The KS varsity girls basketball game fought the odds for a 33-32 win over the Maui High Sabers, Thursday, December 29, 2011, in their home gym.
The Warriors faced a challenge even before the clock began with eight of their players out of the game; five were on academic probation, two were on the disabled list and one was out of town.
Seniors Mahealani Kekuewa and Sonya Donahue and junior Tori Cambra led the remaining 7-member team to a narrow victory.
Kekuewa started the game off on a good note when she hit a three-pointer.
Maui High quickly put pressure on the KS offense, causing them trouble with rebounding and turning over the ball.
The score was a mere 6-7, with the Warriors trailing, at the end of the first quarter.
The game started to heat up in the second quarter, and both teams racked up the fouls.
Freshman Jayden Almeida turned the competitive spirit up a notch when she broke away on an interception and was fouled on the shot by MHS junior Trina Valencia, giving Valencia her fourth foul of the game.
Junior Tori Cambra also got a three-pointer and Almeida continued to put pressure on all MHS offensive players, but the Warriors continued to struggle on offense and could not seem to run a successful play.
The Sabers’ scrappy playing caught up with them as they got eight team fouls, giving the Warriors at least one free throw on every foul. The Warriors were up 16-15 at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Warriors picked up their shooting, and sophomore Madison Vaught and Cambra both made shots early in the quarter.
While MHS turned up the defensive pressure, Vaught and sophomore Chyenne Maio-Silva continued to press for the basket, making the second aggressive and fast-paced.
The Warriors had a 24-21 lead going into the fourth quarter.
The Sabers managed to grab a 29-27 lead halfway through the fourth quarter. After an exciting play, senior Sonya Donahue was fouled on a layup and made her free throw, tying the game.
“I was really irritated from the beginning, and I knew they [my shots] weren’t all going to go in,” Donahue said. “The coach helped us a lot during the halftime to become more competitive.”
Both teams worked hard on their offense and were scoring back and forth.
In the last 30 seconds of the game, the Warriors trailed 31-32, when Tori Cambra took possession of the ball under the Saber net, drove to the Warrior basket and scored.
In the intense 22-seconds that followed, Valencia committed her fifth foul, causing her to foul out. The Warriors brought the ball back in and held onto it for the last second winning the game by one point, 33-32.
