Hawaii-born point guard Jessiya Villa got to play in front of family and friends in the 32nd annual Iolani Boys Prep Classic with the Bulldogs from Martinsburg (W. Va.). Tyler Kanoa | SL

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Hawaii-born point guard Jessiya Villa got to play in front of family and friends in the 32nd annual Iolani Boys Prep Classic with the Bulldogs from Martinsburg (W. Va.). Tyler Kanoa | SL

View image 1 of 1

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Hawaii-born point guard Jessiya Villa got to play in front of family and friends in the 32nd annual Iolani Boys Prep Classic with the Bulldogs from Martinsburg (W. Va.).

Villa was born in Laie and raised in Nanakuli before his family moved to Martinsburg seven years ago when his father Kahi earned a job with the United States Secret Service. Kahi Villa was a member of the Kamehameha boys basketball team that defeated Hilo in triple-overtime in the 1992 state championship and is the son of current Chaminade athletic director Bill Villa.

"It's so cool just to play in front of my family and represent my state and high school," said Jessiya Villa. "It's such a surreal experience to play at home again."

The eldest Villa's relationship with the late Glenn Young, who founded the Iolani Classic, helped secure the Bulldogs' spot in the 16-team state tournament.

"I felt pumped when I found out we were coming here," said the youngest Villa, who is a 5-foot-11 junior. "Knowing I would get to play in front of my family I was just really excited."

Villa and the Bulldogs faced off with Kahuku in the opening round of the tournament last Thursday. The junior point guard, who remembers playing with the Red Raiders' Keanu Akina growing up, scored 13 points with seven assists in Martinsburg's 73-48 win.

Martinsburg's next opponent in the tourney was a different story as it fell to nationally-ranked Sierra Canyon, 67-27 in the quarterfinals on Saturday. Villa did his part in the contest, scoring a team-high nine points despite early foul trouble.

Although his team came up short, Villa is happy for the opportunity to up against top-tier competition.

"It's just really great to be part of this," he said. "We got to face the 13th-ranked team in the country. There's a lot of great talent here and a lot of coaches in the stand. This is what we come for, exposure and experience. This will definitely teach us a lesson to help us get better."

The Bulldogs will face Mount Saint Joseph (Baltimore) in a consolation match at 3:30 p.m. on Monday and will play for seventh or fifth-place on Tuesday.

"I just want to thank the heavenly father, the man above for setting this trip up for us," said Villa. "We have two more games to go and I'm just going to show my performance and execute my skills out there for my family."