The spell has been broken.
‘Iolani’s unmatched string of five consecutive state titles came to an end Saturday night. Nihoa Dunn made sure of it with 18 points and 13 rebounds, including two free throws to give Kamehameha the lead for good, as the Warriors outlasted the Raiders 40-34 in the Division I final of the Pacific Century Fund Team Aloha/HHSAA Girls Basketball State Championships.
“It was a tough fight. It was a hard one. We were super hungry, going bucket for bucket. We had to make defensive stops,” said Dunn, a 6-foot-1 junior. “I honestly didn’t feel comfortable until the buzzer. Last time when ‘Iolani played Kahuku, they did a backdoor cut to win, so it’s never over until the last buzzer.”
Point guard Pomai Nakakura added 12 points, including a scintillating 3-for-3 from the 3-point arc. As a team, the Warriors shot just 28% from the field against a stingy ‘Iolani man-to-man defense and committed 20 turnovers, but they still found a way.
‘Iolani’s amazing five-peat run is done, but is the dynasty over? With most of the roster returning next season, perhaps not.
“The effort was there, for sure. I’m so proud of the way the girls played and everything they did tonight. Super undersized against them and battled them to the end,” ‘Iolani coach Dean Young said.
Kamehameha lost to ‘Iolani in last year’s state final, 39-38, in overtime.
“‘Iolani has been such a tough team. They set the standard. The one we lost last year, to come back and face the same competition, it was amazing,” Warriors coach Pua Straight said. “We missed some free throws and that kept it exciting. We know each other so well, we’re both good at pushing each other out of what we like to do, we both sell ourselves on defense and rebounding. This didn’t feel like it was over until the buzzer went off.”
Rayah Soriano led ILH runner-up ‘Iolani (25-11) with 11 points and Justice Kekauoha tallied 10. Kamehameha’s man-to-man defense had plenty of help-side defense against the slashing Kekauoha, who shot 3-for-8 from the field and 4-for-6 from the foul line. Mia Frye finished with four points, six rebounds and five steals.
A packed house at McKinley Student Council Gymnasium saw a smaller but relentless ‘Iolani squad rally from a five-point deficit to take a 34-33 lead on two free throws by the freshman Soriano with 4:52 left.
Dunn hustled for an offensive board and was fouled. Her free throws gave the lead back to Kamehameha, 35-34, with 4:25 to go. The Warriors shut the Raiders out the rest of the way.
Dunn walled off Frye in front of the rim after the Raider drove past her defender, and Frye’s shot barely missed.
Dunn posted up and scored for a 37-34 cushion with 1:10 remaining. A passing blunder cost ‘Iolani a chance to score, and Nakakura hit one of two free throws for a 38-34 lead with 29.5 seconds left.
The Raiders got an open look from the corner for Hailey Fernandez, but her shot misfired and Makenzie Alapai was fouled. The senior knocked down one free throw for a 39-34 edge with 13.5 seconds left.
Kekauoha, ‘Iolani’s sophomore sensation, drove hard and drew a foul with 9.6 seconds left. The normally automatic free-throw shooter missed both shots, however. Dunn closed the scoring with one more free throw with 7.2 seconds to go.
Kamehameha finished 29-3, playing perhaps the toughest nonconference schedule for a Hawaii girls basketball team ever. The Warriors’ only losses were to CIF powerhouses Mater Dei (51-42), Bishop Montgomery (55-52) and Windward (50-34). In all, they were 6-3 against mainland opponents, 23-0 against Hawaii teams.
“I have so much respect for their coaching staff and their program,” Straight said of ‘Iolani. “They’re still one of the best teams, obviously. We’re just trying to win one possession, one game at a time.”
In their previous three meetings, ‘Iolani came close to winning two of them. Kamehameha prevailed each time, but the Raiders just wanted one last chance.
The title game was close from the start, as ‘Iolani deployed reserve guard Chelsea Lee to smother Dunn. On the other end, Kamehameha’s defensive stopper, Rylee Cabuyado-Caswell, leaned heavily on Kekauoha, who has been on a scoring tear in the state tournament.
When Lee drove baseline and was fouled by Dunn on a reverse layup attempt, Dunn sat down with her second foul with 1:53 left in the first half.
‘Iolani regained the lead with Dunn on the bench and was up 22-19 at intermission.
Dunn returned for the start of the second half and Kamehameha went on a 10-2 run for a 29-24 lead. With Dunn taking a brief rest, the Raiders closed the gap.
‘Iolani tied the game at 32 on a tough and-1 drive by Kekauoha.
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Monday
First Round
Moanalua 51, Kailua 35
Campbell 53, Waiakea 28
Mililani 47, Kamehameha-Maui 27
‘Iolani 82, Nanakuli 33
Thursday
Quarterfinals
At Kamehameha
No. 1 Kamehameha 70, Moanalua 25
Campbell 36, No. 4 Maui 33
At Damien
Iolani 56, No. 3 Kahuku 54
No. 2 Konawaena 49, Mililani 29
Friday
Fifth-Place Semifinals
At Damien
Moanalua 42, Maui 40
Kahuku 65, Mililani 36
Semifinals
At Kamehameha
Kamehameha 51, Campbell 36
‘Iolani 43, Konawaena 40
Saturday
Fifth Place
At Neal Blaisdell Arena
Kahuku 29, Moanalua 4, game called early
Third Place
At Moanalua
Konawaena 40, Campbell 27
Championship
At McKinley
Kamehameha 40, ‘Iolani 34
