Kaimuki repeats as OIA champion

Victoria Kintz loves to fly, but staying grounded helped the Kaimuki Bulldogs defend their OIA Division II girls basketball championship on Saturday.

The senior guard scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds as the Bulldogs overpowered McKinley 36-21 at James Alegre Gymnasium. Things might not have gone so smoothly for Kaimuki (9-3) had Kintz not heeded the advice of coach Mona Fa’asoa. Kintz sat with her second personal foul late in the first quarter with the Bulldogs up 7-4.

“Coach said, ‘You’re not a bird, you can’t fly. Keep your butt on the ground’, ” Kintz said of the fouls.

She and the Bulldogs stayed in a sticky man-to-man defense from start to finish and the result was a poor shooting night for the Lady Tigers: 6-for-36 (17 percent) from the field.

It was a big change from the regular-season matchup, when Kaimuki eked out a 47-46 win.

“They mixed up their defenses in that game,” McKinley coach Donald Kamai said.

Tight calls went both ways and were a factor for the Tigers, as well.

“We wanted to press early, but we got into foul trouble,” Kamai said.

Sonia Pali added four points and six rebounds, and center Kato Leha hustled for seven points and seven rebounds.

Kayla Rasavanh paced McKinley (6-7) with six points. Both teams had already qualified for the D-II state tournament, but Kamai knew early on that his team wasn’t as loose as usual.

“We actually have good shooters, but we tried too hard. It’s their first time in this kind of atmosphere,” he said.

McKinley led early, 2-0, before Kaimuki’s defense took command. The Bulldogs zoomed to a 15-7 lead late in the second quarter. A 45-foot heave near the right sideline by Joselle Ferrer was all net at the buzzer, and McKinley trailed 15-10 going into the break.

Kintz then hit a 3 and scored nine points in the third quarter as Kaimuki seized a 30-18 lead after three quarters. Kintz and point guard Kaelyn Espinda then took turns running Kaimuki’s spread offense, chewing time off the clock. McKinley got no closer than 12 in the final quarter.

“It’s great for the kids,” Fa’asoa said, wiping tears from her eyes. “The kids worked hard. This is how it’s been all season. We get in foul trouble, sit down and then we play smarter.”

Kaimuki committed 13 turnovers to McKinley’s seven, but outrebounded the Tigers 41-20. Seventeen of Kaimuki’s boards were on the offensive glass.

“We got killed on the boards,” Kamai said.