For a second night in a row, an elite Hawaii scorer could do almost no wrong against CIF powerhouse Bishop Montgomery.
Again, the Knights rallied from a double-digit deficit for a remarkable win. Jordin Blackmon poured in 24 points, shooting 6-for-6 from 3-point range, as Bishop Montgomery rallied from a 13-point deficit to beat Maryknoll 61-47 on Saturday afternoon at Kamehameha’s Kekuhaupio Gymnasium. Sophia Dignadice was another zone-buster, shooting 4-for-6 from deep to finish with 12 points.
Coach Rheina Ale’s team saw a mix of defenses and gritty effort from Maryknoll and Kamehameha this weekend.
“Once again, our coach had to get on us, unfortunately. She just told us that we weren’t playing together. We had a slow start, but we picked it up at the end,” said Blackmon, a signee with Rice.
Her versatility as a 6-foot guard who can crash the offensive glass, make timely passes and shoot from the perimeter has been invaluable to the Knights on this island trip.
“We have a good relationship where we can talk to each other about stuff like that, and switch it up,” Blackmon said.
The Knights’ 20-4 second-half run negated a strong first quarter by Maryknoll, ranked fourth in the Star-Advertiser Top 10. Pua Herrington, a junior transfer from Waiakea, scored 14 of her game-high 31 points in the first quarter, matching the opening-quarter output of Kamehameha’s Nihoa Dunn less than 24 hours earlier.
“When they started hitting 3s, our whole team went down. We need to get more discipline and pick each other up,” Herrington said. “Our decision-making has to get better.”
On Friday, Kamehameha saw its 19-point lead disappear under a torrent of missed layups and Bishop Montgomery’s full-court pressure. Maryknoll simply found no way out as Blackmon deciphered Maryknoll’s 2-3 zone.
The ESPN Top 100 player for the class of 2025 embraced the high post, dishing to open teammates as the Knights shot 5-for-8 from the arc in the second quarter. That cut the lead to 27-24 by intermission.
After hitting her only 3-point try in the first half, Blackmon stepped out and shot 5-for-6 from the arc in the second half. As a team, the Knights were 9-for-11 from 3-point range after halftime.
Maryknoll still had a 40-36 lead late in the third quarter when Blackmon committed her third foul and went to the bench.
However, Dignadice swished a wing 3, and when the fourth quarter started, Blackmon went on a frenzy, sinking three treys in a row. After Armanyie Reed sank a wing 3 and Atiya Watson scored on a layup, the lead was 56-44.
The game was originally set at Maryknoll, but a problem with a court divider forced the move to Kamehameha’s campus.
No. 1 Kamehameha 52, No. 6 Hanalani 24
Nihoa Dunn scored 12 points, Makenzie Alapai had 11 and Rylee Paranada tallied 10 as the Warriors (10-2) took command in the second quarter. Dunn, a 6-1 junior, had eight points during the Warriors’ 16-8 run.
Hanalani (7-3) was within an eight-point margin before Kamehameha pulled away. Maeva Koong led the Royals with eight points and Piua‘eu Akiona added seven. Leading scorer Ellana Klemp faced tight on-ball defense and plenty of double teams by a fast, physical Kamehameha defense. Klemp finished with four points.
Pa‘ani Invitational
No. 3 Konawaena 54, No. 8 Punahou 48
Haikela Hiraishi’s 5-foot runner with 38 seconds left opened Konawaena’s lead to 52-48. The Wildcats’ comeback win completed a 3-0 run at the Pa‘ani Invitational.
Kona: Aaedyn Kauhi 14 (4). Pun: Kuupua Saole 13.
No. 2 ‘Iolani 70, Clovis East (Calif.) 50
Clovis East rallied to within 49-48 before ‘Iolani went on a 13-0 run, including consecutive treys by Hailey Fernandez (two) and Dylan Neves.
Neves led ‘Iolani (9-1) with 25 points, including three treys. Fernandez sank four triples and finished with 16 points, while Justice Kekauoha tallied 14 points.
Lilly Gutierrez led the Timberwolves with 14 points. Taylor Rombaoa added 11 and Gabby Ramos, who had 31 points against Punahou on Friday, chipped in 10.
Mililani 44, No. 9 Moanalua 41
Akemi Kawamata scored 13 points and Kelsie Ohta added 11 as the Lady Trojans (7-6) edged Na Menehune. Rhea Nobleza led Moanalua (3-7) with 13 points.
