‘Iolani earns its fourth straight state championship in girls basketball

This one might be the sweetest of all for the four-peat ‘Iolani Raiders.

Top-seeded ‘Iolani went on a 15-2 run to start the second quarter en route to a 59-38 win over second-seeded Konawaena in the Division I final of the Heide & Cook/HHSAA Girls Basketball State Championships.

Paige Oh led the way with 17 points, hitting three of her five 3-point shots and all six of her free-throw attempts.

“This is really special to do it with all four seniors and our whole team. I feel like we really came together and pushed through in our last game,” Oh said.

Six-foot sophomore Callie Pieper added 11 points and five rebounds, and 6-1 junior Mele Sake had eight points and a game-high 12 boards along with one block and two steals. With their twin towers on the blocks, ‘Iolani dominated with a 35-20 edge in rebounds. The Raiders also shot 25-for-33 at the free-throw line. Konawaena was 15-for-18.

‘Iolani finished the season 23-8 overall, tested by the best teams in the ILH, the state and even the nation.

“This one is super satisfying and a lot of relief, too,” said Raiders coach Dean Young, who has guided the team to the four-peat run. “They had to adapt, they had to adjust and they had to be smart. Be willing to buy in and listen to us, and understand the changes we’re making, switching things up.”

It is the eighth girls basketball state title for ‘Iolani. Konawaena has won nine state crowns, all under coach Bobbie Awa.

Braelyn Kauhi, a senior, led Konawaena (24-5) with 19 points on 7-for-14 shooting from the field. She also had six rebounds. Nine of her points came in the first quarter as Konawaena stayed right with ‘Iolani. It was 12-all entering the second quarter.

The Wildcats opened the game with a fullcourt press. ‘Iolani, which used a 2-3 matchup zone exclusively in a semifinal win over Campbell, went back to man-to-man coverage against Konawaena.

The lead changed hands seven times in the opening quarter. The Wildcats switched to a matchup zone with less than four minutes left in the quarter, but the Raiders did not take advantage from the perimeter.

“Kauhi was playing incredible in the first quarter. We couldn’t stop her, so we changed our defense,” Young said.

That defensive change sparked the big run to start the second quarter. Sake drove for an easy bucket, Oh splashed a straightaway 3, Pieper sank two free throws, then scored inside on a feed from Haylie-Anne Ohta. After Mia Frye’s 10-foot runner tumbled in, ‘Iolani had a commanding 23-12 lead with 4:10 left in the first half.

“We saw them run the zone (on Thursday night against Campbell). They do a very good job in closing out on shooters. We just need to move the ball quicker so we can get our shots up, but ‘Iolani did a good job, a real good job,” Awa said.

Kauhi returned to the game after a brief rest, but the Raiders kept rolling. They extended the lead to 27-14 on a high-low pass from Sake to Pieper for a layup. Abby Tanaka, who suffered a PCL injury during the regular season, entered the game and scored in the paint on a feed from Ohta. Her free throw capped a three-point play, and after Oh scored on an 8-foot runner in the lane to beat the buzzer, ‘Iolani led 32-17.

‘Iolani opened the second half with an 8-4 run. Oh splashed a 3 from the right wing but went down with a leg injury with 6:28 left in the third quarter.

The Raiders extended the lead to 40-23. In the last four minutes of the third stanza, Sake picked up her third foul and the Wildcats managed to cut the lead to 40-29 going into the fourth quarter.

Konawaena, which shot 1-for-8 from the field in the third quarter, also had the bonus for the final eight minutes. Kauhi’s straightaway 3 cut the lead to 40-32 with 6:48 remaining, but even after Sake picked up her fourth foul with 5:51 to go, the Wildcats couldn’t get any closer.

Kanoe Hanohano’s corner 3 and Ohta’s follow shot extended ‘Iolani’s lead to 49-36 with four minutes to play.

Konawaena, with eight freshmen, is one of several programs with talented underclassmen this season.

“It’s a lot of pressure on our seniors to help these girls grow and mature really quickly, but they did a good job. Braelyn and Alexa (Meyer) did a very good job in mentoring them. I’m very proud of them,” Awa said. “I’m looking forward to these young girls working in the offseason and getting back here next year. They’re all crying over there. I hope they understand this feeling and they don’t want to feel it again.”

‘Iolani and Konawaena first met with a state championship at stake in 2012. Konawaena prevailed 56-45.

The programs met again in 2020, when ‘Iolani won 55-46 with Young at the helm. The Raiders also emerged victorious in ’22, 28-17.

When the teams met back on Nov. 11 at the Matsumoto Law Group Black & Gold Classic, ‘Iolani won 50-34.

Third place

No. 6 Kamehameha, No. 3 Campbell 47

Kya Kanoho scored 16 points and Nihoa Dunn posted double-double as the Warriors withstood a fierce Sabers rally in the third-place game.

Dunn, a 6-foot freshman, had 11 points and 15 rebounds, including six caroms on the offensive glass. She also had four blocks and four assists for Kamehameha (23-12 overall), the ILH runner-up.

Another freshman, Rylee Paranada, added 10 points, including two 3-pointers.

Faith Mersburgh led OIA champion Campbell (16-8) with 12 points. Julien Parado and Aliyah Bantolina tallied 10 points apiece. Parado hustled for a team-high 10 rebounds.

The Sabers shot 6-for-22 from 3-point range.

Fifth place

No. 4 Lahainaluna 58, No. 7 Waiakea 56

Ledjan Pahukoa scored 18 points and Kate-Lynn Colipano added 12 as the Lady Lunas (18-4 overall) claimed fifth place. Tavina Harris chipped in eight points and eight rebounds for the MIL champions.

Freshman Pua Herrington paced Waiakea (16-7) with 20 points, including 8-for-9 shooting at the free-throw line. Jolie Mantz tallied 16 points (4-for-16 from the field) and seven rebounds. Korrilyn Fernandez added eight points and eight boards, and Maya Kaneshiro chipped in eight points.