HONOLULU — The Iolani girls basketball team is accustomed to getting tested by some of the nation’s best teams in their signature tournament, the Iolani Prep Classic.
But this entire 2024-25 preseason has been something of a trial for the Raiders, who lost considerable size from their record-fifth straight state title team last February, then had two guards go down with season-ending injuries over the last month.
Saturday’s 67-36 loss to Pinewood (Calif.) in the eight-team tournament’s third-place game was the team’s latest chance to grow from adversity.
[Note: See below for more photos of Iolani-Pinewood girls basketball, the Iolani Classic 3-point shootout and Punahou-Hawaii Baptist.]
“It’s been super difficult. But I think ultimately it’s going to make us stronger towards the end to have to go through this and keep regrouping,” Raiders coach Dean Young said. “Especially now with everybody stepping up and taking on bigger roles and bigger roles. It’s adversity I wouldn’t expect but in the long run we’ll be better for it.”
Iolani, which opened the three-day event with a 78-35 win over Hawaii Baptist Academy on Thursday, fell to Etiwanda (Calif.), 75-40, on Friday.
Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.) won the tournament with an 88-79 victory over Etiwanda in Saturday’s capper.
Raiders guard Mia Frye sprained an ankle in Punahou’s tournament last week and was playing at “half speed” in Young’s estimation but the senior was adamant about playing in her final Iolani Classic.
It was a taxing stretch; Iolani also took a one-point loss to Maryknoll in its ILH opener on Wednesday.
“The Iolani Classic is the best tournament of the year, my senior year, so I would do anything to play,” said Frye, who took a knee to the thigh in the second half and limped off but was able to return.
She thought the experience would help her team, which lost two starting-caliber guards, senior Kylie Chong Kee and junior Dylan Neves to ACL injuries in recent weeks.
“I think after the injuries we just kind of have to reevaluate as a team,” said Frye, last year’s HHSAA tournament Most Outstanding Player who scored six points Saturday on 3-for-5 shooting. “We have some ongoing injuries still. So, it’s just about coming together and improving together and remembering our why and what we’re doing this for.”
Even before the injuries, Iolani had to adapt to the graduation of center Mele Sake and not having senior post Callie Pieper, who focused on volleyball this year.
The Raiders knew that the Panthers of Los Altos Hills had an affinity for the 3-ball, but preparing for it on a short turnaround and preventing it were two separate matters.
Pinewood led 22-5 after a quarter. After Iolani played the visitors evenly in the second quarter to trail by 16 at halftime, the Panthers won the third quarter 21-6 to blow it open.
“Anytime you have a team down 15 or 16, the first two or three minutes of that third quarter is going to dictate, is this going to be a ballgame or is this going to be a blowout?” Pinewood coach Doc Scheppler said. “And we wanted it to be a blowout.”
The Panthers hit 10 3-pointers on 34 attempts from long range, with Vallory Kuelker connecting on three of them among her game-high 19 points.
“The game plan is no 3s but they’re so good they’re going to get their 3s anyway,” Young said. “So, they’re a difficult matchup for us. So I knew that there’s going to be some breakdowns from us and they’re going to get some looks. It was all right. I think we played hard, which was good, and they tried. But every mistake we made, they make you pay.”
Katherine Garr added 18 points for Pinewood, while point guard Caitlyn Kramer found many open teammates in addition to her 12 points. Rayah Soriano led Iolani with eight points while Justice Kekauoha added seven.
As a consolation for the Raiders, junior guard Hailey Fernandez won the Iolani Classic 3-point shootout among a player representative from all eight teams.
The 40th edition of the Iolani Prep Classic boys tournament begins on Tuesday, with host Iolani facing Kalani at 5 p.m. The other first-day matchups are Leilehua against Wheeler (Ga.), Punahou against Oak Hill (Va.) and University Lab against St. Paul VI Catholic (Va.)
National powerhouse Utah Prep, featuring Hawaii native and former Iolani guard JJ Mandaquit, takes on Kahuku at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.