A serendipitous by-product of producing a weekly column is the idea that I can, at times, play devil’s advocate to myself, and not have to pay any hefty fines. That said, I’m going to argue for a moment in favor
A serendipitous by-product of producing a weekly column is the idea that I can, at times, play devil’s advocate to myself, and not have to pay any hefty fines.
That said, I’m going to argue for a moment in favor of the current Kaua’i Interscholastic Federation schedule. It’s the one that crowns a first-round winner in both baseball and girls’ basketball, then gives that team a bye in a round-robin tournament to determine the KIF champion. Following the pages of this sports section even sporadically means you know the scenario of which I speak.
Recently, I’ve expressed my distaste for the schedule, as it leaves the first-round winner in jeopardy of losing once and having its season end.
Now, for grins, I’m going to use the Kapa’a Warriors girls basketball team to try and find a manner by which the new schedule may validate itself.
First, I must pose this question: Is it the goal of a sports league to send its most consistent team to the state tournament? Or is the idea to send the squad playing the best at season’s end? The latter, it seems, would have a better chance for success than the former.
For this reason, a mentally-focused Kapa’a Warriors team might give its first-round foe at the state tournament at least a fit or two. And I predict the Warriors will give both Waimea and Kaua’i similar fits when the round-robin tournament begins Saturday evening.
Kapa’a finished the KIF regular season 1-3, owners of the league’s worst record. But it won its final game, 53-49, over Kaua’i last Saturday night. Admittedly, it was the Red Raiders’ first contest since April 3. They looked rusty. It was also the first game for guard Cissy Dennis, thought by many to be the KIF’s best shooter. A foot injury had sidelined her for the season’s first two months.
Even still, the gap between the two teams — though the score perhaps doesn’t display it — was significant. The Warriors led by 15 midway through the final quarter.
Last Thursday against Waimea, Kapa’a looked perilously flat in its four-point loss. Had the Warriors executed Thursday as they did Saturday, the result would have been different.
The upcoming KIF tournament will allow Kapa’a one more chance to play with centrally-focused interest and inspired mental concentration. Despite the three losses and, at times, mindless play, two consecutive victories will send the Warriors to the state tournament. The strike-shortened season has made it just that easy.
Kapa’a’s opponent in the first game of that tournament has yet to be determined. Waimea and Kaua’i will settle that tonight at the Raider Dome. The winner will move directly to the May 15 round-robin final.
Right now, however, while those teams are vying for a first-round bye, the Warriors are honing their focus. The kind of focus that, Saturday, allowed them to force Kaua’i into 35 turnovers, most via full-court pressure. The kind of focus that inspired them to pound the ball into the paint area, where post players Kanoe Arinaga, Ashley Farias, Jasmine Stevenson, Danielle Hill and Lena Danner were effective.
The most important factor, however, was the focus of perhaps the KIF’s smallest player, Waiala Quisano. She’s a pint-sized ball of energy who also happens to be the only ball-handler on the island with a better chance of maintaining possession than not. If Quisano’s teammates get on the same page with their point-guard co-captain, the Warriors will have a much better chance at victory.
In addition to directing Kapa’a’s offense — making the proper pass more often than not — Quisano also spearheads the Warriors’ press. She and shooting guard Ihilani Yama trap the ball as soon as it’s inbounded, while Arinaga patrols the middle picking off errantly thrown passes.
The pressure has forced Kaua’i into 30-plus turnovers in each of the teams’ meetings. For some reason, Kapa’a hasn’t applied as much pressure in its contests against Waimea.
But rest assured, it will.
And should it manage to avoid the kind of lapse that on Saturday allowed Kaua’i to close the lead to 51-49 with under 30 seconds remaining, Kapa’a will be dangerous.
Though not evident last Thursday, there does seem to be an edge about the Warriors, a pack-of-wolves mentality.
Now, I’m not going to leave this column the same way I entered: I still would’ve like to see two rounds of KIF action.
But it’s fun to know I can have it both ways.
