Girls basketball

By Paul Honda Of all the teams in the Hawaiian Airlines’/HHSAA Girls Basketball Division II State Championships, Molokai has reason to stand out. Literally. Center Kalei Adolpho, at 6-foot-1, has been a fixture since her freshman season. As a sophomore, she led the Farmers to the D-II state crown. Before her junior year, she gave the University of Hawaii and coach Dana Takahara-Dias a verbal commitment to play basketball. Molokai is also the only D-II team that has been voted […]

By Paul Honda There’s not a single team in the Hawaiian Airlines/HHSAA Girls Basketball State Championships that is flawless. True of any year, but more so now with talent levels and depth in a down cycle. Sure, Konawaena is a clear No. 1 — and has been since winning the state title last year on the heels of then-freshmen Lia Galdeira and Dawnyelle Awa. But, like every title contender, the Wildcats have faced obstacles and tribulations this season. Here’s a […]

It would seem that Roosevelt has hit a plateau and Moanalua is peaking. Seems. Based on last night’s battle, a 49-43 double-overtime epic, it could be reasonable to assume that stance. Here’s more about the game. • Moanalua mixed 1-3-1 and 2-3 zones to stifle Roosevelt, which was 6-for-18 from the 3-point arc. Though Mikela Thoemmes had 14 rebounds, Roosevelt’s edge on the glass was just 30-26. Each team had 20 turnovers. • Some coaches don’t buy into moral victories. […]

Really, this is a day that has a lot on the line teams that are 12-1 and 4-10. Drama. Sure, if your favorite girls basketball team is enjoying a smooth route in the Oahu Interscholastic Association Red Conference playoffs, today is a semifinal step. But a loss is just a loss in the double-elimination format. There’s that backup route. If your team has lost once already, this is elimination day. The winners of games between McKinley and Mililani, Castle and […]

By Paul Honda Some notes on the first two rounds so far in the Oahu Interscholastic Association Red Conference girls basketball playoffs. First, the scores. Tuesday, Jan. 26 McKinley 65, @ Campbell 45 @ Moanalua 39, Waianae 31 @ Kapolei, Kalani 29 @ Castle 57, Aiea 37 As expected, home teams had the edge for the most part. Then came the tough part: playing back-to-back nights. Tuesday’s winners had less fortune on Wednesday. Wednesday, Jan. 28 @ No. 4 Farrington […]

[showtime] . By Paul Honda So what really happened after the Farrington-Castle girls basketball game on Friday? Seems that aside from Farrington’s 65-50 win, nobody will really know exactly what ensued in the skirmish that led to punches being thrown by a player on each team during what is normally a peaceful, uneventful post-game handshake ritual. This morning’s story delves a bit into the situation, which led Farrington to forfeit its game with Roosevelt on Saturday and had Castle suspending […]

By Paul Honda Some extra notes on last night’s battle between No. 4 Punahou and No. 3 Mid-Pacific, a 58-39 win by the visiting Buffanblu. • Punahou’s 8-0 run in the final quarter included a terribly easy inbounds pass from freshman Khaliyah Thompson to center Hailey-Ann Maeda immediately after Mid-Pac had subbed out posts Keaton McFadden and Jenna Savusa with guards. MPI has consistently played its entire bench, from the start of nonconference play through now, but subbing seemingly without […]