It was never close between Waiakea and Moanalua at the Division I state tournament on Monday at the Warriors Gym, where all the energy was monopolized by the home team.
The Warriors eviscerated the Menehune 51-31 in a girls basketball game that was so lopsided it looked like a Division I team smashing a Division II school.
But Moanalua (12-3) played a rugged schedule in the OIA, losing to runner-up Mililani 37-32 in the playoffs and beating Nanakuli 44-42 and Roosevelt 46-28 before getting eliminated by Waiakea.
Waiakea (7-3) next plays OIA champion Campbell (13-0) in the quarterfinals at 3 p.m. Thursday at Moanalua High on Oahu. BIIF champion Konawaena (8-0) plays the Mililani at 5 p.m. Thursday at McKinley High.
The Warriors did everything better. They shot, defended, and handled the ball better.
Jolie Mantz scored 18 points, hitting four 3-pointers, and Avery Snyder dominated with a double-double (10 points and 10 rebounds), and Korri Fernandez had nine points and nine rebounds for the Warriors, who bolted to a 13-5 lead after the first quarter and led 24-13 at halftime.
It helped that Waiakea lost to Konawaena 57-48 for the BIIF championship and toppled Hilo 50-48 in the BIIF semifinals. Two tough teams prepared the Warriors well.
“We came off two tough games against Hilo and Kona,” Waiakea coach Alika Smith said. “The girls played at a high level, other than the first quarter against Kona (23-5). We’re fortunate enough to be here, and I told them you have 12 of the best teams in the state now. It’s not going to be a walk through so you have to be prepared and take care of the ball.
“They’re still learning. They’re still young. This is good for them to experience. Our defense effort was very good. Anytime you hold a team to 13 points in the first half, you’re doing something right. They work hard defensively and did a good job. We got a lot of wide-open shots, but we need to move the ball a little bit more.”
Kiare Kepano and backup Tayshia Rocha are the only seniors. Fernandez is a junior, Mantz, Snyder, Maya Kaneshiro, and guard Hannah Iwahiro, who each had three points, are all sophomores.
Shailoh Liilii scored nine points, Rheanna Nobleza added eight, and Erin Manlapit had seven points for the Menehune, who were outscored 27-18 in the second half.
Waiakea outrebounded Moanalua 39-19. Ava Santos came off the bench and snagged eight rebounds. The Warriors also had more steals, 9-5. Kepano picked the Menehune’s pocket for four steals.
Mantz, a sophomore guard, was smoking hot in the first quarter. She knocked down three triples. The Menehune were wobbled and never recovered. It looked as if Moanalua left its shooting touch back on Oahu.
“It feels great. I didn’t think we were going to get it this year. I thought we were going to get it next year,” Mantz said. “But I’m proud of us for working hard and getting better. We played good. We had a lot of rebounds and got stuff. My stroke was kind of off but a couple went in.”
That’s the shooter’s mentality — shoot when you’re hot and shoot until you get hot.
The Menehune couldn’t stop Mantz’ 3-point shooting because she shoots it anywhere from 3 to 5 feet beyond the 19 feet, 9 inch arc. Before they could recover from a screen and contest a shot, the ball was already launched.
The younger Warriors dominated the Menehune in the paint. In the third quarter, Waiakea made 4 of 6 free throws, the last by Santos to give the Warriors a 30-15 lead before Mantz hit her final triple.
That produced a 33-15 cushion and a response from Moanalua coach Kirk Ronolo, who said, “Two different games going on hea (here).”
Indeed, he was right.
