Girls BKB: The overrated, underrated & deserving

Here’s how the new Star-Advertiser Girls Basketball Top 10 looks. Below that, those same teams and more — listed with their positions on my ballot.

Pupule’s ballot
1. Maryknoll. Still lots of room for growth.
2. ‘Iolani. Pound for pound, inch for inch, best team.
3. Konawaena. Still talented, but very young.
4. Kamehameha. Close, so close.
5. Punahou. The bar is exceedingly high.
6. Lahainaluna. Sleeper.
7. Hilo. Still steady long after Onaona Miller left for Punahou.
8. Mililani. Beat Waiakea 49-44
9. Waiakea. Deserves to be here.
10. Sacred Hearts. Beat Kalani 55-52
* HBA lost to MPI and SHA by 14, 15 points.

Below, some internal debate. It ain’t perfect, but it makes some sense to me.

Here’s how the voting turned out — the official Star-Advertiser Top 10, followed on the same line by the position in my ballot. All whipped cream, of course. There’s no nutritional value in sugar and water, but it’s fun to eat.

1. Maryknoll Spartans (17-1, 5-0 ILH). Pupule ballot: No. 1
The skinny: I didn’t get to see the Lady Spartans play at all last week. They made quick work of a rising Sacred Hearts squad, then barely got past Kamehameha despite having a double-digit lead. That’s life in the ILH. The pendulum never stops swinging. Teams that lose come back hungrier than ever. They learn to get better just to survive while teams that succeed early on are in danger of hitting a lull. It’s human nature to get complacent in the midst of success. Most coaches will agree that it’s easier to get a team’s attention after a loss than a win.

X factor: For Maryknoll, the good news is that Kamalu Kamakawiwo‘ole (ankle) and Isabella Cravens (knee) returned to play.

Nationally-Ranked Opponents (0-1)
L 67-58 Clovis West (Calif.) 12/8 (USA Today No. 9)

Unranked Mainland Opponents (1-0)
W 48-47 Salesian (Calif.) 12/10 (‘Iolani Classic)

Hawaii Top 10 Opponents (6-0)
W 38-33 Lahainaluna 11/10 (Moanalua tournament)
W 60-52 ‘Iolani 11/26
W 57-49 Punahou 11/29
W 50-40 @ ‘Iolani 12/5
W 57-27 Leilehua 12/9 (‘Iolani Classic)
W 52-51 Kamehameha 12/16

Hawaii Unranked Opponents (10-0)
W 55-43 Kaimuki 11/10 (McKinley tournament)
W 50-44 Kalani 11/11 (McKinley tournament)
W 84-40 Campbell 11/11 (Moanalua tournament)
W 56-17 Honokaa 11/12 (McKinley tournament)
W 48-19 Radford 11/12 (Moanalua tournament)
W 60-14 Kaiser 11/14
W 74-21 Moanalua 12/1 (Kaiser tournament)
W 45-29 Mid-Pacific 12/2 (Kaiser tournament)
W 54-20 Kaiser 12/3 (Kaiser tournament)
W 55-25 Sacred Hearts 12/13

2. Konawaena Wildcats (9-2, 1-0 BIIF). Pupule ballot: No. 3
The skinny: One game last week, a 54-31 win over Kamehameha-Hawaii to open league play. Traveling across the island in the BIIF is never easy. In fact, while an away game on Oahu might be worth minus 2 to 8 points, a 110-mile (each way) ride on a rickety, old bus can wear anyone out. From the Keaau campus of KS-Hawaii to Konawaena’s campus, that’s worth at least 12 points of fatigue on the legs. Sometimes more, depending on weather, and which day of the week. Weeknight games across the island are the worst, playing 12-14 hours after waking up in the morning, a day full of classes and class work, then boarding the bus to ride for 2 to 2.5 hours, and then playing one of the top teams in the state (Konawaena). Then getting back to campus, riding home — which could be another 30 minutes for some players — and finishing homework in the middle of the night. Just some of the reasons why BIIF games are normally on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, then Fridays and Saturdays.

X factor: The Wildcats are young on the whole and need as much practice and game time to get reps. They won’t face another Top 10 team until mid-January when Hilo visits.

Nationally-Ranked Opponents (0-2)
L 79-39 Archbishop Mitty (Calif.) 12/8 (‘Iolani Classic) (USA Today No. 2)
L 57-32 Salesian (Calif.) 12/9 (‘Iolani Classic)

Unranked Mainland Opponents (1-0)

Hawaii Top 10 Opponents (4-0)
W 48-23 Mililani 11/17 (Waiakea Invitational)
W 50-23 Leilehua 11/18 (Waiakea Invitational)
W Lahainaluna 11/26 (Lahainaluna tournament)
W 47-25 Leilehua 12/10 (‘Iolani Classic)

Hawaii Unranked Opponents (4-0)
W 65-17 Kamehameha-Maui 11/24 (Lahainaluna tournament)
W Baldwin 11/25 (Lahainaluna tournament)
W 65-33 Waiakea 12/3
W 54-31 Kamehameha-Hawaii 12/13

No. 3 ‘Iolani Raiders (9-4, 4-2 ILH). Pupule ballot: No. 2
The skinny: The Raiders opened play at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Arizona on Monday. With wins last week over Kamehameha and Punahou, they’ve solidified what they do and who they are as a team. I’m not predicting that ‘Iolani will the TOC, but I do believe that some or most mainland teams will have trouble matching up with the Raiders’ five-guard lineups. It goes both ways, of course, but they’ve matched up with foes in man to man almost exclusively to this point despite the size and height disadvantages. They can handle any style, not that they beat the nation’s No. 2 team (Archbishop Mitty) two weeks ago, but they will do their thing and let the chips roll.

X factor: Taylor Wu (ankle) and Camy Aguinaldo (back) are nursing some nagging injuries, but will play in the TOC.

Nationally-Ranked Opponents (0-2)
L 67-33 Archbishop Mitty (Calif.) 12/9 (USA Today No. 2)
L 58-45 Long Beach Poly (Calif.) 12/10 (USA Today No. 14)

Unranked Mainland Opponents (1-0)
W 57-45 *Salesian (Calif.) 12/8
vs. Fremont (Neb.) 12/19 (Nike Tournament of Champions, Phoenix)

Hawaii Top 10 Opponents (3-2)
L 60-52 @ Maryknoll 11/26
L 50-40 Maryknoll 12/5
W 44-40 Punahou 12/6
W 55-50 Kamehameha 12/13
W 51-42 @ Punahou 12/15

Hawaii Unranked Opponents
W 60-25 Honokaa 11/10 (McKinley tournament)
W 63-13 Kaimuki 11/11 (McKinley tournament)
W 69-40 McKinley 11/12 (McKinley tournament)
W 62-26 @ Kaiser 11/22
W 56-53 @ Sacred Hearts 12/2

4. Lahainaluna Lunas (6-2, 3-0 MIL). Pupule ballot: No. 6
The skinny: Like Konawaena, the Lady Lunas continue to roll through league opponents. With so many key losses to graduation, they’re unlikely to dominate quite as much has they have in the past — like Konawaena. Their 51-40 win over Kamehameha-Maui is the closest margin of victory by a Lahainaluna team I can remember in years. Many years.

Hawaii Top 10 Opponents
L 38-33 Maryknoll 11/10 (Moanalua tournament)
L 33-25 Kamehameha 11/12 (Moanalua tournament)
W 51-37 Leilehua 11/25
L Konawaena 11/26 (Lahainaluna tournament)

Hawaii Unranked Opponents
W 40-26 Radford 11/11 (Moanalua tournament)
W 69-13 @ King Kekaulike 12/7
W 51-40 @ Kamehameha-Maui 12/13
W 56-17 Baldwin 12/14

5. Punahou Buffanblu (7-4, 2-3 ILH). Pupule ballot: No. 5
The skinny: If there’s ever a team this season that could fluctuate in the rankings, score big wins and tough losses, become virtually forgotten and still emerge as a contender for the ILH and state championships, it could easily be Punahou. Despite their latest loss to ‘Iolani, the Buffanblu showed much more composure than I’d seen in their early loss at then-No. 2 Maryknoll. It wasn’t just waiting around for Kamaile Kandiah to explode. There were key contributions from Abigail Aplaca, Tanisha Elbourne, Elle Uyeda… a much more balanced attack. The one biggest difference: offensive rebounding. Punahou gave up way too many boards when Iolani shot the ball.

X factor: ‘Iolani made a concerted effort to limit Kandiah’s touches from end to end, and by the end, she didn’t have a lot of energy, not enough to keep Punahou close to the final buzzer. This won’t be the only time an opponent tries to wrap Kandiah up, so the sooner they find a solution to this opportunity, the better.

Hawaii Top 10 Opponents (1-4)
W 56-45 Kamehameha 11/26
L @ Maryknoll 57-39 11/29
L Kamehameha 51-49 12/2 (Kaiser tournament)
L @ ‘Iolani 44-40 12/6
L ‘Iolani 51-42 12/15

Hawaii Unranked Opponents (6-0)
W 54-25 McKinley 11/10 (McKinley tournament)
W 55-33 Honokaa 11/11 (McKinley tournament)
W 47-29 Kalani 11/12 (McKinley tournament)
W 57-33 Kalani 12/1 (Kaiser tournament)
W 66-31 Moanalua 12/3 (Kaiser tournament)
W 45-40 Sacred Hearts 12/10

6. Kamehameha Warriors (10-3, 1-3 ILH). Pupule ballot: No. 4
The skinny: There’s a skid mark on the Warriors’ highway to title town after two losses last week on the road. They gave ‘Iolani a major battle, then rallied and nearly upset No. 1 Maryknoll. After winning 10 of their first 11 games, they could look at this as a jarring setback, or accept the losses for what they are: lessons learned in the midst of a long season.

X factor: As mentioned above, there’s nothing like defeat — especially a close loss — to sharpen a team and regain focus at practice.

Hawaii Top 10 Opponents (2-3)
W 33-25 Lahainaluna 11/12 (Moanalua tournament)
L 56-45 @ Punahou 11/26
W 51-49 Punahou 12/2 (Kaiser tournament)
L 55-50 @ ‘Iolani 12/13
L 52-51 @ Maryknoll 12/16

Hawaii Unranked Opponents (8-0)
W 60-18 Kalaheo 11/10 (Moanalua tournament)
W 68-28 Moanalua 11/11 (Moanalua tournament)
W 45-26 @ Farrington 11/12 (Moanalua tournament)
W 65-44 @ Kalani 11/19
W 62-43 @ Nanakuli 11/22
W 54-40 Sacred Hearts 11/29
W 62-22 @ Kaiser 12/1 (Kaiser tournament)
W 44-19 Mid-Pacific 12/3 (Kaiser tournament)

7. Hilo Vikings (6-0). Pupule ballot: No. 7
The skinny: A 3-point win over Waiakea, another wide margin of victory over Honokaa. Interesting that the Vikings beat Honokaa on Nov. 17, 40-23. On Dec. 17, they beat the Dragons 38-22. Virtually the same score. Both teams may have improved significantly in one month, but the gap between them remains the same.

Hawaii Top 10 Opponents (1-0)
W 56-47 Leilehua 11/17 (Waiakea Invitational)

Hawaii Unranked Opponents (5-0)
W 40-23 Honokaa 11/17 (Waiakea tournament)
W 46-32 Campbell 12/2 (HPA tournament)
W 58-23 Waimea 12/15
W 35-32 Waiakea 12/16
W 38-22 Honokaa 12/17

8. Mililani Trojans (9-2, 3-0 OIA West). Pupule ballot: No. 8
The skinny: Here go the Lady Trojans, shellacking foes in the West. Will any foe challenge them? A road trip to Leilehua is almost three weeks away, and Aiea, Campbell and Radford will visit in the meantime.

Hawaii Top 10 Opponents (0-1)
L 48-23 Konawaena (Waiakea tournament)

Hawaii Unranked Opponents (9-1)
W 52-39 @ Kaimuki 11/9
W 71-29 Hanalani 11/10 (Nanakuli tournament)
W 52-27 Roosevelt 11/11 (Nanakuli tournament
L 52-41 @ Nanakuli 11/12 (Nanakuli tournament)
W 61-32 Roosevelt 11/12
W 47-28 @ Nanakuli 11/12
W 57-27 Honokaa 11/18 (Waiakea tournament)
W 49-44 Waiakea 11/19 (Waiakea tournament)
W 54-36 @ Waianea 12/13
W 49-15 Kapolei 12/15
W 51-26 @ Nanakuli 12/17

9. (tie) Sacred Hearts Lancers (7-6, 0-4 ILH). Pupule ballot: No. 10.
The skinny: No matter how much sweat pours into a team goal, there’s nothing like validation and satisfaction that comes from victories. The Lancers won five of their first six games, all in preseason, including a win over a team in the Top 10 (HBA) and another on the cusp (Kalani). But losing four games in a row to ILH powerhouses — all ranked in the Top 10 — can have a way of deflating all that offseason work ethic. Then came a loss to a tough Waiakea squad (43-39) during last week’s trip to the Hilo Holiday Classic. Fortunately, for the Lancers, they defeated Waimea and Keaau by double-digit margins to return home with, possibly, a renewed vigor.

Hawaii Top 10 Opponents (1-4)
W 43-28 @ Hawaii Baptist 11/19
L 54-40 @ Kamehameha 11/29
L 56-53 ‘Iolani 12/2
L 45-40 @ Punahou 12/10
L 55-25 @ Maryknoll 12/13

Hawaii Unranked Opponents (6-2)
W 74-15 Aiea 11/8
W 55-52 Kalani 11/10 (McKinley tournament)
W 47-44 McKinley 11/11 (McKinley tournament)
L 35-24 Kaimuki 11/12 (McKinley tournament)
W 45-40 Farrington 11/16
L 43-39 Waiakea 12/15 (Hilo tournament)
W 42-29 Waimea 12/16 (Hilo tournament)
W 40-23 Keaau 12/17 (Hilo tournament)

9. (tie) Kaimuki Bulldogs (7-7, 3-0 OIA East). Pupule ballot: unranked.
The skinny: Like Kalani, Kaimuki had a busy, tough preseason schedule, and those early losses set the bar high for the Bulldogs. They’re off to a 3-0 start in league play, winning by double-digit margins in each contest. I may not think they’ve got the ninth (or 10th) best resume so far, but they’ve got talent in Victoria Kintz and some underclassmen. They could easily move up in the Top 10. This is a year of parity, at least in the OIA. Roosevelt is no longer a powerhouse. Kalaheo’s glory days have been gone for awhile. There’s a lot of room for new challengers to the throne.

Hawaii Top 10 Opponents (0-5)
L 52-39 Mililani 11/9
L 55-43 Maryknoll 11/10
L 63-13 ‘Iolani 11/11
L 36-29 @ Leilehua 11/22
L 39-31 Hawaii Baptist 11/26 (St. Francis tournament)

Hawaii Unranked Opponents (7-2)
W 54-35 Nanakuli 11/5
W 35-24 Sacred Hearts 11/12 (McKinley tournament)
W 41-26 Waipahu 11/15
W 52-29 Molokai 11/25
L 47-40 @ St. Francis 11/26
L 33-28 Radford 12/2
W 47-38 McKinley 12/8
W 48-29 @ Kalaheo 12/13
W 50-35 Farrington 12/15

## Hawaii Baptist Eagles (8-2, 3-1 ILH D-II). Pupule ballot: unranked
The skinny: With a loss to Mid-Pacific on Saturday along with an early preseason loss to Sacred Hearts — by margins of 14 and 15 points, respectively — we have a bit of data to use for comparison. HBA, a smaller school, but far from the tiniest in the ILH, is having another solid season. The loss to a much-improved SHA squad wasn’t a shock, and MPI is a program that was in D-I (as SHA is) for years. ILH D-II, once again, will be an amazingly competitive frenzy for state-tourney berths thanks to HBA, MPI, St. Francis, Damien and University.

Hawaii Unranked Opponents (8-2)
W 56-48 Kamehameha I-AA 11/11
L 43-28 Sacred Hearts 11/19
W 46-29 Roosevelt 11/19
W 44-34 Kaiser 11/25 (St. Francis tournament)
W 39-31 Kaimuki 11/26 (St. Francis tournament)
W 52-29 ‘Iolani I-AA 11/26 (St. Francis tournament)
W 65-13 Island Pacific 12/8
W 50-26 @ Le Jardin 12/12
W 65-24 @ Hawaiian Mission 12/14
L 58-44 Mid-Pacific 12/17

## Waiakea Warriors (5-1). Pupule ballot: unranked
The skinny: The results haven’t been convincing for this panelist, but the Warriors certainly compete at a high level, as they showed in a three-point loss to Hilo on Friday. Also notable: a rout of perennial D-II powerhouse Kamehameha-Hawaii. The balance of power appears to be shifting back to the first Warriors’ gym on the Big Island. How long until we see another Jennifer Kaeo in navy blue and white?

Hawaii Top 10 Opponents
W 51-35 Leilehua 11/17
L 49-44 Mililani 11/19
L 35-32 @ Hilo 12/16 (Hilo tournament)

Hawaii Unranked Opponents
W 45-39 Kaiser 11/18
W 38-37 Kamehameha-Hawaii 12/1
W 64-26 Kohala 12/2
W 43-39 Sacred Hearts 12/15 (Hilo tournament)
W 61-22 Kamehameha-Hawaii 12/17 (Hilo tournament)

## Kalani Falcons (7-5, 2-0 OIA East). Pupule ballot: unranked
The skinny: It wasn’t long ago when Kalaheo was the team to beat in the East, and just last season, Kailua was very formidable. Now the Falcons are separating themselves from the pack out East and it’s no surprise. That lethal preseason schedule set the bar high as the sky for Coach Chi Mok’s squad.

Hawaii Top 10 Opponents (1-4)
L 50-44 Maryknoll 11/11 (McKinley tournament)
L 47-29 Punahou 11/12 (McKinley tournament)
L 65-44 Kamehameha 11/19
W 52-46 @ Leilehua 11/30
L 57-33 Punahou 12/1 (Kaiser tournament)

Hawaii Unranked Opponents (6-1)
L 55-52 Sacred Hearts 11/10 (McKinley tournament)
W 58-19 @ Aiea 11/22
W 39-38 @ Radford 11/26
W 42-40 Kaiser 12/2 (Kaiser tournament)
W 38-37 Farrington 12/3 (Kaiser tournament)
W 54-36 Kalaheo 12/8
W 61-33 Kailua 12/15

## Farrington Governors (4-4, 2-1 OIA East). Pupule ballot: unranked

Hawaii Top 10 Opponents
L 45-26 Kamehameha 11/17

Hawaii Unranked Opponents
L 45-40 @ Sacred Hearts 11/16
W 52-47 Mid-Pacific 12/1 (Kaiser tournament)
W 52-25 Moanalua 12/2 (Kaiser tournament)
L 38-37 Kalani 12/3 (Kaiser tournament)
W 60-30 @ Kailua 12/8
W 64-43 Moanalua 12/13
L 50-35 @ Kaimuki 12/15

## Radford Rams (5-3, 3-0 OIA West). Pupule ballot: unranked
The skinny: The Lady Rams made a statement last week with a road win at Leilehua, the defending OIA D-I champion. This is becoming, more and more, a team on the cusp of the Top 10. If they don’t outright replace Leilehua in the poll, they certainly deserve to be close to cracking the rankings.

Hawaii Top 10 Opponents (1-2)
L 40-26 Lahainaluna 11/11 (Moanalua tournament)
L 48-19 Maryknoll 11/12 (Moanalua tournament)
W 31-26 @ Leilehua 12/13

Hawaii Unranked Opponents (4-1)
W 52-50 @ Moanalua 11/10 (Moanalua tournament)
L 39-38 Kalani 11/26
W 33-28 @ Kaimuki 12/2
W 53-29 @ Waipahu 12/8
W 44-37 Campbell 12/15

## Mid-Pacific Owls (7-3, 4-0 ILH D-II). Pupule ballot: unranked

Hawaii Top 10 Opponents
L 45-29 Maryknoll 12/2 (Kaiser tournament)
L 44-19 Kamehameha 12/3 (Kaiser tournament)

Hawaii Unranked Opponents
W 45-35 Campbell 11/10 (Moanalua tournament)
W 64-18 Kalaheo 11/11 (Moanalua tournament)
W 47-37 Moanalua 11/12 (Moanalua tournament)
W 62-8 Christian Academy 11/29
L 52-47 Farrington 12/1 (Kaiser tournament)
W 37-21 Hanalani 12/10

## ‘Iolani Raiders I-AA (6-1, 4-0 ILH D-II). Pupule ballot: unranked

Hawaii Top 10 Opponents
L 52-29 Hawaii Baptist 11/26

Hawaii Unranked Opponents
W 56-13 Punahou I-AA 11/21
W 52-34 McKinley 11/25 (St. Francis tournament
W 40-35 St. Francis 11/26 (St. Francis tournament)
W 62-22 Maryknoll I-AA 11/29
W 36-25 Kamehameha I-AA 12/7
W 48-23 Punahou I-AA 12/14

33 St. Francis Saints (6-1, 4-0 ILH D-II). Pupule ballot: unranked

Hawaii Unranked Opponents
W 39-28 Kauai 11/25
L 40-35 ‘Iolani I-AA 11/26
W 47-40 Kaimuki 11/26
W 53-9 Hawaiian Mission 11/29
W 45-16 University 12/10

## Campbell Sabers (6-5, 1-2 OIA West). Pupule ballot: unranked

Hawaii Top 10 Opponents (0-2)
L 84-40 Maryknoll 11/11 (Moanalua tournament)
L 46-32 Hilo 12/2 (HPA tournament)

Hawaii Unranked Opponents (6-3)
L 45-35 Mid-Pacific 11/10 (Moanalua tournament)
W 57-32 Kalaheo 11/12 (Moanalua tournament)
W 60-47 Kamehameha I-AA 11/16
W 64-29 @ Roosevelt 11/28
W 59-35 Ka‘u (HPA tournament)
W 50-29 Hawaii Prep (HPA tournament)
W 65-11 @ Pearl City 12/8
L 46-43 Nanakuli 12/13
L 44-37 @ Radford 12/15

## Nanakuli Golden Hawks (6-4, 3-1 OIA). Pupule ballot: unranked.
The skinny: Perennial West powerhouse Mililani was a litmus test, and the Golden Hawks lost by 25.

Hawaii Top 10 Opponents (1-2)
W 52-41 Mililani 11/12
L 47-28 Mililani 11/12
L 62-43 Kamehameha 11/22

Hawaii Unranked Opponents
L 54-35 @ Kaimuki 11/5
W 50-33 Le Jardin 11/10
W 48-44 Kapolei 11/11
W 54-15 @ Waialua 12/8
W 46-43 @ Campbell 12/13
W 49-29 Waianae 12/15
L 51-26 Mililani 12/17