Top Performers
Iolani's Lee, Konawaena's Molina lead standouts




Male Athlete of the Week: Kawika Lee, Iolani basketball
Kawika Lee has been a jack of all trades for the Iolani boys basketball team.

The 6-foot-1 junior guard has done a little bit of everything this season, but in a couple of wins last week, Lee led the way offensively for the Raiders.

"He's pretty much played everything for us," Iolani coach Dean Shimamoto said of Lee.

"He's kind of our Swiss army-knife guy. For us, he's been doing a lot of things. He's our backup point guard, he guards (against) every position, he's one of our top rebounders, so he's one of those guys that you have to keep on the floor for one reason or another because if he's not playing well offensively, he will still be doing something else."

Lee scored a game-high 15 points last Tuesday in a 58-49 win over Saint Louis. He shot 4 of 4 from the free-throw line and made one of the Raiders' five 3-pointers.

The win over the Crusaders marked a season-best in points scored for Lee. That is, until Saturday's showdown against No. 2 Punahou in the final game of the Interscholastic League of Honolulu first round.

Lee poured in 19 points to lead Iolani, No. 8 in the ScoringLive/Hawaiian Electric Power Rankings, to a 63-58 upset of the second-ranked Buffanblu.

"He was just really steady, but really other than the offense, that's kind of what he's been doing all season, so just to kind of round it out on the offensive side was nice to see and we hope that it's something that he can continue throughout this ILH tournament and hopefully further," Shimamoto said.

Lee stroked a season-high three 3-pointers and was a perfect 10 of 10 from the free-throw line.

"Saturday, we saw him shoot the ball with confidence and knock them down at the free-throw line, so I would it was a breakout game for him offensively, for sure," Shimamoto said.

Offensive production has been the area of Lee's game where he has shown the most improvement, Shimamoto added.

"He hasn't been much of an attacker in the past — he wasn't last year, but he was capable of it — and I think his skill set will allow him to get to the hole and get to the line, but his mentality wasn't there yet because he wants to make sure we get the best shot and he wants to make sure he doesn't over shoot or make the turnovers," Shimamoto said.

Lee, who is also a member of the boys volleyball team, has been on the varsity team since his freshman season — when he was pulled up after the end of the JV schedule — but is a first-year regular starter. Shimamoto said Lee tends to be an under-the-radar type of player.

"It's almost kind of boring because he's not flashy and very workmanlike, but he kind of does those things that coaches like — pays attention to the details, is always correctly positioned, tries to take the right shot all the time, but sometimes in our offense it leads you to be too passive sometimes where we want him to be more aggressive — so it was good to see Saturday where he was looking for his shot a little more and was able to get to the line a little more and be an offensive threat for us," Shimamoto said.

Lee's progress and development has taken a similar path.

"Everything has been good and it's not like there's been a big jump; He just keeps getting better and better and better little by little every day," said Shimamoto, who noted Lee's ability to stay calm under pressure.

"He does so many things and just does them all well, but I would say his best attribute is he has a really good demeanor," Shimamoto said. "He never gets too high, never gets too low and always seems focused. It seems like he really understands the game well, so he has a high basketball IQ and as a coach, those are the things that you really appreciate."

Iolani (4-6) has won three of its last five games and hope to parlay some momentum from Saturday's win into the ILH second round (single-elimination tournament), which gets underway Thursday.

"The win over Punahou was huge. We want to be playing our best basketball at the end and we've been preaching to the guys that this going to be a long process and that the league is really good, so you might lose some games in between, but you've got to get better in the process," Shimamoto said.

"We've been playing for the end of the season and we've got these games coming up and where its win or go home, so if we stopped midway and we weren't progressing and got devastated by a loss, we wouldn't be ready come the end, so it's nice to see some of that work and some of that attention to detail everyday has paid off."

Lee and the fourth-seeded Raiders will host fifth seed Mid-Pacific at 6 p.m. Thursday, with the winner moving on to face No. 1 seed Maryknoll Saturday.


Female Athlete of the Week: Cherilyn Molina, Konawaena basketball
In her final prep game on the Big Island, Cherilyn Molina put on a performance to remember.

The Konawaena senior guard was one assist shy of a triple-double Thursday night as the Wildcats, No. 3 in the ScoringLive/Hawaiian Electric Girls Basketball Power Rankings, pulled away from then-No. 8 Waiakea 48-29 in the championship game of the Big Island Interscholastic Federation Division I tournament.

Molina scored 15 points with 10 rebounds, including six on the offensive glass, and recorded nine assists without a turnover. She also added three steals and a block for the Wildcats (12-0), who claimed their 10th consecutive league title.

After trailing the Warriors by a point at halftime, the Wildcats outscored them in the third quarter by a margin of 15 to 1.

In Wednesday night's 51-point semifinal rout of Keaau, Molina contributed 15 points, four boards, four steals, three assists and a block.

Konawaena has won the state crown in each of Molina's three seasons. She was named All-Hawaii Third Team as a freshman before being selected to the First Team in each of the past two years.

Molina, one of three seniors on the team, signed in early November with Washington State, where she will join older sisters and former Konawaena standouts, Chanelle and Celena.

The Wildcats are seeded second in this week's Snapple/HHSAA Division I State Championships and will face Moanalua in a quarterfinal Thursday, 5 p.m. at McKinley's Student Council Gymnasium.

BOYS BASKETBALL
Charles Abe, Le Jardin — Scored 20 points in a loss to Saint Francis

Kekaukahi Alameda, Hilo — Scored 26 points in a win over St. Joseph

Jayrius Alapai, Nanakuli — Scored 18 points in a loss to Mililani

Cole Arceneaux, Punahou — Scored 24 points in a win over Saint Louis

Elijah Busenbark, Christian Academy — Scored 19 points in a win over Lanakila Baptist

Kallen Cardines, Pahoa — Scored 30 points in a loss to Kealakehe

Cannen Chiu, Kalaheo — Scored 20 points in a win over Kailua

Zayne Chong, Punahou — Scored 24 points in a win over Kamehameha and scored 26 points in a loss to Iolani

Kaimi Dunaway, Punahou II — Scored 25 points in a win over Saint Louis II

Leif Fautanu, University Lab — Scored 20 points in a win over Hawaii Baptist

Liam Fitzgerald, Leilehua — Scored 19 points in a win over Aiea

Mikael French, Hawaiian Mission — Scored 19 points in a loss to Island Pacific and scored 20 points in a loss to Lanakila Baptist

Cameron Henry, Mililani — Scored 20 points in a win over Nanakuli

Bryton Lewi, Kealakehe — Scored 21 points in a win over Pahoa

Jeffrey Mangahis, Lanakila Baptist — Scored 21 points in a win over Hawaiian Mission

Yoshimi Matoba, Christian Academy — Scored 21 points in a loss to Assets

Micah Mitchell, Hawaii Baptist — Scored 29 points in a loss to University Lab

Zoar Nedd, Kapolei — Scored 19 points in a win over Campbell

Kameron Ng, Saint Francis — Scored 29 points in a win over Le Jardin and scored 28 points in a win over Damien

Kapaa Nishimura, Kalani — Scored 21 points in a win over Kaimuki

Geremy Robinson, Moanalua — Scored 22 points in a win over Kaimuki

Keegan Scanlan, St. Joseph — Scored 18 points in a loss to Hilo

Fred Taulung, Kaimuki — Scored 19 points in a loss to Moanalua

Christmas Togiai, Kamehameha — Scored 19 points in a loss to Punahou

Everett Torres-Kahapea, Kailua — Scored 21 points in a loss to Kahuku and scored 23 points in a loss to Kalaheo

Jacob Weinhardt, Island Pacific — Scored 18 points in a win over Hawaiian Mission

Jayden Wyatt, Nanakuli — Scored 18 points in a loss to Mililani


GIRLS BASKETBALL
Jazelle Dorser, Waiakea — Scored 15 points with 11 rebounds in a win over Hilo

Kaylie Espinas, Kalani — Scored 15 points in a win over Moanalua

Bella Fernandez, Honokaa — Scored 16 points in a win over Hawaii Prep

Julia Fisher, Le Jardin — Scored 20 points in a win over University Lab

Khrystyna Kanahele, Christian Academy — Scored 27 points in a win over La Pietra

Sisilia Kaufusi, Kahuku — Scored 21 points in a loss to Moanalua

Caylie Kaupu, Konawaena — Scored 15 points with 12 rebounds in a win over Waiakea

Tori Lynn Maeda, Iolani — Scored 18 points in a win over Kamehameha

Jordyn Mantz, Kamehameha-Hawaii — Scored 16 points in a win over Kohala

Dallas Martinez, Sacred Hearts — Scored 22 points in a loss to Maryknoll

Tatiana Rideout, Hilo — Scored 11 points with 12 rebounds in a loss to Waiakea

Raven Rosa-Lasco, Moanalua — Scored 18 points in a win over Kahuku

Dahlis Sablay, Mililani — Scored 19 points in a loss to Kalani

Delylah Sanerivi, Moanalua — Scored 21 points with 16 rebounds in a win over Kahuku

Mikayla Tablit, Konawaena — Scored 18 points in a win over Keaau

Meleane Tonga, Kahuku — Scored 16 points with 10 rebounds in a loss to Moanalua

Sunshine Vicente, Roosevelt — Scored 18 points in a win over Castle

Kiana Vierra, Kamehameha — Scored 16 points in a loss to Iolani

Lily Lefotu Wahinekapu, Iolani — Scored 18 points in a loss to Maryknoll


BOYS SOCCER
Isaiah Easley, Makua Lani — Scored two goals in a win over Keaau

Ryan Yavinsky, Island School — Scored two goals in a win over Kauai


GIRLS SOCCER
Brianna Binder, Kapaa — Scored three goals in a win over Waimea

Kaile Halvorsen, Kaiser — Scored three goals in a win over Kapolei and scored the lone goal in a win over Aiea

Kassie Inouye, Baldwin — Scored the lone goal in a win over Kamehameha-Maui

Hokulei Ishikawa, Campbell — Scored three goals in a win over Kalani

Tawney Lee-Wilcox, Leilehua — Scored three goals in a win over McKinley

Shaley Mercado, Kaiser — Scored two goals in a win over Moanalua

Callie Mullen, Mililani — Scored the lone goal in a win over Pearl City

Halle Nottage, Makua Lani — Scored four goals in a win over Keaau

Jenna Perry, Hawaii Prep — Scored three goals in a win over Honokaa

Rayna Santiago, Nanakuli — Scored four goals in a win over Farrington and scored the lone goal in a win over Leilehua

Starlyn Soares, Kauai — Scored two goals in a win over Island School

Kaylee Sumida, Moanalua — Scored two goals in a win over Campbell

Amber Tadeo-Gilbert, Mililani — Scored two goals in a win over Kahuku, scored two goals in a win over Castle and scored twice in a win over Kaiser

Paris Tangelder, Kapaa — Scored three goals in a win over Waimea

Teah Van Bergen, Hawaii Prep — Scored three goals in a win over Honokaa

Kehela Ventura, Kauai — Scored two goals in a win over Island School

Nanea Wall, Konawaena — Scored three goals in a win over Kealakehe

Amber Williams, Waipahu — Scored the lone goal in a win over Roosevelt

Kekaimalie Woods, Sacred Hearts — Scored three goals in a win over Damien

Kiestyn Yamamoto, Keaau — Scored two goals in a loss to Makua Lani



Reach Kalani Takase at [email protected].




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