Girls Basketball
Raiders evolved throughout the season to finish as state champions




A fourth-straight state title didn't come easy, but Iolani found a way to adapt and endure the adversity to finish as the top team in the state.

The Raiders capped a remarkable, winding season with a 59-38 win over Konawaena in the Heide & Cook/HHSAA Division I Girls Basketball State Championships in front of 1,318 fans at SimplFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.

The "One Team" motto originated with legendary coach Father Kenneth A. Bray and this year's squad totally embraced and embodied that adage throughout the season.

Unlike the past championship seasons, Iolani did not have a go-to scorer and had to rely on scoring by committee. Paige Oh averaged 9.9 points per game, next came Mele Sake with 9.3 ppg, and Haylie-Anne Ohta with 9.2 ppg.

"This group, there's no superstar. There's no Division I scholarship player on the roster. The speech at the beginning of the season was, 'It's going to be a team effort. It's going to be all you role players working together to get it done.' That's what I'm going to remember. When you have a Lily Wahinekapu, Jovi Wahinekapu Lefotu, Jaety Mandaquit, the Huntimers, Kyra Tanabe, Taylor Wu, you expect certain things. This group, we didn't have that. It took them buying in and a complete-team effort to get it done," Iolani Dean Young said.

Ohta, whose father Cy is an assistant coach, was with the program since her freshman year and agreed with that assessment.

"This one is the most special. This year, our team never had a Lily, Jovi, or Jaety. I feel like everyone stepped up tonight and it was a team effort. We got better throughout the season and it all came to the final and I think we executed well," Ohta added.

Repeating as ILH champions looked iffy after losses to Maryknoll earlier in the regular season. Since a 43-22 loss to the Spartans on Jan. 7, Iolani rattled off six-straight wins and forced a playoff game with Maryknoll to get into the state tournament.

In their ILH playoff game, Iolani rallied from a 13-point deficit in the third quarter and outscored Maryknoll in the fourth, 20 to 8 to get back into the dance.

The next night, Iolani ran into a red-hot Kamehameha-Kapalama squad that handed them a 46-34 loss, but bounced back two nights later to beat the Warriors, 38-25, to claim the league championship and seeded berth.

"We went through some ups and downs this season. It was foreign for some people who were playing last year. But we came through the adversity and we came out on top," Oh said, who scored a team-high 17 points against Konawaena.

Callie Pieper and Mele Sake, listed at 6-feet and 6-foot-1 respectively, could start a window cleaning company after their work on the glass in the state tournament. In their three state tournament games, the Raiders pounded the paint and outrebounded their opponents, 101 to 69.

"I feel they did really good. They were strong and got a lot of rebounds for us. That's what we need them for. It's nice when they can put the ball back in the hoop and get offensive rebounds. They do a lot of the dirty work that no one really recognizes, but it means a lot to our team," Ohta said of Pieper and Sake.

Pieper led the Raiders in scoring against Maui in their 50-35 quarterfinal win with 16 points and six rebounds. The next night in the semifinals, it was Sake's turn and she put up a big double-double, 23-and-13 to carry the team past Campbell, 41-33.

Sake led all players with 12 rebounds, five were offensive, in the title game and Pieper hauled five boards. Both were named to the All-Tournament team and Sake was voted the Most Outstanding Player.

The Raiders lost starting guards Abby Tanaka to a knee injury and Keiki McGee also went down with injury forcing Young and staff to tweak their lineup and schemes. Eventually both returned to the court and played limited minutes.

It even took a One Team effort from Iolani's medical and training staff to get Tanaka back into action. Since the injury, Tanaka played her first game against Punahou on Jan. 20 after missing nearly a month and played the entire fourth quarter in the quarterfinals and two minutes total in the title game.

"With all the trainers at the school, Garvin Tsuji, Charley Gima, and Megan Dolores, they did a really good job rehabbing with me and Dr. Calvin Oishi, he got me an MRI fast. There's a lot of people supporting me trying to get me back fast," Tanaka said.

On the defensive side of the ball, Iolani went to a 2-3 zone that limited the driving lanes for Campbell and Konawaena, two teams that relied on movement, motion, and spacing. The Sabers and Wildcats shot 33.3 percent and 29.4 percent from the field respectively.

When called upon to contribute, other girls stepped up in the right moments.

"I believed in our team, but I knew it would take a lot more effort. Everybody had to contribute a little more," Oh said.

Since being inserted in the starting line up, Mia Frye made the most of her opportunities. Her hustle and determination on both ends of the floor provided a spark for the Raiders. In their state tournament games, she had four assists against Maui, four steals against Campbell, and four boards against Konawaena.

Kanoe Hanohano came off the bench in the title game for seven points to match her season-high. In the third quarter, she attacked the rim and drew fouls on Braelyn Kauhi and Alexa Meyer to cash in four points from the free throw line to put Iolani up 17. She was in the right place, at the right time as Ohta swung it her way for a 3-pointer in the left corner to make it, 47-34 with 5:02 left in the fourth.

"Kanoe, just finishing with through with her plays and getting to the free throw line, just shows the type of player she is and her perseverence," Tanaka said.

"That's an example. It's beautiful," Young said of Hanohano. "The next man up stepping up to contribute. A lot of the success is, them supporting each other. Knowing that if they make a mistake, the team got their back and it's okay. Knowing that us coaches will tell them, learn from that mistake, get better, next play. That attitude allows them to compete without fear."

Ohta, who led the team with 29 made 3-pointers on the season, could not get her shot to fall in the state tournament, but left an imprint to help her team. She amassed nine total assists in the three state tournament games and came away with three steals in the semifinal and championship games. Her assists led to baskets that padded double-digit leads throughout the title game.

Ohta pushed the ball in transition and handled the pressure as Konawaena turned to their press late in the game.

"Haylie is a calm point guard you can rely on and breaking the press would be easy for her and finding the open lanes to Callie or Mele," Tanaka said.

When it's all said and done, the 2022-23 squad cemented their legacy among Young's four state championship teams.

"I'm so blessed to have amazing girls come through the program. They do all the work on the court and all the credit goes to them," Young said.



Reach Brandon Ching at [email protected].




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