Kohala was rolling along, leading Kamehameha 10-5 early and looking for an upset against last season’s HHSAA Division II state runner-up.
Kohala was rolling along, leading Kamehameha 10-5 early and looking for an upset against last season’s HHSAA Division II state runner-up.
Then the Cowgirls went really cold in the second quarter, failing to score and eventually falling 46-36 in a BIIF Division II girls basketball game on Monday night at Koai’a Gym.
Dominique Pacheco scored 12 points, Jordyn Mantz 11, and Saydee Aganus seven to lead the Warriors (1-1), who shot 27 percent (14 of 51) from the field and made 17 of 30 free throws.
Brittany Shimono scored 10 points while CJ Agbayani and Mikayla Kekoa, who grabbed 13 rebounds, added nine each for the Cowgirls (0-2), who buried 37 percent (13 of 35) from the field and sank just 5 of 22 free throws.
Kohala’s downfall was turnovers, 36 in all, an avalanche of giveaways under Kamehameha’s tenacious press defense.
Still, the Cowgirls are heavy favorite to claim a state spot for the second straight year.
It’s no secret that Kohala caught a huge break last season when Honokaa jumped up to Division I, and it helped Kamehameha as well.
“We’ve got some size, but we’re young and have enough talent to be in the right place and be pretty good in Division II,” said Kohala first-year coach Jake Hook, whose club team NSP featured several of the Cowgirls, including his daughter, freshman guard Jasmine Hook. “We’ll struggle with turnovers as most young teams do.”
Kekoa, Shimono and Agbayani are returning starters. The other starters are Hook and Zaz Matsu, who saw solid minutes last season.
“Mikayla is a dominant force in the post,” said Hook, whose son Maui is on the boys team. “Brittany is definitely a senior leader out there for us. CJ is well-balanced and has an all-around game.
“All of the girls ran through the club before they came to high school. I know the girls what they can do and what they can’t. Jasmine and Shania Fuertes give us steady ball-handling, they can slash to the basket, and defend.”
In the second quarter, the Cowgirls committed 14 turnovers, and the Warriors scored 10 points off those free gifts.
Kamehameha’s press worked to perfection and it led to easy buckets in transition. The few times the defending BIIF champions were in half-court it was dribble-drive time for assists and close-range baskets.
The Dragons won BIIF and HHSAA Division II titles in 2014 and ’15. Last season, the Warriors pocketed their first BIIF title since 2013, and Kohala advanced to states for the first time since 2014.
The game was a rematch of last season’s BIIF championship, which Kamehameha won 57-48.
In the second half, the Cowgirls cut down on their turnovers with 15; they had 21 giveaways in the first half. The Warriors finished with 21 turnovers.
Kohala started to work the ball better against Kamehameha’s 1-2-2 zone, finding Kekoa in the middle and kicking the ball out to Shimono and Maya Anderson. Shimono drained two 3-pointers and Anderson knocked down one.
In the junior varsity, it was Kohala 23, Kamehameha 22.
Kohala 10 0 12 14 — 36
Kamehameha 5 17 14 10 — 46
Keaau at Honokaa: The game was postponed after officials deemed the court was unplayable. No makeup date was announced.