HondaReport.com - Girls' Basketball: Konawaena Post-Game Wrap

Konawaena’s state title win Saturday is the culmination of hard work by veteran players like Nancy Hoist and Jessica Hanato. For coach Bobbie Awa and her staff, it has been an exercise in perseverance for the past decade.

HONOLULU—For some fans, any Neighbor Island basketball champion is a mirage.

Who could blame them? After all, O’ahu teams had won the last 17 state titles in girls’ basketball. The last Neighbor Isle state champ came from Waiakea in 1985 and ’86—meaning that many of today’s players weren’t even born when the Warriors claimed the crown.

“I feel like we should just go to Disneyland,” Hanato said, only half-kidding.

Konawaena began making some noise in the mid-‘90s under then-coach Dean Edmonds. With the likes of Mi-Suk Lee on the hardwood, the Wildcats rose as a power in the Big Island Interscholastic Federation.

The construction of the first public basketball facility in Kona, Kekuaokalani Gym, finally completed in 1993. And with it came a multitude of youth teams from the entire coast, Kohala to Honaunau. By the summer of 1996, there were 77 youth teams in the summer league at Kailua-Kona’s Kekuaokalani Gym, along with HI-PAL leagues during the school year.

One of those youth teams was coached by Awa, along with husband Donald. Together, they developed one of the top youth girls’ clubs in the state, the Stingrays. The club remained busier than any other, and with their year-round basketball journeys near and far, the club grew and flourished.

Eventually, Edmonds left Konawaena to take a promotion in Arizona, where he continued his career as an air traffic controller. He recommended Awa, one of his assistants, to take over. She was hired, and the Wildcats continued to rise.

Out of the Stingrays club emerged some of the top players in the islands, the ones who helped Konawaena capture its first state championship Saturday night. Jessica Hanato, a junior forward, and freshman forward Jazzmin Williams grew up in the Stingrays club. Both are nieces of the Awas.

In last week’s HondaReport.com Top Ten poll, five of 16 panelists cast No. 1 votes for Kahuku or Punahou. That was no surprise, considering Kahuku’s remarkable talent and teamwork, and Punahou, of course, was the defending state champion.

Konawaena? Unbeaten in 40 BIIF games, three-time league champion, and still not quite acknowledged as the best in the state. The Wildcats wound up earning that respect by defeating Kamehameha-O’ahu 64-34, Baldwin 53-23, and Kahuku 51-41.

The fact that Konawaena is fundamentally sound was no surprise, considering Awa’s penchant for basic, uptempo offense and relentless, physical defense. But the title is certainly sweeter after two previous downfalls in the state tourney. Twice, the Wildcats came to the state tourney with accompanying hype as an unbeaten BIIF titlist. Twice, they were struck down in quarterfinal play.

In 2002, the young Wildcats had talent, but inexperience and a case of jitters got the best of them. In ’03, they led Kahuku 24-11 before the Lady Raiders rallied to oust the ‘Cats in double overtime.

This time around, the Wildcats were experienced, resilient and mature. Kahuku, showing the might of a champion, rallied from a 23-point deficit to within 35-32 in the fourth quarter. Konawaena regrouped, took care of the ball, hit key shots from the field and the foul line, and pulled out the win.

Hina Kimitete played for the Awas as a Stingray, but attended Kealakehe High School for two years. She transferred to Konawaena before the start of her junior year, reuniting with her former coaches. Her savvy and composure only added to the Wildcats’ championship march.

The Wildcats lost to Kahuku at the Punahou Spring Wahine Classic, but bounced back soon after for a 55-41 win over the Lady Raiders at the Lady Cardinal Classic in Hilo.

Along with unfortunate circumstances for Kahuku—guards Karla Tailele and Monarisa Ale played with ankle injuries in the title game—the scenario tilted in favor of the Wildcats.

“Our coach said since some of them were injured, we wanted to take advantage,” said Kimitete, a 5-foot-3 guard.

“Auntie Bobbie said they should be the ones afraid of us ‘cause we’re the No. 1 seed,” Williams said. “And we beat them before.”

Awa saw her team explode with huge runs to start the quarterfinal and semifinal games. “The girls came out so confident, so relaxed. They were ready to play,” said Awa, a former Wildcat standout.

The Wildcats roared to an 11-2 lead before Kahuku began to settle down. Without point guard Karla Tailele on the court because of an ankle sprain, the Lady Raiders struggled to find their rhythm.

Konawaena’s man-to-man defense forced turnover after turnover, and the Wildcats rolled to a 33-10 lead early in the third quarter.

Then came the inevitable run by the proud Raiders. With Tailele in the game for the first time—and Williams on the bench with four fouls—Kahuku rode a tidal wave of momentum. Latoya Wily, held to just six points in the first half, scored 15 after intermission.

As Konawaena’s shooters went cold, the Lady Raiders found their stride and pulled within 35-32 midway through the final quarter.

Being able to hear each other talk was a task in itself. Kahuku’s caravan of fans, easily several hundred, cheered at a near-deafening level.

It wasn’t so easy for other Wildcats. “They were so loud, but our fans are awesome,” Hoist said. “They traveled all the way from the Big Island. They really picked us up.”

“The Kahuku fans are so amazing,” she said. “But it pumped me up to hear the Kona fans.”

Indeed, the opposite side of the arena was filled with a few hundred Wildcat fans clad in green shirts, balloons, face paint and hair dye.

“There was a momentum shift, and their crowd was really into it,” Awa said. “But our crowd was right there.”

In the end, Hoist came through with 9-of-10 shooting from the foul line in the final 5:32. Kimitete hit two free throws, as well, and Kahuku had no solution for Konawaena’s spread offense in the final four minutes. Hoist’s solid ballhandling created a mismatch at midcourt for Kahuku. Wily picked up her third and fourth fouls trying to chase Hoist.

Hoist finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Williams added 10 points, while Kimitete added eight points and four assists. Hanato was her usual all-around self with six points, seven boards and five steals. Williams and Hanato played the entire final quarter with four fouls each, and Hoist was the anchor. .

“She’s like the mother. She carried us, kept motivating us. She always thought we could do better,” Kimitete said.

Hoist didn’t forget anyone, to be sure. “This is the best way to end the season. But don’t forget, we want to give a shout out to the managers,” she said.

It was Williams who was a manager for two seasons, toting water bottles, warm-up shirts and towels for the Wildcats of 2002 and ’03. After reaching the pinnacle Saturday, Williams, Hanato and the ‘Cats were swept into the moment. After enjoying Kahuku’s tribute to the Red Raider fans, the Wildcats turned around and sang the Konawaena alma mater to the crowd in green shirts at Stan Sheriff Center.

It was a decade in the making, and finally, the state title is heading to Kealakekua. The state championship trophy will be the first to grace the trophy case in Col. Ellison Onizuka Gymnasium.