Utah Prep wins ‘Iolani Classic behind Hawai’i trio, Dybantsa

Utah Prep wins ‘Iolani Classic behind Hawai’i trio, Dybantsa

Dec 21, 2024

Laie’s Anthony Felesi, former ‘Iolani point guard JJ Mandaquit and Kohala’s Layden Kauka helped lead Utah Prep to a championship win at the 40th annual ‘Iolani Prep Classic Saturday night.

Utah Prep wins ‘Iolani Classic behind Hawai’i trio, Dybantsa

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 21, 2024

HONOLULU – The boys loved being back home. 

Utah Prep won the 2024 ‘Iolani Classic on Saturday night, taking down Brewster Prep (NH) in the championship game, 45-43, to complete a perfect 4-0 stretch in the legendary high school basketball tournament. Led by the nation’s top recruit and three prep stars that once called Hawai’i home, the national team for Utah Prep dispatched opponents by a combined 124 points in the four games in the holiday tournament. 

Kahuku was one of two local programs that took aim at the national prep powerhouse, falling in the opening round of the tournament to Utah Prep, 107-50. The Red Raiders had multiple good moments, including a fallaway jumper by Mystique Akina-Watson over AJ Dybantsa and a 20-point performance by Ronin Naihe, but ultimately succumbed to the overwhelming talent of the Utah Prep roster. 

“That’s why you play the game of basketball,” Kahuku head coach Bradyn Akana said after the game. “You play the best players in the country … it was a fun game for our guys, and I think it was a great experience.” 

JJ Mandaquit, Anthony Felesi and Layden Kauka each made their returns to the islands for the tournament, starring in various stretches throughout the games as Utah Prep showed off what national powerhouse prep schools can look like to the fans in attendance. Mandaquit tallied 20 points in the opening round game, drilling four three-pointers and tossing down a pair of thrilling dunks for onlookers. 

“It was a lot of fun,” Mandaquit said of his return to his old home gym. “It means everything to come back home and just to see the level of support, it was really cool and made me want to play harder. 

Felesi took his turn the next night, leading all scorers with 21 points against ‘Iolani as Utah Prep posted a 50-plus point win for the second straight night. Former Kohala star Layden Kauka added 13 points with a trio of three-pointers for Utah Prep for his tournament-high output.  

“I always wanted to play in [the ‘Iolani Classic] as a kid and in my freshman year,” Kauka said of his return to the islands. “Playing in this tournament now is really a great feeling in front of both the Hawai’i kids and the people who support me most.” 

Felesi, who is originally from Laie and holds an offer from the University of Hawai’i, was asked if he could see himself returning to the islands for his college career after the trip back for the ‘Iolani Classic. While the Rainbow Warriors will have a big hill to climb in the recruiting battle with programs such as Houston, Creighton and BYU among the many others competing for the 6-foot-6 wing’s services, Felesi did say he “could see himself returning home” for his next step while noting how nice it was to compete in front of his family again. 

Utah Prep worked past Oak Hill (VA) in the semifinals on Friday night, 63-52, behind a 26-point explosion from Dybantsa with him drilling 15-of-19 attempts from the foul line. The nation’s top recruit and BYU commit shouldered the load again on Saturday night, scoring 29 points to power Utah Prep over Brewster Academy, 45-43. 

Hawai’i falls late at San Diego State as offense goes cold

Hawai’i falls late at San Diego State as offense goes cold

Dec 21, 2024

Hawai’i G Daejah Phillips waits in the corner during a home game. The senior led UH with 11 points in Saturday’s loss at San Diego State. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Hawai’i falls late at San Diego State as offense goes cold

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 21, 2024

That’s all for the non-conference. 

The University of Hawai’i women’s basketball team watched a five-point halftime lead disappear late Saturday afternoon against San Diego State, seeing Veronica Sheffey’s layup with eight seconds left prove to be the difference for the Aztecs as they beat the Rainbow Wahine in the final game of the San Diego Classic, 54-52. SDSU freshman guard Naomi Panganiban led all scorers with 24 points, carrying an otherwise lifeless Aztecs offense to secure a split on the weekend for the hosts. 

Daejah Phillips led the effort for Hawai’i (6-5), scoring 11 points in 22 minutes off the bench before fouling out in her second game back from an injury she suffered against Long Beach State on December 7. Brooklyn Rewers finished with 10 points and four rebounds off the bench in the loss, her third straight game in double figures for the Rainbow Wahine. 

Dealing with a variety of injuries to backcourt players, Hawai’i head coach Laura Beeman gave Jade Peacock the chance to step into the first five as the Rainbow Wahine used the sixth different starting lineup combination in the first 11 games of the year. Jovi Lefotu and Kelsie Imai each missed their second consecutive game after each getting injured late in Hawai’i’s blowout win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. 

Hawai’i jumped out to an 8-6 lead behind the strength of its size, seeing Ritorya Tamilo, Imani Perez and Brookyln Rewers scored all eight points for the Rainbow Wahine. Panganiban exited the first media timeout laser focused for San Diego State, scoring 10 of the final 12 points of the quarter for the Aztecs (11-2) to help the hosts take a four-point lead into the second period, 18-14. 

SDSU hit four three-pointers in the first 10 minutes, forcing five turnovers while holding Hawai’i without a make from distance to begin the game. The Rainbow Wahine hit on 6-of-12 shots in the first quarter but struggled to defend without fouling, getting called for four fouls in the frame. 

The defense for Hawai’i clicked back into the elite gear in the second, holding San Diego State to seven points as the Aztecs went nearly six minutes without scoring during the frame. UH started to find the feeling from long range as Lily Wahinekapu drilled a three-pointer for a one-point Hawai’i lead with 6:06 left to play in the first half. Rewers added another bucket after the media timeout to cap a 10-0 run by the Rainbow Wahine before Panganiban ended the scoring drought for the Aztecs with a jumper of her own with 2:56 left before half to make it a 24-23 game. 

A 6-2 run over the final 90 seconds by Hawai’i gave the visitors a five-point lead at the break, led by Rewers’ 10 points and Daejah Phillips’ seven points as the bench powered the second quarter effort. After some sweet distance shooting in the opening frame by the Aztecs, the tournament hosts hit only one from deep in the second period while the UH defense suffocated the Mountain West contender. 

A three-point play to begin the scoring in the third quarter by Ritorya Tamilo gave Hawai’i its biggest lead of the afternoon at eight, but an elbow by Tamilo to the face of a defender awarded a pair of free throws and the ball to SDSU afterwards. The sides traded stops and baskets until Panganiban drilled her third three with 1:09 left in the quarter to help send the Aztecs into the fourth trailing by only four, 42-38. 

SDSU saw an advantage on the glass in the third, helping offset a 5-of-16 shooting performance to pull within less than a handful before the final 10 minutes. Adryanna Quezada added another scoring punch for the Aztecs in the period, chipping in six points along with four rebounds (2 OREB) to keep the hosts lurking with plenty of time left. 

Daejah Phillips started the final frame with short turnaround to give the Rainbow Wahine a six-point advantage, but SDSU quickly rattled off a 7-0 run to take back the lead as Panganiban connected for her fourth three-pointer and a 45-44 lead with 5:57 left to play. Lily Wahinekapu would drill a three just over a minute later to tie the game at 49 before three straight makes at the charity stripe by the Aztecs made it 52-49 with 1:43 remaining. 

After forcing a shot clock violation and taking a quick 30-second timeout, Hawai’i went to Imani Perez, who was fouled on a driving layup that dropped in off the glass with 37 seconds to play. The junior forward netted the free throw after to tie the game at 52 and leave enough time for the Rainbow Wahine to get the ball back regardless of a make or miss by San Diego State. 

The Aztecs drained the clock down all the way, needing to get a shot off before Veronica Sheffey broke free on a cut with moments left on the shot clock and put in the go-ahead layup with eight seconds left. Down two, Hawai’i called its final timeout to draw up a look that got McBee open in the left corner, but her try sailed long and Ritorya Tamilo’s putback bounced off the mark as the buzzer sounded to close the heartbreaking 54-52 loss. 

Lily Wahinekapu and MeiLani McBee each chipped in eight points for Hawai’i, who will head into conference play one game above .500 after a challenging non-conference schedule that was made even more strenuous by a variety of injuries. Freshman center Ritorya Tamilo finished with a season-low five points on 2-of-4 shooting in 20 minutes, recording a block for the seventh time in her 10 games played. 

Hawai’i will return to action in the new year, visiting UC Santa Barbara on January 2 for the third game of a four-game road trip as Big West play begins for the Rainbow Wahine. It will be the third time this season that Hawai’i will have a week or longer off between contests. 

Clemson downs Hawai’i in San Diego Classic as comeback sputters late

Clemson downs Hawai’i in San Diego Classic as comeback sputters late

Dec 20, 2024

Imani Perez takes a shot for Hawai’i during a home game. The junior forward had nine points in UH’s loss against Clemson in the 2nd day of the San Diego Classic. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Clemson downs Hawai’i in San Diego Classic as comeback sputters late

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 20, 2024

Keep a short memory. 

The University of Hawai’i women’s basketball team lost for the third time in four games on Friday afternoon, fighting hard but ultimately falling to the Clemson Tigers in the San Diego Classic, 72-58. Summah Evans led the charge for Clemson, scoring 16 points in 23 minutes of work as the Tigers’ reserves outscored the Rainbow Wahine bench, 45-32. 

Brooklyn Rewers scored a season-high 16 points off the pine for Hawai’i, who was without the services of guards Kelsie Imai and Jovi Lefotu after both players went down with injuries late against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Freshman guard Kira-May Filemu made her first career start for UH, appearing in just her fourth game of the year while Daejah Phillips returned from a one-game absence after leaving with an injury in the fourth quarter in Hawai’i’s overtime loss against Long Beach State. 

Clemson started off lava-hot, shooting 75% from the floor and drilling six three-pointers in the opening 10 minutes of action to take a commanding 24-9 lead after one period. Hawai’i struggled offensively, hitting 3-of-11 shots to begin play and going 0-for-4 from long range to head into the second quarter down by 15. 

After falling down by as many as 20, the Rainbow Wahine snapped out of the shooting funk with an Imani Perez triple with 6:57 left in the first half, sparking a 12-2 run by UH on the back of four consecutive makes from distance. Back-to-back finishes by Rewers and Perez brought Hawai’i back within single digits before a MeiLani McBee three-pointer at the buzzer sent the Big West power into the locker room down by only six, 35-29. 

The momentum continued into the start of the third for Hawai’i, pulling as close as two with 7:45 left in the period after McBee finished off a feed after a Ritorya Tamilo steal, but the continued hot long-range shooting of Clemson pushed the margin back up to eight after a pair of triples from Mia Moore and Addie Porter. The Rainbow Wahine and Tigers would trade baskets for the rest of the frame, seeing the ACC representatives take a 50-42 advantage into the final 10 minutes of play. 

The Tigers threw a killer blow to UH’s comeback hopes to begin the fourth quarter, rattling off the first seven points of the period and forcing a quick timeout from Laura Beeman less than three minutes into the action. Threes from Jade Peacock and Brooklyn Rewers would pull Hawai’i back within 12, but the Rainbow Wahine could not get closer as Clemson closed out the win, 72-58. 

Jade Peacock scored nine points off the bench for UH, tying a career-best with three made three-pointers. Imani Perez added nine points while Mia ‘Uhila had one of her best games of the year with five points and a season-high six assists in the loss. 

Hawai’i returns to action on Saturday, taking on tournament host San Diego State at 1:30 p.m. HT (3:30 p.m. PT) for the team’s final game of the 2024 calendar year and final game before Big West play. 

Mana Wahine Wednesday: HNN Digital Sports Reporter Cienna Pilotin

Mana Wahine Wednesday: HNN Digital Sports Reporter Cienna Pilotin

Dec 18, 2024

HNN digital sports reporter Cienna Pilotin interviews Campbell QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. | Photo Credit: Cienna Pilotin

Mana Wahine Wednesday: HNN Digital Sports Reporter Cienna Pilotin

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 18, 2024

HONOLULU – It’s always normal to feel a bit sentimental during the holidays. 

In her third year with Hawaii News Now, digital sports reporter Cienna Pilotin thinks back on the little girl from Maui that would ask during Christmas time for a trip over to O’ahu to go to a game at the University of Hawai’i. While sports media was not the original plan, she is grateful to have ended up in the field as a lifelong sports fan. 

A former volleyball player, Pilotin grew up loving all kinds of sports in a family that enjoyed everything from the field to the court. Much like most Hawai’i sports fans with professional teams, her loyalties reside in different cities for a multitude of reasons and her heart remains passionate for athletics. 

While she was a volleyball player, she remembers growing up in the prime Kobe-Los Angeles Lakers years and cheering along with her dad as her love for hoops expanded. Her football team – the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs – is a love that came at a younger age as she followed along in her aunt’s path of cheering the Chiefs. 

“All these people think that I’m a bandwagon, I promise you I’m not,” Pilotin laughed as she explained. “My mom’s sister actually lived in Kansas City for a while, so she’s like a huge Chiefs fan, raised her whole family to be Chiefs fans and so I just followed with her – and I went through all the times of them not being good.” 

She continued to get more into football in high school and even found herself becoming a bigger hockey fan during her time in college at UNLV with an expansion franchise overlapping with her stay in the Ninth Island. While she loved sports, it wasn’t the path she had chosen for her undergraduate studies – that would be business, with an interest in marketing of course. 

Pilotin during her graduation from UNLV. | Photo Credit: Cienna Pilotin

That led her back to Hawai’i, more specifically O’ahu, where she then interned at Hawaii News Now. That experience changed the calculation for Pilotin, sending her back to school to get her master’s degree in journalism as she went from the business side of things to the world of media. 

“I look back and I wouldn’t have done it any other way, but I can’t imagine what I would be doing in business,” Pilotin said. “I knew I liked marketing, so within business that was like my focus. So, I took a lot of marketing classes, and I really liked it, and I think that kind of helped me to where I’m at today. I learned a lot from it so I wouldn’t change a thing.”  

She has worked at HNN since 2022, continuing to create her own niche in a world that is oversaturated with voices and outlets to consume information from. Whether it be in tandem working with Kyle Chinen in the field or on HNN Overtime or doing postgame after Hawai’i football home contests, she has worked hard to be essentially everywhere at the same time. 

Hawai’i high school football remains above all though for Pilotin. She has seen the elite showmanship of a Las Vegas Golden Knights home game, been to the Super Bowl for work and watched her own team win it and experienced dozens of other environments throughout the sports landscape and yet, it is the Hawai’i high school football scene that has captured her interest the most. 

“Nothing compares to high school football here … when it’s high school football season, it’s just so fun and you have social media [with it],” Pilotin said. “I’ve kind of just been on TikTok recently, I’m trying to make myself versed with the kids, I guess. So, I see a lot of discussion on TikTok during high school football season and I’ve just done a whole deep dive. The fandom here is so entertaining and nothing comes close to it.” 

Her recent enjoyment for the overwhelming entity that is Hawai’i high school football has not stopped her from coverage of anything and everything having to relate with the islands. Pilotin continues to expand her portfolio with coverage of the NFL Draft for players with Hawai’i-ties, the Olympics, the Super Bowl, University of Hawai’i athletics and nearly every high school sport there is. 

Pilotin on-site for coverage of Super Bowl LVIII between the Chiefs and 49ers. | Photo Credit: Cienna Pilotin

As one of only a handful of women in the industry in the local market, Pilotin says she has had nothing but kindness shown to her by most of her male colleagues, but that doesn’t stop her from wanting to see the continued influx of young female talent into a field that has long been dominated by men. 

“You would like to see more females working in this industry,” she said. “I think that’s kind of what we are headed towards, but it’s hard to get your foot in the door and stay there. It takes a lot of sacrifice.” 

It takes weekend, holidays, late nights and lots of work, but Pilotin is happy to do it. She also is more than happy to be a resource for any young women hoping to follow in the path and pursue their sport media dreams – or whatever it may be. 

“I just always want young women – or anybody listening – to feel like they have a voice and if they ever have any questions or are trying to break through into anything, they can reach out to me and I would be happy to help in any way,” Pilotin said. 

At the end of the day, she’s simply happy to be where she is – and is excited to see what the future may bring. No matter what, she’ll be there and will be happy to see anyone else along for the ride. 

Hawai’i holds Arkansas-Pine Bluff to historic lows in win

Hawai’i holds Arkansas-Pine Bluff to historic lows in win

Dec 16, 2024

Hawai’i C Brooklyn Rewers runs back on defense. The senior led UH with 13 points and 8 rebounds off the bench in a historic win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff for the Rainbow Wahine. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Hawai’i holds Arkansas–Pine Bluff to historic lows in win

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 16, 2024

HONOLULU – When in doubt, defense comes out. 

The University of Hawai’i women’s basketball team bounced back in a big way on Monday night, taking down Arkansas-Pine Bluff (2-7) inside the Stan Sheriff Center, 56-15. The 15 points allowed by the Rainbow Wahine are a program-record low against a Division I opponent, surpassing the previous low of 31 points against UTEP on Jan. 7, 1999, a 68-31 win over the Miners in the WAC Pacific Division opener. 

Brooklyn Rewers led the effort for Hawai’i (6-3) with a game-high 13 points and eight rebounds off the bench, helping snap a two-game losing streak for the Rainbow Wahine on the final night of a six-game homestand. Lily Wahinekapu added 11 points and three assists while Jovi Lefotu chipped in seven points, three boards and three assists in her first start of the season. Lefotu left the game in the fourth quarter with an apparent leg injury, needing assistance off the floor and immediately retreating to the tunnel behind the Rainbow Wahine bench. 

Kelsie Imai also left the game in the fourth quarter, taking a hard fall and walking off under her own power while grimacing and favoring her hip. Hawai’i had already entered the game without the services of freshman forward Danijela Kujovic, who had worked her way into the rotation, and the reigning Big West Sixth Player of the Year winner in senior guard Daejah Phillips, both sitting on the bench in street clothes Monday evening. 

Both offenses were hurting in the early going, seeing one made shot on a combined 18 attempts over the opening five and a half minutes of action. The lone make came from Wahinekapu, who cashed in from the top of the arc for the game’s first points more than four minutes after the opening tip. 

Hawai’i continued the defensive vice grip on the Lions, taking a 9-2 lead after one quarter of play as Ashley Rojas scored the visitors’ first points with just 17 seconds left in the frame. MeiLani McBee was the lone UH player with more than one score, hitting a three and splitting a pair of free throws to lead everyone with four points after 10 minutes. 

The Rainbow Wahine opened up a double-digit lead by halftime with the help of a 10-3 run, half of which came from Lefotu as the redshirt sophomore guard drilled a triple and twisted in a layup to go up by 14 with 3:43 left in the second quarter. Hawai’i was held scoreless over those final minutes but only allowed one more basket to Arkansas-Pine Bluff to head into halftime ahead, 21-9. 

The offense clicked back into place in the third quarter for Hawai’i, returning to the inside-out philosophy that has led to many impressive frames this season. Wahinekapu swished through her second of three 3-pointers to get the action restarted, followed up by back-to-back layups from Lefotu and Imani Perez before Wahinekapu finished one inside the paint herself. 

“I think it was huge,” head coach Laura Beeman said of UH’s hot offensive start to the third. “First half, I really felt like we had some really good looks and the ball wasn’t falling … It literally comes down to one more paint touch, one more kick and then [the offense] starts to click a little bit and then the defense gets some more juice, and it becomes this good cycle.” 

Brooklyn Rewers connected on her first 3-pointer of the night on the next possession to close out a 12-0 run out of the break, forcing Arkansas-Pine Bluff to signal for timeout to try to stop the momentum. The stoppage did little to break up the offensive rhythm for the Rainbow Wahine, seeing the hosts finish the frame on a 13-0 run behind another two Rewers’ 3-pointers while holding the Golden Lions without a made basket during the entirety of the 10 minutes. 

“I think upping our communication [defensively] really helps us carry energy over to offense because we feel more connected,” Rewers said of the impeccable third quarter for UH. “In that way, we’re kind of in control of the tempo too, so with our offense, we’re more in rhythm and in sync and we’re working off each other that way.” 

The fourth quarter looked for a calm finish to the 10th-largest margin of victory against a Division I program in Hawai’i history, but disaster struck as a hard fall for Kelsie Imai with more than eight minutes left sent silence over the crowd after the tough-nosed guard stayed down for an extended period before finally walking off under her own power. Moments later, Jovi Lefotu had her right leg come out from under her, slipping on the floor and staying down after with a non-contact injury, eventually needing assistance off the floor. 

The Lions scored two baskets in the final minutes of action to push above the all-time low point total allowed by Hawai’i, regardless of opponent (UH-Hilo, 12 points allowed in 1974-75 season). UH also set new single-game defensive records by holding Arkansas-Pine Bluff to a shivering 11% from the field on just six total made shots (6-55 FG), the previous records being an ice-cold 21.2% FG by San Jose State in a game where the Spartans made 11 total shots. 

In all, five different players scored for visiting Arkansas-Pine Bluff as Uriah Jennings led the Lions with five points. The visitors had eight available players for the game, fighting hard but struggling against the depth and size of the Rainbow Wahine. 

Brooklyn Rewers scored 11 of her game-high 13 points in the third quarter, drilling all three of her 3-point attempts as she finished in double figures for the first time this season. Imani Perez and MeiLani McBee each chipped in seven points apiece for the Rainbow Wahine, who will now hit the road for the second time this year with a pair of tough games against Clemson and San Diego State in the San Diego Invitational Tournament on Dec. 20 & 21. 

Following the game, University of Hawai’i head coach Laura Beeman also announced that senior forward Jacque David will not return to the team. 

“Jacque David will probably be a medical DQ and won’t be able to return just for injury reasons,” Beeman said to close her postgame media availability. 

David appeared in 58 games (19 starts) during her Hawai’i career, averaging 5.0 points and 2.4 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game as a versatile piece for the Rainbow Wahine. She knocked down 42 3-pointers in her time with UH and was named the 2022 Rainbow Wahine Rookie of the Year before suffering a major injury during her sophomore year that continued to linger into the 2023-24 season.