The ‘Iolani Raiders remained a unanimous pick at No. 1 on Monday in the Star-Advertiser Girls Basketball Top 10.
The Raiders collected all nine first-place votes after a bye week. ‘Iolani will begin play in the ‘Iolani Prep Classic on Thursday against Moanalua.
Konawaena remains at No. 2. After a bye week, the Wildcats will meet South Medford (Ore.) at the ‘Iolani Classic on Thursday.
Campbell and Damien are also part of the ‘Iolani Classic field. Campbell will play Incarnate Word (Mo.) and Damien will battle Carondelet (Calif.), also on Thursday.
Incarnate Word is ranked No. 1 in the MaxPreps national rankings.
“I’m really excited to see Incarnate Word,” ‘Iolani coach Dean Young said. “I met their coach, Dan Rolfes, when we both coached at the Jordan Brand All-Star Classic in Chicago this past season and he was a humble and good guy. I’m hoping for the chance for us to play each other on Friday and give our girls a taste of what the highest level is.”
Young’s father, Glenn, founded the tournament, now one of the top events in the nation, nearly 40 years ago.
“He created the ‘Iolani Classic so that our island could experience the level of play on the mainland. I think we’ve come a long, long way since then and our local kids aren’t intimidated anymore, and are starting to compete,” Young said.
Carondelet’s Kelly Sopak is a longtime coach.
“He is the founder of the well-known Cal Stars club team. He’s taken his talents to Carondelet and I believe he’s building a powerhouse there,” Young said. “We can definitely learn from watching his teams play. Coach Tom Cole and the South Medford Panthers are no strangers to the ‘Iolani Classic. If we get a chance to face off this year, I’m sure Coach Cole will have them fired up to play.”
The Top 10 is largely unchanged. The only move was Kamehameha jumping over Campbell to the No. 6 spot. The Warriors went 3-0 at their I Mua Invitational over the weekend. Their next game is on Wednesday, a nonconference matchup at Sacred Hearts.
Star-Advertiser Girls Basketball Top 10
Dec. 5, 2022
Rank School (1st) (Record) Pts LW
1. ‘Iolani (7-0) 90 1
> bye
> next: vs. Moanalua, Thursday
2. Konawaena (4-2) 81 2
> bye
> next: at Hilo, Wednesday; vs. South Medford, Ore., Thursday, 3:30 p.m.
3. Maryknoll (8-1) 71 3
> def. KS-Hawaii 38-35, Thursday
> def. No. 9 Waiakea 50-27, Friday
> def. Kaiser 62-12, Saturday
> next: vs. Mid-Pacific, Friday, 6 p.m.
4. Lahainaluna (4-3, 1-0 MIL) 60 4
> def. No. 10 Maui 48-43, Tuesday
> next: at KS-Maui, Tuesday
5. Punahou (6-1) 50 5
> lost to Esperanza (Calif.) 47-39, Wednesday
> def. Hilo 50-17, Thursday
> def. Leilehua 52-10, Friday
> def. Moanalua 53-26, Saturday
> next: bye (at Kamehameha, Dec. 12; at ‘Iolani I-AA, Dec. 15)
6. Kamehameha (8-2) 43 7
> def. No. 9 Waiakea 57-53, Thursday
> def. Kaiser 65-27, Friday
> def. KS-Hawaii 52-35, Saturday
> next: at Sacred Hearts, Wednesday, 5:30 p.m.
7. Campbell (2-4) 38 6
> bye
> next: vs. Incarnate Word, Md., Thursday, 8 p.m.
8. Damien (5-1) 29 8
> def. Hilo 80-24, Wednesday
> def. Leilehua 51-29, Thursday
> def. Mid-Pacific 66-36, Friday
> lost to Esperanza (Calif.) 61-53 (OT), Saturday
> next: vs. Carondelet (Calif.), Thursday, 5 p.m.
9. Waiakea (6-3, 3-3 BIIF) 16 9
> lost at No. 7 Kamehameha 57-53, Thursday
> lost to No. 3 Maryknoll 50-27, Friday
> def. Kahuku 63-43, Saturday
> next: at Keaau, Tuesday
10. Maui (4-2, 0-1 MIL) 14 10
> lost at No. 4 Lahainaluna 48-43, Tuesday
> next: vs. King Kekaulike, Tuesday
Also receiving votes: Hawaii Baptist 3.
