The Kamehameha Maui girls basketball team clinched their spot at the state tournament with their win against Maui High School in the semifinals of the Maui Interscholastic League Division I tournament, at King Kekaulike High School, Jan. 26.

The Warriors went on to lose to Lahainaluna, 55-40, tonight and will be going to the tournament as the second seed.

This will be the second time the Kamehameha Maui girls basketball team will compete in the Hawai’i High School Athletic Association state tournament.

Last season, 2015-2016, the Kamehameha Maui girls basketball team had only lost to MIL champions Lahainaluna during the MIL season.

Their games against the longstanding champs help to raise the girls’ level of play.

Head coach Victor Aguirre said, “By prepping for Lahaina, we are prepping for [the teams on Oʻahu].”

This year, the Warriors’ goal is to make it to the second round of the HHSAA tournament.

“We’re going to come out stronger than last year. We didn’t know what to expect because it was new for all of us,” team leader Ashley Peralta said.

Last season, the Maui Warriors advanced to the state tournament for the first time in the school’s history, but this year, they feel they have experience on their side.

“All the juniors that have been [to states] from last year and our one sophomore, we know what’s coming”, Peralta said.

In the first quarter of the game, the Sabers scored four points. One field goal of two points was made by Kamaile Cugal and the other by Kylenna Rieta.

The Warriors scored eight points. Three field goals worth two points each were made by juniors Kimani Fernandez-Roy, while the other two points were made by Kaylee Cambra.

The Sabers had a gain of eight points by the end of the second quarter, while Fernandez-Roy made six points for the Warriors.

In the third quarter, the Sabers made five more points, three of which were free throws.

Cambra scored 11 points, out of the 13 that Kamehameha Maui made in the third quarter, and Ashley Peralta added a 3-point field goal.

Coach Aguirre challenged the upperclassmen to take control and lead the team for parts of the game.

He said, “They took what was given to them and played off of it. They did what they were supposed to do.”

The Sabers ended the game with 26 points to the Warriors’ 35.

Saber Cugal scored 7 points overall, while Fernandez-Roy scored 17 points overall and Cambra scored 15 points overall for the Warrirors.

Peralta said that she has confidence in the team and that the team will be more prepared for the state tournament than last year.

Gallery • 5 Photos

Photo by Holly Honda

Warrior Kimani Fernandez-Roy dribbles past a Saber in the fourth quarter.