In the end, it was the Maryknoll Spartans’ time.
The ‘Iolani Raiders are a year — or maybe a week — away.
No. 1 Maryknoll raced to a 19-point first-quarter lead and put down all possible comeback attempts for a 51-31 victory over No. 4 ‘Iolani to capture the ILH girls basketball championship on Tuesday night.
This is the 10th ILH girls basketball title for Maryknoll.
Kodee Viena pumped in 14 points and Isabella Cravens seized 14 rebounds to lead the Lady Spartans to their fourth ILH title in a row. Maryknoll (26-2 overall) completed league play with a 12-0 mark and will have an opening-round bye in the Snapple/HHSAA Girls Basketball State Championships. Maryknoll will not play until Feb. 1.
“We’re getting contributions from everybody, whether it’s Kehau (Gilliland) hitting two jumpers or Kodee hitting a big 3 when we’re struggling,” said Maryknoll coach Chico Furtado, wearing one of the nets around his neck.
‘Iolani, which needed a win in this playoff tourney final to force one more game for the ILH title against regular-season winner Maryknoll, had already clinched a state berth. The Raiders (15-8) toppled Kamehameha 48-44 on Monday for the second ILH berth.
On Tuesday, Maryknoll was crisper and fresher. Kamalu Kamakawiwo‘ole added 10 points and point guard Rhianne Omori tallied six points, five rebounds and six assists with just one turnover.
“This year, we really started playing to our potential,” said Omori, one of 11 seniors. “We’re always pushing the ball and we always have depth.”
The level of talent and defense coming off the bench, a luxury in the always sharp-edged ILH, allowed the Spartans to tinker to an extent. Coach Chico Furtado’s team used a hybrid 2-3 matchup zone that caught the visiting Raiders off guard at times.
“We have to have someone like Bella who can protect the basket. If we can make ‘Iolani a 2-point shooting team, we’ll do it,” Furtado said. “If their best players are hitting 3s, then something’s wrong.”
The Spartans shot 56 percent in the first quarter and limited ‘Iolani to 1-for-11 shooting to open a 21-2 lead. Omori had four dimes in that early run as five of her teammates got into the scoring column, including reserve forward Gilliland (four points).
‘Iolani’s superb freshman, Lily Lefotu Wahinekapu, caught fire in the second quarter with 10 points. Point guard Tori Maeda hit a 3, and Taylor Wu swished two treys as the Raiders got within 28-21 shortly before the half.
Maryknoll got serious defensively again, and ‘Iolani shot 1-for-11 from the field in the third quarter. With the Spartans running the floor, they outscored ‘Iolani 11-2 to open a 40-23 lead.
The Raiders got no closer than 11 the rest of the way.
“We needed to be a little more patient. We’re not used to playing a slower tempo,” ‘Iolani coach Dean Young said. “We just came off a huge win last night. The fatigue could’ve been from that, but we fought back. I’m proud of them.”
The Raiders got 18 points from Lefotu Wahinekapu, but Maryknoll limited Maeda (three points) and Wu (six) to a combined 3-for-15 shooting night.
As a team, the Raiders shot just over 29 percent from the field (12-for-45), including 5-for-23 from the arc.
The Spartans dominated the glass, outrebounding ‘Iolani 39-22. Thirteen of those boards by Maryknoll were on the offensive boards.
