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The Maui News 2021-22 MIL Girls Basketball All-Stars

Thornton, Carillo earn top honors

By Robert Collias 6 min read

Kayla Thornton and Brittlay Carillo know each other best from the basketball court, where they will leave the Maui Interscholastic League with plenty in common.

Maui High School's Thornton and Seabury Hall's Carillo are choices of the league's coaches as The Maui News MIL Players of the Year in girls basketball for Division I and II, respectively.

"I have watched her play and played against her a couple times," Carillo said of Thornton. "She has really good basketball IQ, I know that. She uses her teammates really well, she utilizes the court and looks up the floor. She's really a good defender and scorer. She's a great player."

The respect between the pair is mutual.

"I've seen her a little bit in club and she's a great player," Thornton said of Carillo.

Thornton, who led the Sabers to a runner-up finish in the MIL, is joined on the D-I first team by her twin sister Leiana Thornton and three players from MIL champion Lahainaluna: Ledjan Pahukoa, Taylor Eldredge and Kiera Kaniho.

Pahukoa is a junior, the other four are seniors.

The MIL D-I Coach of the Year is Baldwin's Angel Kalehuawehe, who just finished a 50-year run as a coach at the Wailuku school.

Both players of the year were somewhat surprised to hear the news that they had earned the top MIL honor in their divisions.

"I was really happy and honestly shocked because I knew that there was a lot of great athletes to choose and select from that worked just as hard as me," Carillo said.

Said Thornton: "It's super exciting, it's nice to know that all the work we put in, especially when COVID hit, like, that all paid off -- all the work we've done throughout the year and traveling, that all paid off."

Both were just happy to get the chance to return to the MIL courts after missing last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It honestly was amazing to be back," said Carillo, who helped the Spartans win a fifth straight MIL title and make the state final four. "Because of COVID we didn't have a season. I know all of our seniors were ready to play and come back stronger than we were before."

Carillo is joined on the MIL D-II first team by Seabury Hall teammates Pio Tu'ivai and Meleani Sjostrand, Lanai's Haley Ostrander and Molokai's Lia-Chae Meyer.

Ostrander is a junior, the other four are seniors.

Lanai co-head coaches Christian Yumol and Marylou Kaukeano share the D-II MIL Coach of the Year honor.

Carillo played club basketball for former Lahainaluna coach Todd Rickard. Another coach she mentioned as being a big help in her development was veteran prep coach John Dudley, who was an assistant for the Seabury Hall boys this year. Maiki Tihada, an assistant for the Spartans girls, was also vital to Carillo's development.

Thornton and Carillo both plan to play in college.

"I've been talking to some coaches in California to play basketball for them," said Carillo, who is leaning toward a college major in hospitality. "My grades are pretty well maintained. Right now I have two that I have (basketball scholarship) offers from -- one is Menlo (College) and Westcliff University, which is a new school in Irvine."

For Thornton, playing in college may mean not being on the same team as her twin sister for the time in her life.

"I have so much fun playing with her. I don't remember, like, I don't remember not playing with her," Thornton said. "When I do, we have so much chemistry."

The Thornton twins started playing when they were 8 years old. William Thornton, the twins' father, was an assistant coach for the Sabers this year.

"He has actually been with us ever since we got started and we wouldn't be here without him," Kayla Thornton said. "He's the one who got us into basketball."

William Thornton also used to coach Sabers head coach Victor Aguirre.

"Yeah, weird," Kayla Thornton said.

Kayla Thornton said she is still making her college choice, but at this point is leaning toward NCAA Division II Humboldt State. While Kayla has a scholarship offer from Humboldt, Leiana has been invited to be a priority walk-on there.

"It's going to be so different, but hopefully I can adapt well," Kayla Thornton said. "I'm excited to go on further playing basketball, but I'm going to miss everyone here -- I grew up with them basically."

She will never forget being a Saber basketball player.

"It just feels good to represent my school in everything we did," Thornton said. "Because we wouldn't have done it without the people there, the teachers and everyone."

Leiana Thornton will miss her sister if they do not end up on the same college roster. She is looking at several college options that include academic scholarships -- she has a 3.8 grade-point average, is coming off a 4.0 quarter and takes Advanced Placement calculus.

"It's what started me off loving the game so much, going through trials with my sister, with my best friend, we complete each other, you know?" Leiana Thornton said. "It's going to take some getting used to if we play somewhere different or if we can't see each other the way we do, but on the court meeting to bond and connect that way -- that's when we're the closest.

"It was an amazing experience all these years, but I'm glad it happened. It sucks that it's over."

* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com.

Division I Second Team

Kalena Akinaka King Kekaulike Forward Sophomore

Kiana Manuel Maui High Forward Junior

Jacy Anne Dela Cruz Maui High Guard Junior

Tavina Harris Lahainaluna Center Sophomore

Chaland Pahukoa Lahainaluna Guard Junior

Division II Second Team

Souina Seiuli Lanai Forward/Center Junior

Veniza Jackson Lanai Guard Sophomore

Tyra-Li Perry Hana Forward Senior

Keala Montgomery Lanai Forward/Center Junior

Kaualea Helm Molokai Guard Senior

Starting at /week.