KAPAA — Perhaps the third time will be the charm. With winning three consecutive Kauai Interscholastic Federation championships comes with three straight trips to states. “This is my fifth time going to states. The farthest we got was fourth,” Kapaa
KAPAA — Perhaps the third time will be the charm.
With winning three consecutive Kauai Interscholastic Federation championships comes with three straight trips to states.
“This is my fifth time going to states. The farthest we got was fourth,” Kapaa varsity girls basketball coach William Aki said during Thursday’s practice. “I’m hoping with the experience that we’ve had in the last three years, we can get over that hump.”
Kapaa High School’s varsity girls basketball team (8-0 KIF) is set to make its trip to Big Island, home island of last year’s Division II champion Honokaa, on Wednesday for the OC16 Girls Basketball Championships — Division II tournament.
Seedings will be released Sunday. Aki hopes an undefeated run in the KIF season will be good enough to grant his team a seed and a first-round bye.
Whatever hand the team is dealt, the Warriors coach is confident the team is prepared for what comes because most of his players have been there before.
“Two years ago, the team that we went up with, that’s what kind of what happened to us. We stalled up because of the jitters and the competition level at states,” Aki said. “We learned from that year. Last year, we came out a little stronger. We still had those jitters in the first game that we played against (Kamehameha Schools – Hawaii). Throughout the whole season this year, we worked on that.”
Three girls on the current squad are about to make their third straight appearance: senior forward Tori Daligcon, senior center Siokapesi Paua, and junior guard Paea Tafea.
“It’s definitely different. Here, we only challenge two teams. So, we know what we’re up against. Going up there, we have no idea,” Daligcon said about the tournament. “We’re going in blind. But I feel as long as we play our game, then we’ll do very well.”
As for feeling nervousness leading up to the event, Daligcon said, “Not really.”
“I hope we get seeded like last year. I feel like we have a really good chance to get seeded,” she said. “Hopefully, we’ll improve. That’s what I’m hoping for — that we’ll improve. It seemed that way for the past two years.”
Also on the team are five girls who will make their debuts at states: freshman guard Jaliyah Casem, senior guard Alexi Cordero, junior guard Mele Masaniai, junior guard Tamare Daligcon, and junior center Lila Hearn.
“I’ve been a manager for them for about two years, maybe three. I’ve seen how they play. … I’ve been in the moments where they’re under pressure,” Casem said. “I think we’re going to do OK. We’re pretty confident with each other.”
The Warrior wahine were seeded No. 4 and finished fifth at last year’s tournament on Oahu. The year prior, Kapaa was unseeded and didn’t place.
Aki hopes the pattern holds and Kapaa will improve from last year’s showing.
“The girls are working harder. The KIF being a lot stronger, it helped us out a lot to work on our game,” he said. “Hopefully, this year we can gain on what we did last year and move a little higher.”
He added he hopes the “bigs” on the team will be the team’s advantage at the state tourney.
“What I’ve seen so far in the state as far as the Division II, we have pretty much one of the biggest teams,” Aki said. “I’m hoping we can utilize our height. And with the experience that we’ve had the last two to three years, they can get rid of the jitters and we can move on.”
