Konawaena's Cherilyn Molina attempts to put up a shot over a Saint Mary's defender. Steve Erler | Special to SL

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The defending Big Island Interscholastic Federation champions fought valiantly, but St. Mary's length, depth and 3-point shooting proved to be too much for Konawaena to overcome.

The visiting Rams from Stockton, Calif. saw four players score in double figures to outlast Konawaena, 68-59, in the championship game of the 8th annual Iolani Classic girls basketball tournament. St. Mary's was ranked 10th in the latest MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Rankings heading into the contest.

Aquira DeCosta led the Rams' scoring effort with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Neje' Murray and Kat Tudor added 12 points each and Micole Cayton scored 11 before fouling out in the third quarter. DeCosta and Cayton were named to the all-tournament team and Tudor earned most valuable player honors.

Leading Konawaena in the loss was junior Chanelle Molina, the reigning All-Hawaii Girls Basketball Division I player of the year, with a near triple-double of 17 points, 15 rebounds, nine assists, four steals and two steals. Molina was also named the most outstanding player of the tourney.

"I knew I had to step it up since we were down," said Molina. "I knew I had to take over the game and be a leader, and just make all those hustle plays to pump up my team. I had to be a leader by example."

Other key contributors for the Wildcats include Molina's younger sisters, Celena and Cherilyn, who scored 13 points each. Reserve guard Aloha Salem added 10 points on two triples and Lindsey Bates filled up other categories of the stat sheet with six assists and three steals.

Although Konawaena (13-1) suffered its first loss of the year, the Wildcats should be extremely pleased with their performance in the tourney. Prior to meeting up with St. Mary's, Konawaena edged Miramonte, 63-62 in the first round of the tournament and knocked off Riverdale Baptist, 49-41 in the semifinals. Riverdale Baptist was ranked 17th in the latest MaxPreps' rankings, but was ranked No. 1 at one point in the year.

"We had great effort. I'm very proud of the way these girls performed these past few days," said Konawaena coach Bobbie Awa. "We always look forward to some great competition. We played three great teams. We're very fortunate to have the opportunity to play this type of competition leading up to this season."

St. Mary's led by as many as 16 points in the contest thanks to its prowess on the offensive glass (16 offensive rebounds, 39 total). The Rams were also able to connect on eight 3-pointers led by Cayton's three treys.

But Konawaena would not go down quietly into the night. With a strong defensive intensity the Wildcats were able to generate a handful of timely turnovers. The inspired play juiced-up the crowd, giving more fuel to Konawaena's rally. 

"We would put ball pressure up on top to force turnovers for an easy layup. That energy, it fed off every one of us and it got the crowd going which got us going. Every little steal, it pumped us up and gave us a lot of motivation," explained Chanelle Molina.

The Wildcats were also able to heat up from 3-point land in the fourth quarter. Chanelle Molina, Cherilyn Molina and Aloha Salem each knocked in a triple in the final period of play. The sharpshooting helped make it a six-point game with less than three minutes to play.

However, Konawaena could not muster anything else on the offensive end for the rest of the game and would end up losing by nine points. 

Konawaena will have a couple of days off before taking on Keaau next Tuesday.

2014 Iolani Prep Classic Girls Awards
All-Tournament Team
Jiana Li, ShenZhen
Celena Molina, Konawaena
Sabrina Inoescu, Miramonte
Lena Niang, Riverdale Baptist
Aquire DeCosta, St. Mary's
Keala Quinlan, Roosevelt
Keana Delos Santos, Miramonte
Honesty Grayson, Riverdale Baptist
Micole Cayton, St. Mary's
Most Outstanding Player: Chanelle Molina, Konawaena
Most Valuable Player (MVP): Kat Tudor, St. Mary's