‘Iolani’s Mele Sake judged Division I state tournament’s top player

‘Iolani center Mele Sake was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Heide & Cook/HHSAA Girls Basketball State Championships.

The 6-foot-1 junior led the Division I all-tournament team after helping top-seeded ‘Iolani win its fourth consecutive state title.

Joining Sake on the all-tourney squad are Paige Oh and Callie Pieper of ‘Iolani, Braelyn Kauhi of Konawaena, and Nihoa Dunn and Kya Kanoho of Kamehameha.

Sake had six points and 13 rebounds in the Raiders’ 50-35 quarterfinal win over Maui. In the semifinals, she had 23 points on 8-for-13 field-goal shooting, and added 13 rebounds and two blocks in a 41-33 win over OIA champion Campbell.

In the championship game, Sake had eight points, 12 rebounds, two steals and a block as ‘Iolani defeated Konawaena 59-38. For the tourney, she averaged 12.3 points and 12.7 rebounds per game, shooting 48 percent from the field (14-for-29) and 69 percent from the free-throw line (9-for-13).

Oh averaged 10 points per game, including 17 in the title game. She shot 43 percent from the field (9-for-21) and 89 percent from the foul line (8-for-9).

Pieper, a 6-foot sophomore, averaged 11.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, shooting 61 percent from the field (14-for-23).

Kauhi averaged 13 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, playing her best game in the final with 19 points and six boards against ‘Iolani.

Kamehameha’s freshman center, Dunn, averaged 12.8 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. She posted double-doubles against Lahainaluna (14/14), Konawaena (12/13) and Campbell (11/15). Like Sake for ‘Iolani, Dunn’s length, strength and physicality were vital for the Warriors.

Kanoho scored in double figures three times during the state tournament, averaging 12.5 points per game. She shot 46 percent from the field (15-for-33) and 86 percent from the charity stripe (12-for-14) while averaging nearly two steals per game.

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HHSAA Girls Basketball

All-Tournament Team

(as selected by the media and HHSAA)

Division I

Paige Oh, ‘Iolani

Braelyn Kaui, Konawaena

Callie Pieper, ‘Iolani

Nihoaokealii Dunn, Kamehameha

Kya Kanoho, Kamehameha

Most Outstanding Player: Mele Sake, ‘Iolani