Believe It! Daggers Are Champs!
Believe It! Daggers Are Champs!
By Josh Pacheco
ESPNHawaii.com
Time for some honesty: Raise your hand if you seriously believed that going into the Hawaiian Airlines/HHSAA Division II State Tournament the team from the BIIF that would represent the league in the state championship game would be from Pahoa.
I think some of you are lying if your arm is extended in the air.
Sure, the Daggers created shockwaves on Thursday night when they knocked off the number one overall seeded Roughriders from Roosevelt High School, a school with 1,400 students and only playing in Division II because of the OIA's classification-by-winning system. But, they didn't stop there. The next night, they continued their hot streak by beating the champion of the KIF, the Kapa'a Warriors (and handily, too).
But, Pahoa's biggest test would come in a setting that they have never been a part of before. Going into Saturday, the Daggers had never played in a championship game in their school's basketball history, regardless of division. Add to that their opponent (Kailua) won the Division II Championship game last year. And, they are playing in the 10,300 seat Stan Sheriff Center. Pahoa's gym is lucky to seat 300 for each game.
No problem.
The Daggers won their first state title in ANY sport by beating the Kailua Surfriders 41-38 in front of a crowd similar to one they played in front of at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium for the Big Island Championship Game against St. Joseph. Pahoa was outsized, and at times in this game, it showed when Jordan DeCorte of the Surfriders was able to get second change rebounds and position around the blocks. DeCorte finished with 14 points and 7 rebounds, but was paid less attention to when the game was in balance. The Surfriders were the better outside shooting team coming into the game. They finished going 3-21 from beyond the arc (0-12 in the first half). Pahoa took Kailua out of their rhythm and comfort zone with their zone defense, which lead to a lot of missed shots.
Nick Fisher came out into the spotlight for the green squad. In the course of two nights, he had a 30-foot off-balance three to beat the first half buzzer against Kapaa and a bank-in right wing three in the third against Kailua to shift some momentum back toward his squad's way. He also showed his aggression in getting to the basket early in the game, which allowed Isaiah Ekau to get some looks when defenders started to look Fisher's way.
And, lets talk about Coach Eric Yoshimura. First year head coach who says very few words and never takes any credit for the job he's done. His quiet, yet assertive coaching style allowed his players to understand the system they were in, feel comfortable in asking questions and making reads, and not get beat up over making mistakes. Coach Yoshimura gives all of the credit to his assistant coaches and his players, but he deserves a lot of that. Coaching in Pahoa is tough to do. It's a small community with not a lot to do. A lot of negative press has come from that town, because there is nothing to fight off the distractions that can take people down the wrong path. Yoshimura was a positive coach with a positive attitude who maximized the abilities of his players.
I've been asked by media members across the state "What does this mean for the community?" Obviously, a state championship is a hard feat to get. Just ask Hilo, Kamehameha-Hawaii, St. Joseph, Laupahoehoe, and others from the Big Island who have won and lost in that game. To do it in your first try is incredible. It's huge for the community, though. This team worked feverishly to raise enough money to make the tournament after beating Kohala two and a half weeks ago by doing car washes and chili sales. Even the homeless in the community gave what little money they had to help Pahoa get to Oahu.
Simply, this is not just the school's team. This is the town's team. Everyone can take a little pride in knowing that they have a state champion in their town.
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