Kona claims another state title

Patience is the ingredient of a champion.

Chanelle Molina knows it well. The senior guard poured in 24 points, going 8-for-9 from the free-throw line, to lead No. 1 seed Konawaena over third-seeded Maryknoll 44-34 in the final of the OC 16/HHSAA Girls Basketball Division I State Championships at Stan Sheriff Center.

An 11-2 run in the final 2:28 turned a narrow 33-32 Konawaena lead into victory and second consecutive state title.

Molina sat for five weeks while rehabbing from an ankle sprain suffered during the Title IX tournament in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 30. She had already led Konawaena to the ‘Iolani Classic title, but the long wait was also a major test for the rest of the Wildcats. Ihi Victor, their returning All-State forward, also sat out for a stretch with a back injury before returning recently. While Victor and Celena Jane Molina anchored the paint against Maryknoll’s 6-foot-2 center, Isabella Cravens, Chanelle Molina returned to her old self.

The Washington State-bound senior had eight first-quarter points, was scoreless in the second quarter, then poured in 16 points after the half. She finished with six rebounds, three assists and one steal as Konawaena defended its state title.

“Last year, when Lahainaluna took that lead, she did the same thing,” Maryknoll coach Chico Furtado said of last year’s state tourney final. “She can be a great team player and that’s fine, but she knows when to put her team on her back.”

Molina was ready to put her almost-healthy ankle back into full explosion.

“It’s all in the mind, mind over matter. You just got to dig deep and play with your heart,” she said. “Our trainer has been working hard with me on rehabbing.”

All five Wildcats starters played every minute as Maryknoll slowed the tempo to a crawl in an iron woman effort. Cherilyn Molina, their sophomore point guard, added nine points, two assists and four steals. Victor added five points, five rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal, and her fellow defender in the paint, Celena Jane Molina, tallied four points and a game-high eight rebounds, including four on the offensive glass.

Konawaena (25-1) won its seventh state title in the past 13 years under coach Bobbie Awa.

“Every single championship is a little bit different and a little bit more special than the last one,” Awa said. “Chanelle and Ihi are special players. They’ve played together for such a long time. It’s great that they can finish off their senior year like this, to dig deeper.”

Maryknoll, the ILH champion, was led by sophomore Rhianne Omori’s nine points. Another soph, Kodee Viena, added eight points and Chayse Milne tallied seven points.

“We did some good things early,” Furtado said. “But they really did a good job at the free-throw line.”

The title game was tight until the final minute. Maryknoll, a team stocked with young talent, led 25-21 early in the third quarter after Viena hit her second 3-pointer.

“We had to be more composed, play smarter and play our game,” Chanelle Molina said. “A score and a stop, a score and a stop. That was our mind-set.”

Molina, who had admittedly picked her spots during the first two nights of the tourney with an ankle that was roughly “75 percent,” started showing her old explosive self. She scored on an inbounds pass, then drove from the wing for a three-point play. After she hustled for a follow shot on sister Cherilyn Molina’s layup miss, the Wildcats led 28-25 midway through the third quarter.

“We talked about that at (the morning) shootaround,” Awa said. “ She said it felt better. We needed to urge her to use it.

“In her heart and soul, she didn’t want to lose this one. It’s her senior year, so she dug a little deeper and played her heart out.”

Furtado’s slowdown approach kept the Spartans close. They were down 33-29 when freshman Kamalu Kamakawiwo‘ole hit a 3-pointer in transition to bring Maryknoll’s fans to their feet with 3:15 to play.

“Kamalu hits that 3, then they spread us out. We expected that,” Furtado said.

From there, the more experienced Wildcats closed strong with an 11-2 run. Chanelle Molina and youngest sister Cherilyn combined to shoot 9-for-11 at the free-throw line in the final 2:28.

Konawaena led 35-32 when Milne missed twice at the rim, and Alexis Delovio followed with another miss.

Cherilyn Molina hit two foul shots for a 37-32 lead with 1:12 to go.

Maryknoll got within 37-34 after a quick fast-break drive for a layup by Omori (nine points) with 1:07 remaining, but got no closer.

The Spartans will lose two key seniors, Delovio and Lindsey Lee, but the rest of the roster is almost exclusively sophomores.

“We’ll be OK. Our senior leadership has been great,” Furtado said. .