Konawaena keeps making BIIF history, and that only brings back a flood of fond memories for Jessica Hanato, who is an assistant basketball coach but is better known as one of the original champions.
Konawaena keeps making BIIF history, and that only brings back a flood of fond memories for Jessica Hanato, who is an assistant basketball coach but is better known as one of the original champions.
She was part of the Wildcat Big Five, along with Nancy Hoist, Hina Kimitete, Jazzmin Williams and Kristin Kitaoka, who all shared the wheel and steered the school to its historic first HHSAA state championship in 2004.
On Saturday, Konawaena added to its legacy as the greatest program in league history after a 56-32 victory over Hilo for its eighth straight BIIF Division I championship, and that’s not all.
The Wildcats ran their league record winning streak to 92-0. Throw in the success at the state level, and you’ve really got something special: six state titles and three runner-up finishes.
Don’t forget that Kona also won BIIF titles in 2002 and ’03. For those counting, that’s 14 BIIF crowns in 15 years. That’s pretty much the definition of dominance.
That’s a resume no other team or school can match, and coach Bobbie Awa’s powerhouse keeps running over opponents game after game, year after year. The team’s last loss was in the BIIF championship against Waiakea in 2008.
Konawaena (12-0) and Hilo (10-2) already have berths to the HHSAA state tournament, which will be held Feb. 9-12 on Oahu.
The Wildcats will draw the No. 1 seed on Sunday and will enter states a favorite to win their eighth state championship with a roster that is their most skilled of all time, in the eyes of Hanato.
“By far, this group is the most skilled,” she said. “And that skill is shooting. They’ve got good chemistry. This group has stuck to each other, grew up together, and they all hang out together.
“This team compared to our group is more skilled. They’ve got that on us. But I think we had a little better basketball IQ.”
Hanato, who also moonlights as a part-time comedian, had to get a dig in somewhere to keep her troops grounded.
“I couldn’t shoot,” she joked.
But back in the day, Hanato did everything else: defend, run the floor, share the ball, and play with a discipline and the type of championship team chemistry that has traveled over a decade to the current edition.
One understated fact is that the roster is really thin. The ’Cats, basically, go six deep with starters Chanelle, Celena and Cherilyn Molina, Ihi Victor and Mikayla Tablit with Mahi Kaawa off the bench.
The starters scored all the points. Victor scored 16 points, Chanelle Molina 13, Tablit 11, Celena Molina 10 and Cherilyn Molina added six points for the Wildcats, who hit 62 percent (18 of 29) from the field.
Hanato was right. The Wildcats really can shoot. Their next best skill is ball-sharing, making an extra pass so a good shot turns into a better one. (For those who know their NBA history, that’s how the San Antonio Spurs beat LeBron James and his superpower Miami Heat friends for the title in 2014.)
Sharlei Graham-Bernisto scored 13 points and Lexi Pana added seven for the Vikings, who shot 50 percent (12 of 24) from the floor, but committed more turnovers than Kona, 16-9. It only seemed that each giveaway was an expanding thorn in Hilo’s shoe.
Hanato was wrong. She could really shoot, too, not long distance like Kimitete but from mid-range she was money. The current edition Wildcats have a ton of court savvy, maybe just as much or more than the originals.
The Wildcats read the game well. If officials are calling things tight, they’ll stick their 3-point launcher in their back pocket and attack the rim. They made 17 of 25 free throws and only Chanelle Molina had a 3-pointer in the second quarter.
They Vikings went 1 of 9 from the line, and Graham-Bernisto had three treys and Pana added a 3-ball. First-year coach Henry Miranda’s crew got a few layups but not enough to draw fouls and test Kona’s depth.
It’s just tough to get dribble-penetration when the Wildcat team chemistry carries over to the help-side defense, which quickly closes the door to the rim.
On the flip side of the coin, the toughest team to guard is one that has five players who can all shoot. That wasn’t always the case with the ’Cats, especially Victor, who is a team-first player as any in the league, and, in the past, she would look to pass instead of fire away.
“In her first three years, Ihi would make that extra pass even if she was wide open,” Hanato said. “This year she’ll take the shot and when players come out and defend her she’ll find someone wide open.”
One reason the BIIF championship is so important for the Wildcats is that it gives them a first-round bye. They get to rest their legs an extra day. Understanding tempo and not picking up ill-advised fouls are equally important, too.
“That really comes down to our part,” Victor said. “We have to play smart and make sure we play at our pace. That’s all there really is to it.”
Legacy missions
More than anything the BIIF championship served as a senior legacy mission for both teams.
Obviously, Konawaena seniors Chanelle Molina and Victor wanted to keep the undefeated streak and string of titles going. They also get a chance to join 2012 graduates Lia Galdeira and Dawnyelle Awa as back-to-back state champions.
Plain and simple, Hilo seniors Pana, Graham-Bernisto, Shalyn Guthier and Katie Loeak wanted to stand on the BIIF mountain after finishing second the last three years. It’s four years in a row now. And that was their last chance.
The game was never really close. Kona led 35-17 at halftime and had a monopoly on the momentum. The scoreboard clock was a countdown for Molina and Victor to enter history together as BIIF four-time champions.
“It hasn’t hit me that it’s the last time we’ll play together here (on the Big Island),” Molina said. “It was a team win. Everybody executed, and everything clicked. I love it, and it was a good team effort.”
Victor had a huge cheering section. Both of her parents, Michael and Francine, are from Hilo, and her cousin is Kamehameha senior Gabrielle Victor, so everyone stuck around.
“It’s awesome, and I’m just soaking it in. It just feels good,” Victor said.
Bright future
In Cherilyn Molina, the Wildcats have one of the league’s best pure shooters since Hina Kimitete, a 2005 Konawaena graduate, who was a catch-and-shoot gunner with a very quick trigger.
“Chanelle is probably more efficient than Cherilyn. She has a higher shooting percentage,” Hanato said. “Cherilyn has sideways spin on her ball, and she needs to get consistent with her follow-through. But she has two years left, and I think she has a good chance to pass Chanelle and Hina.”
Cherilyn sticks her elbow out when she shoots, and that results in side spin. Chanelle keeps her elbow in and gets good shooter’s backspin on the ball. But they’re both consistent, like a golfer who can repeat his swing, and their ball is often on target, following the same rainbow arc toward the hoop.
Indeed, shooting is Konawaena’s best skill or maybe it’s team chemistry.
“We all grew up together and know each other on the floor,” Chanelle said. “We can read each other, and it’s nice to have that connection.”
When Chanelle Molina and Victor graduate, they’ll leave big shoes to fill. Victor believes the Wildcats will be just fine.
“I don’t want our winning streak to end,” she said. “I believe in the team. They young ones are learning to step up.”
For such a long time, the Wildcats have been unbeatable, and with states around the corner, it’s time for the fond memories to keep growing.
Hilo 7 10 7 8 — 32
Konawaena 17 18 15 6 — 56