By KEVIN JAKAHI
By KEVIN JAKAHI
Hawaii Tribune-Herald
The numbers don’t add up in Hilo’s first-round game at the HHSAA Division I state tournament, at least for a victory.
The Vikings shot just 27 percent from the field and were outrebounded by a whopping 35-15 margin.
Still, Hilo defeated Radford 33-28 on Tuesday at Kalani High’s Gym on Oahu, showing that sometimes stats are quite deceiving.
Hilo (11-2) faces No. 3 seed and ILH champion Maryknoll (13-2) in the quarterfinals at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Kalani High.
It’ll be an interesting quarterfinal rematch. Last year, the Spartans took down the Viks 70-66 behind Maegen Martin’s 21 points and 11 rebounds.
Luckily for the BIIF runner-up, she graduated. However, her scoring partner Alex Delovio (16 points on 4 of 9 shooting) is back.
Last season, Maryknoll placed third while Hilo was sixth, falling to ILH runner-up Punahou 51-41.
Martin was a 5-foot-10 forward. The height-challenged Viks (except for 5-10 Lexi Pana) have had trouble with bigs in the past, especially at states.
Delovio is a 5-7 senior guard. The Viks feast on perimeter players, especially with one of the state’s best on-ball defenders in Sharlei Graham-Bernisto.
Against Radford (12-2), the OIA’s No. 3 team, Hilo’s defense was an absolute terror and forced 26 turnovers and had only six giveaways.
Pana scored 11 points on 3 of 6 shooting, including 3 of 5 from long distance, to lead Hilo, which made 12 of 44 field goals.
Mandi Kawaha added nine points off the bench and Katie Loeak had five points.
Hilo hit just 5 of 19 from 3-point range and made only 4 of 9 free throws.
Shaelie Burgess scored 11 points to lead the Rams, who shot 44 percent (11 of 25) from the floor, including 1 of 3 from beyond the arc, and made 5 of 10 free throws.
Kyle Johnson, a girl with a boy’s name, added eight points and 15 rebounds for the Rams, who lost to Hilo 57-41 in consolation last year at states. (Radford had a painful 33 turnovers.)
A year later, Hilo hit Radford on the head, again, with a defensive hammer in the first quarter, outscoring the Rams, 15-4.
The turnover-plagued Rams outscored the Viks the rest of the way, 24-18, but all those empty possessions proved costly.
Pana recorded four steals while Shalyn Guthier and Kawaha had two steals each.
The Vikings didn’t need to shoot well against Radford; 27 percent was useful enough, especially when Hilo’s ball pressure was dominating the day.
Radford 4 13 8 3 — 28
Hilo 15 10 4 4 — 33