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The Maui News 2019-20 MIL Girls Basketball All-Stars

Kaeo-Young, Waterford honored

By Robert Collias 5 min read

Namahana Kaeo-Young and Ameera Waterford played together in club basketball, and after this Maui Interscholastic League season, they have even more in common on the court.

Both are The Maui News MIL Players of the Year, King Kekaulike High School's Kaeo-Young in Division I and Seabury Hall's Waterford in D-II, for the second straight year.

"I don't know, I'm just shocked," Kaeo-Young, a junior guard, said when told the news. "I don't know what to say."

Her play helped Na Alii qualify for the state tournament for just the third time in school history, the first since 2014. They advanced to the state quarterfinals with an impressive 61-35 win over Radford before falling 40-37 to second-seeded Konawaena.

Kaeo-Young knows a big part of her award was generated by the breakthrough season for the team.

"I think it's just team effort, everyone played good that (Radford) game," Kaeo-Young said -- she shot 5 for 9 from the floor for 11 points. "The whole season, everyone played good. Everyone helped out in different ways."

She is joined on the first team by teammate Ledjan Pahukoa, Lahainaluna's Taylor Eldredge and Kiera Kaniho, and Maui High's Kayla Thornton. All are set to return next season -- and Kaeo-Young is the only junior in the mix.

MIL champion Lahainaluna had no seniors on the roster this season, King Kekaulike had only two and Maui High just one. That trio finished the regular season separated by just two games.

"We don't really think of having a leader because everyone just stepped up in their own way," Kaeo-Young said of her team. "We have even a couple sophomores who are encouraging us and getting us up, hyped, gets us going."

Waterford remembers playing with Kaeo-Young on the Sparks club in intermediate school.

"We played together when I was in the seventh and eighth grade," Waterford said. "Since then, I've always known that she was a strong player. Even though we went our separate ways as far as high school basketball, it's been fun to follow how she's been doing and how she's continued to work hard and become an even better basketball player and do so well with her team."

While the D-I All-Star ranks are young -- just two seniors cracked the first or second teams -- the D-II first team features three seniors, led by Waterford and Seabury Hall teammate Anau Tuivai.

Lanai's Arriana Maltezo is the other senior on the first team that also includes Pio Tuivai and Brittlay Carillo, both of Seabury Hall.

League championship coaches Todd Rickard of Lahainaluna and Keone Labuanan of Seabury Hall are the MIL Coaches of the Year.

While the Spartans struggled to shoot in a state quarterfinal loss to Hawaii Baptist, they rallied to finish fifth. They were 4-2 in state tournament games the last two seasons, falling to HBA in the state championship game in 2019.

Anau Tuivai was MIL D-II Player of the Year as a freshman and sophomore.

"Obviously this is so exciting and I'm so honored to be named Player of the Year," Waterford said. "But I just want to give the credit to all my teammates, especially Anau because we really have come up in this program together for the last four years. Our team would obviously not look the same without her."

Waterford will leave Olinda with an impressive basketball and academic resume. Currently a National Merit Scholar semifinalist, Waterford has a list of 12 college possibilities, some of which may include playing basketball.

Waterford knows she will miss playing with the elder Tuivai, who will continue her basketball career collegiately at Notre Dame de Namur in California.

"It's been an amazing experience to have her on my team for all these four years," Waterford said. "I definitely know that we couldn't have accomplished what we did -- four MIL titles and the runner-up at states and then fifth states this year -- none of that would have been possible without her. She's just been such an important teammate of mine and such a strong player and I can't imagine having played with anybody else."

Waterford sees a bright future for the Spartans -- younger sister Leela Waterford was a second-team selection as a sophomore this season.

"Although Anau and I are both graduating, I'm so confident in our players that are returning next year," Ameera Waterford said. "That they can just continue improving and take the program to new heights, to continue the momentum that we've been building over the past few years. Hopefully, they can get that title."

* Robert Collias is a rcollias@mauinews.com.

*****

Division I Second Team

Ashley Akamine Lahainaluna Guard Junior

Makena Stevenson Maui High Guard Sophomore

Leiana Thornton Maui High Forward Sophomore

Kylenna Rieta Maui High Forward Senior

Logan Spencer KS Maui Forward Senior

*****

Division II Second Team

Leela Waterford Seabury Hall Guard Sophomore

Jordyn McCutcheon Molokai Guard Sophomore

Souina Seiuli Lanai Forward Freshman

Haley Ostrander Lanai Guard/Forward Freshman

Keala Montgomery Lanai Forward Freshman

*****

Honorable Mention

DIVISION I--Baldwin: Melissa Caliva, Makayla Chung; Kamehameha Maui: Kuumaka Ruidas; King Kekaulike: Ashante Wong, TC Pahukoa; Lahainaluna: Aira Baguyo, Piper Pascua, Abigail Akamine, Margie Ruiz-Sana; Maui High: Jordyn Luna.

DIVISION II--Hana: Kaala Kalalau, Tyra-Li Perry; Lanai: Giyana Agliam, Jasmine Molina; Molokai: Lia-Chae Meyer, Kaua Helm; Seabury Hall: Faylin Sales, Mele Sjostrand.

Starting at /week.