Kailua captures first-ever OIA girls basketball crown

The Kailua girls basketball team pose for a photo after winning the school's first-ever OIA championship. CJ Caraang | SL

MAKALAPA — It's been a long time coming.

The Kailua girls basketball team captured its first-ever OIA title in school history with a 31-24 win over Kalaheo in the league's Division II championship game Wednesday night at Radford's James Alegre Gymnasium.

Freshman guard Myah Galdeira led all scorers with 12 points and had a game-high four assists to go along with eight rebounds to lead the Surfriders (7-6 league), who won their sixth straight game.

Fellow freshman Saige Martinez added eight with two first-half 3-pointers that helped Kailua take a 17-12 lead at the break. Miyah Galdeira, the twin sister of Myah, had seven points and seven rebounds and sophomore Laia Ribas had four points with 11 rebounds and a game-high five steals to round out Kailua's scorers.

"We're really proud," said Kailua coach Mandy Llamedo. "We talked a lot today about doing it for the Kailua community. We had a look at the old title games. We wanted to do Kailua proud so we're really happy."

The last time the Surfriders were in the title game was in 2013 when they lost, 59-51, to the Mustangs (7-7 league), who were seeking their ninth overall crown.

Kailua had a rough start to the season, dropping its season-opener to Farrington before having to forfeit three straight games due to a low turnout and a lack of eligible players during the winter break with players either out with injury or on family trips. Llamedo even said some practices only had three girls at a time.

"It was challenging all season," she said.

But the Surfriders stuck with it and earned their first win on the court just 19 days prior to the OIA championship with a 33-26 win over Castle. Four days later they pick up their biggest win of the season with a 46-27 win over the Mustangs.

Wednesday's rematch was a much closer contest. Kalaheo took an early 6-1 lead and led 8-6 after the first quarter with Tyra Arends (11 points, 12 rebounds) either scoring or assisting on all of the Mustangs' first quarter points.

"Hats off to Kalaheo because they gave us a good game, they made a lot of adjustments," said Llamedo. "We had to work a lot harder. Their defense was on it."

Myah Galderia tied it early in the second after a steal and finish and Miyah Galderia took the lead, 11-10 with a bucket with 3:43 remaining in the first half. Martinez was responsible for the next six points for Kailua with a pair of triples to give Kailua a 17-12 halftime lead.

"We had to put ourselves together," said Myah Galdeira. "We were all over the place. We had to talk to each other, get each other calm."

Kalaheo roared back in the second half after a Mahina Kanoa 3-pointer and a Jaelyn Jackson basket to tie the game at 17. Miyah Galderia's runner retook the lead for Kailua, but Arends followed it up a bucket of her own.

Kailua finally took the lead for good after Myah Galderia gathered her own miss and dished it out to Miyah Galderira for a triple. The twin sisters then reversed the action and generated two points from a baseline shot by Myah Galdeira to make it a 24-19 game heading into the final period of play.

"They push each other to be better," Llamedo said of the Galderia sisters. "They really settled into each other on the floor."

Kalaheo never got closer the rest of the way and Kailua was able to hold on for the win.

Reach Michael Lasquero at [email protected].