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‘Iolani, Konawaena and the art of adaptation

By Paul Honda on February 19, 2022

There was a point during the first half of the ‘Iolani-Campbell semifinal game when Dean Young was despondent. Head bowed, hands on his forehead while sitting on the bench. Processing. “I was thinking, can we stop putting them on the free-throw line? Over and over and over again. It was frustrating,” Young said after the Raiders’ 54-39 win. “It just kills the flow of the game to blow the whistle so many times.” It was a game-long grind against a […]

Hoopbook: Sacrifice, dedication and tears of joy for Lady Lunas

By Paul Honda on February 18, 2022

The game was over and the Lady Lunas of Lahainaluna were mingling with each other and family members who made the flight over to Oahu. Lahainaluna advanced to the semifinal round of the Heide & Cook/HHSAA Girls Basketball State Championships with a 49-36 win over Punahou. But some time during the post-game decompression stage, Chaland Pahukoa had a moment. The talented junior guard had just scored 12 points, including two huge 3-pointers in the third quarter to help the Lunas […]

Hoopbook: Business as usual for Konawaena Wildcats

By Paul Honda on February 18, 2022

Officially, the first basket of the Konawaena-Mililani state quarterfinal game was recorded at “8:00.” It was actually 7:56, according to longtime hoops fan Frank Mauz. The former Advertiser sportswriter has been at girls basketball state tournaments as a reporter or spectator since its inception by the HHSAA in 1977. Konawaena’s flash-quick guard, Kaliana Salazar-Harrell, hauled in the opening tip and within seconds, the Wildcats were up 2-0. If it stays officially 8:00 of the first quarter as the time of […]


Hoopbook: Sacred Hearts stuns top seed Damien, all D-II seeds fall

By Paul Honda on February 18, 2022

The Division I bracket of the Heide & Cook/HHSAA Girls Basketball State Championships followed the code. In D-II, all heck broke loose. Every seeded team went down. Top-seeded ILH champion Damien lost to rival Sacred Hearts, 62-53. Second-seeded Hawaii Prep fell to Hanalani, 51-50, on a basket by the Royals’ Rylee Matsuda with 4 seconds remaining. Third-seeded Kauai lost to Hawaii Baptist, 34-29. Fourth-seeded Kailua lost to MIL champion Seabury Hall, 49-36. That chaos sets up the semifinal round at […]

Hoopbook: Mililani changes speeds en route to OIA title run

By Paul Honda on February 17, 2022

The men of Troy prefer to run. Run and gun. 80-point games would be a regular theme for Mililani if a shot clock were mandatory. Instead, the Trojans do what many elite teams do with a lead and the ball in the final minutes of a high school game in Hawaii. They made people chase. The MIlilani Trojans are OIA Division I boys basketball champions after a 43-26 win over Kailua not because they can play the four-corners game better […]

EJ Kapihe’s buzzer-beater answers Kamehameha’s prayer

By Paul Honda on February 17, 2022

One night can change everything. The Kamehameha Warriors know this. So do the Punahou Buffanblu. Punahou was one second away from advancing to the third-place final of the ILH playoffs on Wednesday night. All the home team had to do was defend what would likely be a miracle shot attempt by the visiting Warriors. With 1.5 seconds on the clock and the ball on the other end of the court, Kala‘i Smith inbounded the ball to EJ Kapihe roughly 50 […]

Mililani All-American wrestler Erin Hikiji in scholar-athlete mode

By Paul Honda on February 16, 2022

Erin Hikiji doesn’t really keep track of wins and losses on the mat, but she certainly knows her grade-point average. The Mililani state champion in wrestling and judo is off to a strong start this season. Hikiji won her first four matches, or so she thought. It’s her mother, Candice, who actually keeps count. Hikiji is 6-0 with three pins and three technical falls. At 97 pounds in 2020, she won a state wrestling title. At 102 pounds this year, […]

Hoopbook: Club teammates Lieb, Westmoreland-Vendiola in battle of Stars

By Paul Honda on February 16, 2022

Trey Lieb and Amari Westmoreland-Vendiola were teammates last year. When Westmoreland-Vendiola was invited to play with the Las Vegas Stars in a California tournament, he and his travel partner made a recommendation. Pualani Vendiola, his grandmother, suggested that the Stars bring in Lieb, the Mililani sharpshooter. The Stars enjoyed their success on that trip. Lieb and Westmoreland-Vendiola first became teammates while playing for Alika Smith’s Hawaii Select squad last summer. On Tuesday night in the OIA Division I semifinals, they […]