If Nique Pacheco and Kamehameha wanted to prove a point, they did.
In reality, coach Dominic Pacheco said his team’s smothering effort came down to good old-fashioned defense.
In a lopsided contest that could underscore the gap between the Warriors and everyone else in BIIF Division II girls basketball, Pacheco posted 20 points Monday night as Kamehameha rode a suffocating first quarter to beat Hawaii Prep 52-21 at Castle Gym in Waimea.
“It was just defense,” Coach Pacheco said. “We were making stops, and we created turnovers that led to easy layups. Nique had a lot of easy layups.”
The Warriors (2-0) and their senior guard weren’t lacking for motivation. HPA upset Kamehameha in last season’s BIIF semifinals in a contest in which Pacheco was still hobbled by an ankle injury, and Ka Makani went on to win its first BIIF title since 2007.
The Warriors left little doubt in the rematch, taking a 19-0 lead to the second quarter. Sara Schubert scored 13 points for Kamehameha, which led 29-6 at the half.
Just a freshman still learning to score consistently, Dominic Pacheco said, the 5-foot-10 Schubert is versatile, plays travel ball in the offseason and is representative of the improved experience level the Warriors have on their roster this season.
“She grabs rebounds and does a lot of things for us here and there,” Pacheco said. “I expect a lot from her, and she is accepting the challenge,”
Mariah Borce led HPA (0-2) with 10 points.
“Mariah is very good, but we kind of suffocated her with our man-to-man defense,” Pacheco said. “Compared to last year, we can play a little tighter defense.”
Christian Liberty 47, Ka’u 33: The Canefire took a big first-quarter lead in Pahala and coasted from there to earn the program’s first BIIF victory.
Kamille Febo-Santiago scored 17 points and Kassey Hanoa added 13 for Christian Liberty (1-1), which is fielding a varsity team for the first time. Jezzie Young scored eight points as the Canefire led 15-2 after the first quarter.
Kaohinani Grace led the Trojans (0-3) with 12 points.
Soccer
Hawaii Prep 14, Ka’u 0: Angela Cipriano, Catie Moynahan, Tiana Edwards, Makua Brost and Sarah Kiernan each scored two goals apiece in Pahala as HPA rolled.
Alianna West, Kailena Akau and Makana Blake also scored for Ka Makani (3-0), who took advantage of an own goal. Maia Mills and Catie Moynahan shared in the shutout of the Trojans (0-4).