By KEVIN JAKAHI ADVERTISING By KEVIN JAKAHI Tribune-Herald sports writer HONOLULU — As wild as the ending was, Hilo junior forward Chailey Cabalis was the star of the show, providing big points and a steady presence when both were desperately
By KEVIN JAKAHI
Tribune-Herald sports writer
HONOLULU — As wild as the ending was, Hilo junior forward Chailey Cabalis was the star of the show, providing big points and a steady presence when both were desperately needed.
She scored a game-high 18 points on 8 of 12 shooting as the Vikings outlasted Roosevelt 62-61 in the quarterfinals at the Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division I girls basketball state championships Saturday at Neal Blaisdell Center.
The Vikings (13-2), the Big Island Interscholastic Federation runner-up, need to make a second trip to Oahu for the semifinals on Friday at McKinley High and maybe reserve a hotel room if they reach the championship. That’s the humbug part of the pilot state regional, which takes hold on Hilo’s wallet.
However, they’ll gladly take that after a frantic fourth-quarter finish, which saw Alexis Pana hit one of two free throws for a 62-59 lead with 34.1 seconds left. Then Devyn Kauhi scored a layup to trim Roosevelt’s deficit to 62-61 with 25.8 second to go.
Pana attempted to inbound but was called for a five-second penalty. Ball possession went to the Rough Riders, who worked the ball into Keala Quinlan. She shot, scored and was fouled with 15.1 seconds remaining.
“We told her to have her mental clock on and call timeout with three seconds,” Hilo coach Ben Pana said of daughter Alexis. “But that was a fast five seconds.”
However, Roosevelt coach Hinano Higa called a timeout before the shot went in. The Rough Rider faithful groaned, but at least there was still time left for a final shot or two. A shot went up, clanked off the rim and Hilo grabbed the rebound to run out the clock.
“It’s resiliency. The girls play every game like it’s their last game of the season, and not save anything for tomorrow,” Pana said. “It’s a great win. Coming into the state tournament, with the HHSAA scheduling us against Roosevelt, we knew they were the hottest team.
“When we practice every day, we believe nobody can simulate our defense because of our speed. But I’m proud of the girls for their composure, and leadership to think under pressure.”
The season is over for the No. 4 seed Rough Riders (13-1), the Oahu Interscholastic Association Red champion.
Cabalis, who was 2 of 4 from long distance, wasn’t the only efficient offensive threat. Sharlei Graham-Bernisto added 13 points, going 4 of 6 on 3-pointers, and Pana had 10 points for the Vikings, who shot 46 percent (22 of 48).
“Chailey is a fearless player. She’s been like that since she was young. She’s always had that mindset,” Pana said. “Sharlei is a firecracker. We put a lot of trust in her to be the point guard. She’s been huge for us. She’ll stay after practice and work on her game. That’s a tribute to her.”
Hilo’s solid shooting helped offset a tough day at the free-throw line. The Vikings were 12 of 24; the Rough Riders made 8 of 11 free throws.
Kauhi scored 16 points on 7 of 15 shooting, and Ashley Kiko added 13 points while Quinlan had eight points for the Rough Riders, who converted 42 percent (24 of 57) but outrebounded Hilo, 40-27.
In the first quarter, the Rough Riders outscored, 16-10, and outhustled the Vikings, who couldn’t stop the OIA champ’s transition game. Roosevelt raced in for five layups; the other shot was a 3-pointer by Kiko and a three-point play by Quinlan.
Still, Hilo trailed only 29-26 at halftime because Cabalis provided a scoring spark with 10 points, and Roosevelt committed 13 turnovers; the Vikings had seven giveaways.
Also, in the second quarter the Vikings put a cold stop to their opponent’s transition game, giving up zero layups. However, they cost themselves points with just 3 of 11 free throws; the rebound-and-run Rough Riders were 7 of 8 from the line.
In one key matchup, Aliyah Pana, who scored four points, gave up two inches and guarded the versatile 5-foot-11 Quinlan, who scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds in a 62-44 victory over Mililani for the OIA title.
The Rough Rider sophomore had just four points, including a layup when she beat the defense down the court, in the first half. She also came out and guarded any forward at the top of the key.
To start the third quarter, Graham-Bernisto came out firing from long distance, sinking three 3-pointers, her last lifting Hilo to a 45-44 lead with a minute left. But Aliyah and Alexis Pana both picked up their fourth fouls, joining Shaylin Guthier, who also had four fouls.
Then Roosevelt immediately fed the ball to its two bigs, Quinlan and 5-10 Kauhi. Both scored to help build a 48-45 lead entering the final eight minutes.
From there, Cabalis started the fourth quarter off with a 3-pointer before the game’s wild finish.
At Blaisdell Arena
Hilo 10 16 19 16 — 61
Roosevelt 16 13 19 14 — 62
