By MATT GERHART Tribune-Herald sports writer ADVERTISING Seniors Chelsea Poe and Bobbi Montibon liken the Kamehameha girls basketball program to a big family. The reunion, it seems, is always in the Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division II championship game. Poe
By MATT GERHART
Tribune-Herald sports writer
Seniors Chelsea Poe and Bobbi Montibon liken the Kamehameha girls basketball program to a big family.
The reunion, it seems, is always in the Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division II championship game.
Poe scored 19 points Friday and Montibon put on an early shooting display from 3-point range and finished with 18 points as the Warriors raced past Hawaii Prep 54-36 in the semifinals at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.
Kamehameha (9-2) will try for its fifth straight league title tonight at 6 p.m. against Honokaa (8-3), which beat Ka’u in the other semifinal.
“It’s a new feeling every year,” said Poe, a four-year starter, “because it’s a different team. It seems like the chemistry gets stronger every year.”
The Warriors, last season’s state runner-up, also clinched another spot in the Hawaii High School Athletic Association tournament. It’s the eighth consecutive season the program will make the trip to Oahu.
“Everybody’s really disciplined and family-oriented,” said Montibon, who’s spent all four years on the varsity team. “We talk about defense, defense, defense. Everybody clicks and works together. All four years it’s been like that.”
Freshman Shayla Ignacio led the Ka Makani with 10 points, but HPA (8-4) was plagued by turnovers and poor shooting in the first quarter and never fully recovered.
Kamehameha scored the game’s first 12 points and twice led by as many as 20.
“Discipline, aggressiveness and teamwork,” Poe said of her team’s fast start, “basically the three things we live by … and heart.”
The Ka Makani still can reach their seventh straight state tournament with a win today against the Trojans (4-8) in the 4:30 p.m. third-place game.
HPA, which shot just 34 percent, lost to Kamehameha at BIIFs for the fifth consecutive year. The previous four came in the finals.
“We made a couple of nice runs, but you can’t turn the ball over against a good team,” HPA coach Craig Kimura said. “We played hard. We’re slowly getting better.”
That the Warriors’ stingy defense gave HPA problems came as little surprise, however Montibon’s shooting touch even caught coach Garrett Arima off-guard.
“We don’t rely on perimeter shooting,” Arima said, “but Bobbi was on fire.”
She hit her third 3-pointer before HPA scored its first point. When the Warriors forced misses and created turnovers, Poe fueled the transition game, scoring on a driving layup early in the second quarter to give Kamehameha a 24-4 lead.
“We’re not really a 3-point shooting team,” Montibon said, “but tonight it felt good.”
Sophomore Casey Poe scored nine points for Kamehameha, which shot 45 percent from the field.
The Ka Makani couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start. They turned the ball over six times in the first quarter and made only 2 of 13 from the field. Leading scorer Leahi Lindsey left the game after committing her third foul less than a minute into the second quarter.
Still, HPA responded. Ignacio followed a 3-point play with another basket to fuel HPA on a 10-0 run to pull within 28-17 at halftime.
Kamehameha, which had 10 turnovers in the second quarter, found its composure in the second half, thanks in large part to the play of Chelsea Poe at point guard.
She quickly got her team back in rhythm, finding teammates for open looks and scoring on a driving layup to cap an 11-0 spurt to push the Warriors back up by 20.
Even when HPA crept within 10, Arima knew his team’s fate was in good hands.
“Can’t say enough about what (Chelsea) means to this team,” Arima said. “Not just scoring, but passing and controlling tempo and leading our team. She makes really good decisions. I was proud of her at both ends of the court for the senior leadership she gives us.”
Lindsey, a senior, finished with seven points, while freshman Eliyah Fernandez and sophomore Chancis Fernandez chipped in with six apiece for the Ka Makani.
Hawaii Prep 4 13 12 7—36
Kamehameha 18 10 13 13 —54
Honokaa 36, Ka’u 29: Senior Precious Chong scored 12 points and junior Yvonne Daniels added 11 as the Dragons recovered from a sluggish start to secure a trip to the state tournament for the second straight season.
The Dragons got to Oahu last season by winning the third-place game, but they did it this time by advancing to their first BIIF final since 2007.
“I prefer this way,” coach James Lukzen said.
Sophomore Hunter Liftee added seven points.
Senior Pilialoha Kailiawa scored eight points for the Trojans, and senior Janessa Jara added seven.
Ka’u 9 14 3 3—29
Honokaa 3 15 12 6—36
