When All-State Player of the Year Mele Sake injured her knee last spring, all ‘Iolani wanted was a healthy lineup by high school season.
Sake’s return from an ACL injury and the growth of a young roster has been practically seamless. ‘Iolani collected all 10 first-place votes and will enter the final week of the season at No. 1 in the Star-Advertiser Girls Basketball Top 10.
The four-time defending state champion and No. 1 team in the Star-Advertiser Top 10 saw that its quarterfinal opponent could be OIA runner-up Campbell, which beat Mililani in Monday’s opening round. Campbell has been ranked as high as No. 3 while going 12-1 in the OIA regular season and playoffs.
In recent years, the top seed has been paired with the MIL 2-OIA 4 winner. This season, that matchup — between Kamehameha-Maui and Radford — is slotted to play the No. 2 seed, Konawaena. With the OIA champion seeded third rather than fourth in the state tourney for the first time since 2020, the working rule by the HHSAA is for every league’s top two teams to split off into separate sub-brackets. That is the biggest reason why Campbell will play ‘Iolani.
“There’s craziness in every bracket, every year,” Lady Lunas coach Iolani Kaniho said. “Some people pleased, some not. We’ve been on both ends multiple times, and one thing we’ve learned after all these years, it doesn’t really matter. If you want to win a state championship, you’ve got to beat every good team they place in front of you. So let’s play ball.”
Last week, ‘Iolani rallied past Kamehameha 45-34 to win the ILH round-two tournament and the league championship for a fifth year in a row. Sake and Callie Pieper bring athleticism, strength and skill to the low post, while the Raiders race up and down the court with a deep and skilled group of guards.
BIIF champion Konawaena, ranked No. 2 in the poll, comes to the tourney sharper after overpowering Keaau and Waiakea in the league’s Division I playoffs. A loss to Kamehameha-Hawaii four weeks ago certainly sharpened the Wildcats’ resolve.
Kamehameha, which remained at No. 3 in the poll, is in line to play OIA champion Kahuku on Wednesday — the Warriors beat Kailua on Monday.
Kahuku edged Campbell 33-31 for the OIA title and is No. 4, its highest ranking of the season by coaches and media.
Kamehameha-Hawaii surged ahead of Maryknoll to the No. 7 spot after capturing the BIIF D-II crown. The Warriors’ recent wins over Konawaena and Waiakea caught the attention of the voting panel, though both wins were at their home court, where they had some of the most spirited crowds of the season.
If Kamehameha-Hawaii and Maryknoll win their quarterfinal games, they would meet in the semifinals. The last time the teams met was in the I Mua Invitational last year, a 38-35 win by Maryknoll, which was still in D-I at the time.
Maryknoll dropped to No. 8 despite running the table in ILH D-II with a 12-0 mark.
Since losing to Kamehameha-Maui during the regular season, Lahainaluna has been on a tear. The Lady Lunas are led by Cal signee Lola Donez (27 points per game) and Juseana Delatori (17 ppg).
Moanalua remained at No. 10 after losing to Campbell 47-45 in double overtime in the OIA semifinals. Na Menehune then beat Radford 52-41 in the third-place game, but were rewarded with a trip to play at Waiakea, a Top 5 team for most of the season.
“I hope we can get it together,” Moanalua coach Kirk Ronolo said, “and play team ball.”
Radford goes to Kamehameha-Maui, which has not been ranked at all.
“I think the bracket creates some interesting matchups and pathways,” Radford coach Charles Chong said. “We’re glad to be in the show with the chance to compete in such a talented field.”
Star-Advertiser Girls Basketball Top 10
Feb. 5, 2024
Rank School (1st) (Record) Pts LW
1. ‘Iolani (10) (23-3, 8-0 ILH reg. season) 100 1
> next: vs. Campbell-Mililani winner, Wednesday, 5 p.m.
2. Konawaena (21-4, 11-1 BIIF reg. season) 88 2
> next: vs. KS-Maui/Radford winner, Wednesday, 5 p.m.
3. Kamehameha (17-8, 3-5 ILH reg. season) 73 3-t
> next: vs. Kailua, Monday, 6 p.m.
> next: winner vs. Kahuku, Wednesday
4. Kahuku (17-6, 11-0 OIA reg. season) 71 5
> next: vs. Kamehameha-Kailua winner, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
5. Campbell (17-5, 10-0 OIA reg. season) 60 3-t
> next: vs. Mililani, Monday, 6 p.m.
> next: winner vs. ‘Iolani, Wednesday
6. Waiakea (16-5, 10-2 BIIF reg. season) 45 6
> next: vs. Moanalua, Monday, 6 p.m.
> next: winner vs. Lahainaluna, Wednesday
7. KS-Hawaii (17-4, 12-0 BIIF reg. season) 36 7
> next: vs. Molokai-Kapolei winner, Wednesday, 4 p.m.
8. Maryknoll (23-3, 11-0 ILH D-II) 35 8
> next: vs. Farrington-Kohala winner, Wednesday, 6 p.m.
9. Lahainaluna (15-5, 10-1 MIL reg. season) 26 9
> next: vs. Waiakea-Moanalua winner, Wednesday, 7 pm
10. Moanalua (15-10, 10-1 OIA reg. season) 10 10
> next: at Waiakea, Monday, 6 p.m.
Also receiving votes: Kapaa 5, Kamehameha-Maui 1.
