It’s the first time in the Hilo girls basketball team’s long history that there has been three players who are prolific 3-point shooters like sisters Ayana and Alexa Meyer and Veda Galima. The Vikings have had talented players before who’ve played Division I college ball, but the roster has never been stocked with three long-range gunners like the Meyer sisters and Galima.
Hilo also has a Division I candidate in 5-foot-9 Kierstyn Agonias, the niece of former Viking star Vicky Tagalicod, who played at USC and UH-Manoa. Agonias makes it look so easy, slashing to the rim for easy layups, just like the Meyer siblings and Galima make it look so easy, hitting uncontested 3-point shots.
Hilo hit Waiakea over the head with both ends of the hammer in a 49-42 BIIF Division I game Friday night at the Warriors Gym.
Alexa Meyer scored 15 points, hitting three 3-pointers, Ayana Meyer scored nine points, sinking two triples, Galima had nine points, including one 3-ball, and Agonias slashed her way for eight points to lead the Vikings (7-1), who shot 50% and hit six 3-pointers and committed 10 turnovers.
Hilo senior forward Kalea Harris had a picnic in the paint and scored six points.
Jolie Mantz scored 20 points, drilling five 3-pointers, Avery Snyder raced to the rim for 10 points while Maya Kaneshiro and Ava Santos had six points each for the Warriors (4-2), who shot 45% and committed 10 turnovers and trailed 19-14 at halftime.
“We learned a lot of things. We didn’t know how Waiakea plays. They’ve got new players,” Hilo coach Cliff Kawaha said. “We now know what to expect the next time we play them. We missed a lot of easy shots in the first half. The third quarter is always our quarter when we start picking things up. I told the girls we’ve got to start from the beginning.”
The Vikings outscored the Warriors 13-7 in the third quarter, relying on three 3-pointers in the eight-minute period to grab a 32-21 lead heading into the final eight minutes.
After Mantz buried a 3-pointer to trim Hilo’s lead to 21-17 with five minutes left, Galima scored, and Alexa Meyer swished consecutive 3-pointer to push the Vikings ahead 29-17.
Galima hit her 3-ball for a 32-19 lead, and too many times Hilo took wide-open 3-pointers with no perimeter defenders in sight.
When the Vikings spread the court, they would dribble-drive and dump balls off to Harris in the low post where she banked in easy shots.
If the Vikings moved the ball around and found a mismatch with Agonias, she would take her defender off the dribble for a floater or a close-range bank shot.
Tiffany Castillo scored on a putback when no Warrior blocked her out for a 44-28 lead with under four minutes in the fourth quarter.
Then Kawaha put in his bench players. Waiakea immediately answered with a 10-0 run to cut Hilo’s lead to 47-42 with 13.8 seconds remaining.
“I wanted to make it exciting at the end,” Kawaha said. “The JV girls season got canceled, and they only played two games. How can you dress and not think you’re going to play? It was fun for everybody.”
Kawaha saw how the Warriors were able to quickly score. Mantz drew a foul and hit two free throws, Snyder hit two free throws and converted a layup, and Kaneshiro timed her ball-handler’s dribble, picked her pocket and scored a layup, making it a two-possession game with under 14 seconds on the clock.
It was a little too close for comfort, and Kawaha put the starters back in to handle Waiakea’s press. Ayana Meyer was fouled with 4.3 seconds left and buried both free throws for the final score.
After the loss, Waiakea coach Alika Smith talked to his team for over 30 minutes, probably telling them to box out better, contest wide-open 3-point shooters and remember their post help-side defense.
Hilo’s win secures the No. 2 seed and the right to host a BIIF semifinal Monday, Feb. 7. That game will determine one of the league’s two state berths.
The Warriors can probably help themselves with more practice at the free throw line. They made 6 of 17 or just 35%. The Vikings converted 7 of 12 free throws or 58%.
Honokaa 57, Kohala 12: Playing for the first time in almost three weeks because of COVID-related postponements, Riley Velazquez scored 17 points to lead four players in double figures for the host Dragons.
Coach Domanic Tagabi said Honokaa (1-1) entered the game having only practiced twice since a loss Jan. 10 at Konawaena.
Kristen Ragasa added 14 points and Tawnee Carvalho and Goddess Gonsalves each had eight for the Dragons, who have a busy week ahead an extra bonus to strive for.
The BIIF announced last week that the league will receive three berths to the HHSAA Division II tournament after Maui Prep dropped its program. Honokaa hosts Hawaii Prep on Monday and visits Kamehameha on Tuesday. On Thursday, the Dragons will be in Pahoa, and they host Ka’u on Friday. The BIIF D-II playoffs begin Monday, Feb. 7.
“The girls played a good game,” Tagabi said. “They are working together and figuring it out.”
Konawaena 53, Keaau 17: Kaliana Salazar-Harrell scored 19 points as the Wildcats (6-0) rolled on the road.
Grace Banks scored five points for the Cougars (2-4), who trailed 31-11 at halftime.
