Hawaii Prep would have liked to have shot better, while Kamehameha couldn’t stop turning the ball over.
Neither team was perfect Jan. 22 during Ka Makani’s 37-34 road victory, but, as expected, they’re the last two teams standing in BIIF Division II girls basketball and set to play for a championship.
Each team got up to big leads in their semifinals Tuesday and coasted to victory. In Waimea, Kyana Brucelas led three scorers in double figures with 19 points in a 57-20 victory against Pahoa. Brooke Samura and Kaila Kaahu added 10 points apiece for Ka Makani (6-1), who led by 33 points at halftime.
Brucelas led HPA to its last BIIF title in 2019, and the senior will try to bookend her career with another one at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium against the Warriors (6-3), who overwhelmed Honokaa 65-40 at Koai’a Gym behind Keanu Huihui’s 18 points. Maela Honma added 14 for Kamehameha, which won the last title, in 2020.
“We just got out and ran on them,” Warriors said coach Dominic Pacheco, whose team led 27-6 at the end of the first quarter. “We got layup after layup, and after that it was time to get rest.”
While the Warriors and HPA make arrangements to play at the HHSAA Division II tournament, Feb. 16-19 Oahu, the Daggers (3-7) and Dragons (4-4) will play at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Honokaa in the third-place game for the right to join them. Rylee Velazquez poured in 24 points for the Dragons in the semifinals, and Kristen Ragasa had 10. In Pahoa’s loss, Jaylynn Kaawaloa-Alidon scored eight points.
Pacheco said his team has playing more consistently since their first meeting against HPA simply because they’ve been closer to full strength.
“It was hard at the beginning of the season with COVID protocols,” he said. “We’d have only three of four girls who could practice.”
The past two weeks, Pacheco said, have felt as close to “normal” as at any point this season.
“We still have a game (Wednesday), I just hope that we have everyone like we’ve had these past two weeks,” he said. “If we do, I like our chances. We’ve been playing a lot more together.”
600 fans at Hilo Civic
The BIIF is allowing a maximum of 600 fans at Hilo Civic for the BIIF championships on Wednesday.