the weapons and the hunger to chase their first BIIF title since 1996.
Viking tournament
Tuesday
Hilo JV vs. Keaau JV, 4 p.m.
Waiakea vs. Kahuku, 5:30 p.m.
Konawaena vs. Hilo, 7 p.m.
Thursday
Keaau vs. Waiakea, 4 p.m.
Kona JV vs. Hilo JV, 5:30 p.m.
Hilo vs. Kahuku, 7 p.m.
Thursday
Kahuku vs. Konawaena, 4 p.m.
Hilo JV vs. Pahoa JV, 5:30 p.m.
Keaau vs. Hilo, 7 p.m.