By Kiana Caranto
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MHS’ JV girls basketball team competed against the undefeated Radford Rams in the Oahu Interscholastic Association (OIA) Red championship game at Radford High School on Jan. 18. Although they went in as underdogs, they left the court with the OIA Red title.
“I feel we played really good. I think that was one of our best games we played the entire season,” said Center Freshman Katherine Asbery.
The team experienced a rough start to the game, down by five points in the first couple of minutes. However, at the end of the first quarter they were up 12-10. They went on to score almost double the points Radford managed in the second quarter, ending the half with a score of 20-15. During the second half they started to tie up, giving Radford the opportunity to score double the points they did in the fourth quarter. “That’s where we had a little bit too much turnovers in that last half, and a lot of it was unforced turnovers,” said Head Coach Daryl Kawamoto. However, they managed to hold on and ended the game with a score of 32-31.
Making it to the finals meant a lot to the girls. Since the OIA developed a system where two west and two east teams play in the playoffs, no Division I JV team from the west has ever made it to the final game. The team defeated Roosevelt in the first round of the playoffs, setting them up for a place in the final against Radford. “I basically told them, ‘We came this far. Yeah we lost to them twice, get revenge on our side. They’re undefeated and yeah, I know we’re underdogs but I expect to win,’” said Kawamoto.
Many on the team were nervous before the game and unsure if they would be able to clinch the win. “I actually thought that we were gonna have a really hard time against them, and we were gonna be a little bit intimidated,” said Point Guard and Guard Sophomore Megan Shimabukuro.
Despite their anticipation and the strength of the opposing team, the team was confident in their abilities. “Most of the girls did their job. I mean, we had small breakdowns here and there, a little bit too much turnovers, but I believe they played together well. The girls performed how we wanted them to,” said Kawamoto.
However, the hardest part for the girls was staying mentally strong and not getting distracted, which they were able to accomplish. “Our weakness is actually our mental part of the game. (Skill-wise) we (were) decent but we had a lot to work on mentally,” said Kawamoto. Shimabukuro added, “ I was surprised at how well we played together and how relaxed we were instead of being nervous and intimidated.”
The players will take from this season positive experiences both on and off the court and are already working on improvements for next season.
