Dragons Recover to Earn DII Title Berth

It was a slow start for the top seed from the Western Division, but as Yvonne Daniels got going, so did her Honoka’a Dragons as they recovered to defeat the Ka’u Trojans 36-29 in semifinal action at the KTA Super Stores / BIIF Division II Girls Basketball Tournament.

Daniels, the lone junior on the squad, did nothing offensively in the first quarter. The Dragons didn’t do anything either, making one field goal, a Prescious Chong trey, out of eight tries. Daniels got agressive in the second quarter, scoring 4 points on 1-of-5 shooting, along with a pair of free throws. The Dragons got rallied around her effort, as Jasmine Castro and Chong put in four points each in that quarter, pushing Honoka’a to a 16-14 halftime advantage.

The Trojans began to fall farther behind as the second half got underway. The Trojans went over four minutes without a field goal in the third quarter, and Pilialoha Kailiawa’s layup in the third quarter was the only basket that Ka’u made all quarter. Coupled with eight turnovers in the quarter, the Trojans fell behind by 11 points as the third quarter came to a close.

Ka’u, however, was not out of the game. The Trojans got back within single digits and held there over midway through the quarter, thanks to a combined effort from Kailiawa, Janessa Jara, and Taylor Pocock from the field and from the line. In the end, Honoka’a had built up too much too much of an advantage to lose, advancing them to the tournament’s championship game.

The Dragons will face Kamehameha-Hawaii on Saturday night at 6:00 pm for the tournament championship. Both Honoka’a and the Warriors will head to Honolulu for the Hawaiian Airlines / HHSAA Girls State Basketball Championships next Tuesday through Friday. As for Ka’u, they will face Hawaii Prep for third place in the tournament and the final state tournament berth. Tip-off of the third place game is at 4:30 pm.

Ka’u  9 5 3 12 – 29

Honoka’a 3 13 12 8 – 36

Ka’u Stats: 9-32 FG (28.1%), 0-5 3PT (0.0%), 11-20 FT (55.0%)

Honoka’a Stats: 14-43 FG (32.6%), 1-7 3PT (14.3%), 7-11 FT (63.6%)

Leading Scorers: KA’U – Pilialoha Kailiawa 10, Janessa Jara 7, Shaylin Navarro 4, Taylor Pocock 3, Casey Koi 2, Toni Beck 2, Joyce Ibasan 1. HONOKA’A – Precious Chong 11, Yvonne Daniels 10, Hunter Liftee 7, Jasmine Castro 4, Kasia Wilson 2, Shereen Bird 2.