With eight teams made up of roughly 80 female high school and former college basketball players on the court, it would be easy to forget how friendly the vibe is at the Mufi Hannemann Jamboree.

But as Saturday’s event worked its way to the final, game faces were aplenty. Scott DeSilva, coach of the Blue team, didn’t mess around as his team had a 38-33 lead over a Grey team featuring ex-college players Keisha Kanekoa and Elyse Umeda.

DeSilva, the Kahuku girls coach, put the ball in the hands of a trusty, former Punahou standout. Shanna-Lei Dacanay, ex-Washington University (Mo.) guard, was the closer, and it seemed like nothing had changed since those years in the mid-aughts when Dacanay, Umeda and Kanekoa were among the state’s finest.

"She’s still got it. They were trapping with Elyse and Keisha, so I put four guards in," DeSilva said. "We were just long, inside and outside. It was awesome."

The 20th edition of the event has the same familiar faces, including Hannemann.

"It’s so good for the high school girls to play the folks who have gone on to college and come back," he said.

Among the players who made strong contributions were Moanalua’s LaChae McColor and Kailua’s Patria Vaimoana. McColor, a junior, delivered some nice passes to the low post — a meaningful change from her normal role as a scorer.

"I like facilitating," she said. "Everybody wanted to be competitive. Coach Scott said to freelance, cut and screen. He let us play."

For Vaimoana, a sophomore, it had been a few years since her last Jamboree. She played in the age-group tournament as a keiki from Kailua.

"I expected it to be harder," she said of playing the ex-college hoopsters. "I just wanted to play hard."

Her intensity and production impressed Hannemann, who oversees the selection process of Team Aloha, the annual all-star team that travels to the mainland for competition.

Among the other ex-college ballers was former All-State player of the year Brandy Richardson.

"The coach for Radford, she likes to cap a lot," McColor said of Richardson. "She’s still got it."

Fans and coaches spent the day chattering about Friday night’s state tournament, particularly Kamehameha’s eye-popping comeback win over Konawaena. Hannemann was as impressed with Konawaena as he was with Kamehameha.

"Kamehameha’s athleticism really showed, but Bobbie Awa (of Konawaena) did a great job of coaching that team," the ex-mayor said. "They lost the two best players (Lia Galdeira and Dawnyelle Awa) in the state and she brought them a long way."