By Wes Nakama
Five-time defending girls basketball state champion ‘Iolani entered this season knowing there would be a challenging road to a sixth straight title. But that journey got tougher earlier this week, and just as the Raiders were preparing for a matchup against the nation’s No. 9-ranked team, Etiwanda (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) Friday night.
The ‘Iolani Girls Prep Classic semifinal game quickly turned into a showcase for the Eagles, who improved to 4-3 after a 75-40 victory and landed a spot in Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. tournament final against Long Island (Brookville, N.Y.) Lutheran (3-0). Etiwanda’s three losses were to MaxPreps No. 1 Ontario (Calif.) Christian, 74-66, Cypress (Texas) Springs, 65-63, and No. 8 Duncanville (Texas), 55-47.
Etiwanda finished last season ranked No. 1 by MaxPreps, after repeating as California Interscholastic Federation Open Division champion. Senior forward Grace Knox — a versatile 6-3 wing who can score inside and also make 3-pointers — signed with Louisiana State, and senior guard Puff Morris officially committed to Cal.
‘Iolani will play Pinewood (Los Altos Hills, Calif.) for third place at 6 p.m.
After the Raiders closed it to 7-5 Friday night on freshman Rayah Soriano’s 3-pointer from the left wing with 5:13 remaining in the first period, Morris answered with two free throws to ignite an impressive 22-2 run capped by Aliyah Phillips’ layup to make it 29-7 two minutes into the second period. Soriano knocked down another 3 — this one from the right wing — to cut it to 29-10 with 4:53 before halftime, but the Eagles responded with an 11-2 surge as Arynn Finley’s layup stretched the lead to 40-12 with 1:35 remaining.
Justice Kekauoha’s free throws cut it to 43-16 at halftime.
Etiwanda coach Stan Delus repeatedly encouraged his team to “squeeze” on defense.
“They have a lot of great guards,” Delus said of ‘Iolani. “We talked to our girls about containing the paint and containing the perimeter, because they do a really good job of getting into those gaps and if you rotate too hard, they’re going to find the open man by making those extra passes. So we wanted to do a good job of disrupting the top three guards with ball pressure and getting into those passing lanes, but also at the same time making sure we step over and take away some of those early driving lanes that they’re really good at.”
Defending the Raiders’ guards has become every opponent’s priority, since three-year starting center Mele Sake graduated and three-year veteran post Callie Pieper is now focusing on volleyball. In addition, ‘Iolani recently lost junior guard Dylan Neves and senior guard Kylie Chong Kee to season-ending knee injuries.
“Coming into the season, we knew we had to change because of different personnel, and then we lost two big-time contributors already for the season,” Raiders coach Dean Young said. “So we’ve had to change it again, and now we’re just trying to figure out how to survive. It kind of threw a wrench into our plan, of what we’re try to do. We just have to regroup, and do some different things.”
Mia Frye opened the second half with back-to-back nifty layups to close it to 43-20, but the Eagles answered with a 12-2 run to extend the lead to 55-22 five minutes in. Soriano swished a 3 from the right wing to close it to 55-27 with 2:12 left in the third period, but Etiwanda then scored three straight baskets to lead 62-27 entering the fourth.
Soriano, a 5-foot-7 guard, showed impressive confidence playing in her first ‘Iolani Classic. But that comes from prior experience last summer playing against top competition for Why Not Premier, a club team based in Southern California.
“One of my best friends is on Etiwanda, she’s number 12 (Ella Ramirez), she’s my teammate in club,” said Soriano, who finished with 11 points including three 3-pointers. “It was tough (tonight), but we stayed as One Team and tried to share the ball as much as we could.”
Young said with this year’s guard-heavy squad that lacks height and experience in the post, playing up-tempo will be key.
“We always try to get something in transition, but in particular, against a team like that (Etiwanda),” Young said. “If we go up against their halfcourt (defense), it’s a nightmare. So we’re going to try and hit them early in transition.”
Morris finished with a game-high 25 points, Knox added 14 points and Finley contributed 11 points.
For the Eagles, who are in the ‘Iolani Classic for the first time, the trip represents not just another opportunity to play against top competition, but also a chance to visit and appreciate Hawai’i. Etiwanda beat former Classic champion Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) for the past two state titles, and also faced former Classic powerhouse programs like Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) and Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.) in recent years.
“We’re a public school and we don’t have all the resources that some of the private schools have,” Delus said. “These are local kids from our neighborhood, and for most of these girls, this is their first time in Hawai’i. It’s just amazing to see their faces, for them to see this island and how beautiful it is. That’s pretty special, that they will have these memories forever.”