HILO — One of the isle’s top girls soccer teams remained unbeaten on Wednesday at Waiakea High School.
The Lady Warriors routed Kealakehe in the Lady Waveriders’ season opener by a score of 7-1. Two Waiakea stars notched hat tricks to lead the team — Daye Yanazaki and Elina Salai. Charlie Silva scored the other.
Through five matches to begin 2024-25, Kalia Franklin leads the Lady Warriors with eight goals, followed by Silva with six, Yanazaki with five and Salai with four. The group has outscored opponents 31-2 in its 5-0-0 start to the new season.
Naia Garana led Kealakehe (0-1-0) with the team’s lone goal.
Waiakea will aim to keep its hot start going with its next match against Hilo on Monday at Wong Stadium. The Lady Waveriders will also next take the pitch against the Lady Vikings — scheduled to play at 4 p.m. Saturday at Hilo High.
Basketball:
Kohala 56, Hilo 21
Kohala girls basketball rolled over Hilo on Wednesday night in King Kamehameha Park Gymnasium in Kapa‘au, winning 56-21.
After the Cowgirls led 8-4 after a quarter, they started to get into a rhythm — scoring at least 15 points in every remaining quarter. The winners tallied an impressive 28 steals, staying aggressive defensively until the final buzzer. The Lady Vikings were unable to counter, failing to reach double figures in scoring during each interval.
Kohala’s (7-1 overall, 2-0 BIIF) Halia Perez-Bobek, who averages nearly 11 points per game in Big Island Interscholastic Federation (BIIF) play, scored a game-high 15 points, a game-high 11 steals and a block. Teammate Kalia Marquez, who averages 10.5 points per contest in conference play, added nine points, four assists and seven steals. Loryn-Rose Carvalho also notched seven steals for the Cowgirls.
Hilo (2-7 overall, 1-2 BIIF) did not have any double-digit scorers, but Anuhea Ferreira, the team’s leading scorer this season, added a team-high eight points. Teammate Madysin Galima had five points.
Kohala is on a roll to start this season, now winners of four consecutive. The Cowgirls have averaged 56 points per game in the BIIF while allowing less than 26. They’ll look to keep their streak going against fellow DII powerhouse Pahoa, scheduled to tip off Tuesday in Pahoa town.
The Lady Vikings will next take the floor against Kealakehe next Friday at home.
KSH 67, Ka‘u 38
Kamehameha Schools-Hawai‘i boys basketball remained unbeaten in conference play after a 67-38 rout of Ka‘u on Wednesday in Kea‘au.
The Warriors got off to a commanding 20-7 start after the first quarter, and didn’t let up from there. They outscored the Trojans in every period, and it quickly became too much for Ka‘u to overcome.
Kawohi Huihui of KSH scored a game-high 18 points, followed by teammate Kai Kanana-Rowe with 17. On the Trojans’ side, Cody Rassmussen was the only Ka‘u player to reach double figures, scoring 17 points. Teammates Daeten Castillo and Kaulana Akiona combined for 15.
Riding a three-game win streak, the Warriors (5-0) are scoring nearly 70 points a night in BIIF play while allowing just under 47. Their next test will be against Pahoa at 6 p.m. Saturday in Pahoa town.
The Trojans (2-5 overall, 1-3 BIIF) have a quick turnaround, next playing Konawaena at 7 p.m. tonight inside Ellison Onizuka Gymnasium.
Honoka‘a 32,
CLA 26
Honoka‘a girls basketball made its way back to .500 in the BIIF after a 12-point victory over the hosting Christian Liberty Academy Canefire on Wednesday in Kea‘au.
Telia Laeli, who averages 15.4 points per game in the BIIF and 13.7 overall, led the Lady Dragons with 10 points — the only Honoka‘a player in double-figure scoring. Teammates Megan Murakane and Ava Tabucbuc scored nine each.
Shiloh Glenn of CLA finished with a game-high 11 points, averaging nearly 14 points per game to lead her team in the early season.
The Lady Dragons (3-5 overall, 3-3 BIIF) are averaging more than 42 points per game while allowing 40.8 in conference play. Their next challenge awaits Tuesday, when Honoka‘a will host Parker School in its gymnasium.
The Canefire (1-4) will try to get back on track Saturday night — hosting the red-hot Pahoa Daggers at 6 p.m. in Kea‘au.
NOTE: Upcoming game dates and times are subject to change.
