Victoria Kintz scored 20 points as Kaimuki built a 15-point lead, then held on for dear life to edge Castle 45-43 to win the OIA Division II girls basketball championship on Thursday night. 

A raucous crowd of about 600 watched at McKinley Student Council Gymnasium. 

“I’m so proud of this team. There’s no other team I’d rather go to battle with,” said Kintz, a 5-foot-5 sophomore guard who transferred from Mid-Pacific in the offseason. 

Kintz added five assists and had the task of facing a tough double-team trap in the backcourt throughout the second half. It was tough work, but not as tough as it was when the teams met during the regular season. Castle employed a box-and-one defense on Kintz, but opted to stay in a 1-2-2 matchup zone this time. 

It almost worked. 

“It’s the greatest feeling in the world,” Kintz said, recalling Castle’s rally and the grit of her teammates. “Coach (Mona Fa‘asoa) said, ‘Don’t be afraid. Be confident.’”

Sirena Titer and Ashlynn Henderson scored nine points each for Kaimuki (6-7). The Bulldogs outrebounded the Knights 35-32, hustling for 16 offensive rebounds. 

“We had some bad decisions, but that’ll get better with more knowledge,” Fa‘asoa said. “One day we play our best and the next we play flat. Tonight, we started good and struggled late, but I’m happy for our girls. We’ll celebrate for now and worry about state when it comes.” 

Darrien Dacosin scored 15 points and hit three treys before fouling out. Sierra Koki added 12 points and Asia Almeida tallied nine points and nine rebounds for Castle (6-8), which shot 15-for-28 at the foul line. Kaimuki was 8-for-13. 

“They’ll be more hungry now,” Castle coach Joe Lilio said. “We started to play too late in the game. These girls were pretty nervous.” 

Both teams had already qualified for the state tournament. 

The first half was a see-saw battle with six ties and three lead changes. Then Kaimuki went on a 7-0 run to end the half, including three foul shots by Kintz after she was fouled beyond the arc with 6.6 seconds to go. 

Kaimuki then went on a 7-0 run to start the third quarter, getting a follow shot and 3-pointer by Ashlynn Henderson, and a drive into the paint for a bank shot and a 32-18 lead. 

The Bulldogs’ largest lead, 35-20, came after a 3 from the left wing by Liza Anien. 

Then came a furious comeback by the Knights, who used fullcourt pressure to outscore Kaimuki 23-9 to get within 44-43 after Kaira Tilton made one of two foul shots with 16.3 seconds left. 

The Knights got the offensive board when Tilton missed her second attempt, but Sierra Koki was stripped of the ball on a drive through the middle and Kintz came up with the ball. 

Kintz hit one of her two free throws with 2.8 seconds left. Koki’s desperation shot from beyond halfcourt missed at the buzzer. 

CASTLE—Raykelle Dacosin 1, Darrien Dacosin 15, Sierra Koki 12, Kaylee Ishii 2, Asia Almeida 9, Tileree Johnson 0, Kui Silva 0, Maile Craighead 0, Kaira Tilton 4, Sydney Fernandez 0. 

KAIMUKI—Sirena Titer 9, Ashlynn Henderson 9, Liza Anien 3, Desiline Taulung 0, Alissa Chon 0, Brandi Pfeiffer-Kekoa 1, Victoria Kintz 20, Kuuipo Sefo 0, Kato Leha 3, Cleopatra Lauvao 0. 

3-point goals—Castle 4 (D. Dacosin 3, Koki), Kaimuki 5 (Kintz 2, Titer, Henderson, Anien).

OIA DIVISION II THIRD PLACE

Mckinley 46, Pearl City 24

The Tigers defense held the Chargers to under double-digit scoring through all four quarters for the win and to take third place in the OIA Division II playoffs.

MCKINLEY—Kayla Rasavanh 8, Dezlyn Naval 3, Kloe Lum 4, Suzie Park 9, Joselle Ferrer 7, Britney Chang 2, Alexa Kailieha 6, Vee Vee Lee 7, Jade Miller 0, Kenzie Hernandez-McKenzie 0.

PEARL CITY—Louise Pekelo 2, Jurey Jao 9, Brianna Huihui 0, Racquel Gonzalez-Salazar 0, Shawnia Oliveros 2, Ashley-Tianna Amorin 2, Kristin Frost 0, Ariel Martinez 0, Karly Kaneko-Frost 0, Karlee Kawasaki 1, Kayelah Arakaki 8, Brandee Huihui 0, Mana Borden 0, Marley New-Kang 0.

3-point goals—McKinley 4 (Park 2, Lum, Ferrer). Pearl City none.