Kahuku players celebrate after winning the OIA Girls Water Polo champiponship. Brien Ing | SL

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Mililani's Martiza Segovia puts a shot on goal for a score against Kahuku. Brien Ing | SL

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Kahuku's Nohea Kahaulelio winds up for a shot on goal against Mililani. Kahaulelio finished with 4 goals scored on the afternoon. Brien Ing | SL

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Led by four scores put in by junior Nohea Kahaulelio, Kahuku feasted for 11 goals to topple Mililani, winning a fifth straight OIA water polo crown at Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center.

But make no mistake, the Lady Red Raiders are far from satisfied, in fact, they are downright hungry.

"Everyone is always chasing us, trying to beat us, which keeps us hungry," said Kahuku head coach Makana Leiaataua. "And I know Mililani has been practicing as hard just as much, and they wanted it as much as we did."

"We wanted it so bad. Like we say in practice, if you want it, you want it," said Nohea Kahaulelio. "Take it out in the game. Its such a good feeling for us to just win."

Kahuku established a margin early, with goals by Indie Pyzel and Jakee Anderson within a 40-second span of each other at the 3:00 mark of the first period, but Mililani responded with a score of their own at the 2:01 mark by Shelby Parker to keep things close.

The Lady Red Raiders added three more goals in the second period, one each by sisters Nohea and Kahea Kahaulelio, which bookended the second goal of the afternoon by Anderson, and looked poised to break things open at any moment.

But a score just prior to the final minute of play in the second period by Dru Daley kept the Trojans within a pair of goals at the intermission.

Mililani rode the momentum of that goal at the end of the second half at the start of the third period, closing to within 5-4 on a score by Martiza Segovia, but that was as close as the Lady Trojans were able to get.

Kahuku proceeded to close out the game on a 6-2 scoring run, capped off by a back-to-the-goal, no-look laser of a shot by Nohea Kahaulelio that extended the lead to four goals with just over 2 minutes left in the contest.

"I've been working on that shot for a long time," said Nohea Kahaulelio of her show-stopping score. "That's actually my favorite shot, so when I get into hole set, I want that."

Nohea and Kahea combined for five goals on the day, placing the sisters in a tie for fifth in scoring amongst Division I players with 31 goals each.

"Nohea and her sister have been with our program since fifth grade," said Leiaataua. "She's one of those players who is just talented on her own, you don't coach that, you just let her play and she knows what to do, get the ball in the net."

Kahuku will enter next week's HHSAA Girls Water Polo championships with a seeded berth and the Lady Red Raiders will no doubt rely on the experience gained in last year's runner-up finish to help provide added motivation and focus.

"We need to always challenge the ILH teams. Last year (in the HHSAA semifinals) we had to play Iolani, and our girls were mentaily ready for that game and we came out with the win," said Leiaataua.

"(It was) the first time in history that we were able to play in the championship game against. So our girls need to continue to work on their mental toughness, and hopefully by next weeek they'll be ready."

Nohea and company seem primed and pumped for another shot at a state title.

"We're so hungry, we want it so bad," said Nohea Kahaulelio speaking about HHSAA title aspirations. "Last year it was close, and this year I keep talking to my twin sister, like imagine that we're in the finals again. Let's do this."

"We're hungry," said Leiaataua echoing the sentiment of her players. "Plate lunch. Plate lunch hungry."