WILDCATS ARE THE STATE
CHAMPIONS!

DI CHAMPIONS KONAWAENA

By David Kawada Digital
Sports Hawaii Correspondent

Konawaena came in to the
Hawaiian Airlines HHSAA Girls Division I State
Basketball Tournament slightly miffed. They were ranked
#1 in the state yet got the #2 seed. Whether Coach
Bobbie Awa used that as motivation is not known. What
is known is that the Lady Wildcats stormed through the
Tournament field, defeating 3 ranked teams en route to
winning their 2^nd state championship,
defeating Punahou 59-47 at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Senior Jazzmin
Awa-Williams ended her illustrious high school career in
dream-like fashion. â??This is so great, to end it like
this in my senior year!â? she said. Awa-Williams poured
in 15 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, and dished out 4
assists in another stellar all-around game even while
the Punahou defense was focused to stop her. The
All-State player was named to the All-Tournament Team.

Konawaena guard Liana
Hanato-Smith, ever the calm, cool, and collected one,
started things off with 3 consecutive 3-pointers. She
and sister Kara Hanato-Smith were able to break the full
court pressure of Punahou for some easy baskets.

Teammate Mana Hopkins
benefited from the attention given to Awa-Williams. She
had a career night with 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 3
assists. Hopkins went 10 for 12 from the free throw
line, including some critical ones toward the end of the
game to seal the victory.

Punahou, the defending
State Champions, were playing a remarkable tournament
with balanced team play and solid defense. Janelle
Nomura was a tough floor leader, with 9 points including
2 3-pointers. She hit one with 4:59 in the 4^th
quarter to temporarily swing the momentum to the
Buffanblu.

But the Wildcats were
just too steady. Awa played only her starters the
entire game. Konawaeanaâ??s win made it a Big Island
sweep as Kamehameha-Hawaii won the Division II crown.

Congratulations to the
Konawaena Lady Wildcats, the 2007 Division I State
Champions!