Nānākuli's Ceci Enos (33) goes in for a fast-break layup against Farrington midway through the second quarter. Enos scored 20 points in the win. CJ Caraang | SL

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Wed, Feb 2, 2022 @ Nanakuli

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Farrington

37

Nanakuli

64

Final	1	2	3	4
Farrington (6-5, 6-6)	2	9	11	15	37
Nanakuli (7-6, 8-6)	20	19	14	11	64

J. Liana 21 pts  1 3pm  4/7 FTs

S. Cabato-Machado 12 pts  1 3pm  5/8 FTs

NANAKULI — Jahlyxcs Liana and Ceci Enos weren't going out like this. 

No chance. 

The senior duo combined to score 43 points to power Nanakuli to a convincing 64-37 win over visiting Farrington in an opening-round game of the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I girls basketball tournament Wednesday night. 

Liana scored 16 of her game-high 21 points by halftime, while Enos had 12 of her 20 by the intermission. 

"It's no surprise what we have," Nanakuli coach Sasha Montez said. "Everyone knows pretty much who we have on our team, it's Ceci and Jahlyxcs; they've been our two go-to people this whole season and we continue to put our trust in them."

And the pair delivered for the Golden Hawks (6-6), the fourth seed out of the Western Division. They advanced into Thursday's quarterfinal round, where East top seed Kaiser awaits with a state tournament berth at stake. 

The East fifth-seeded Governors (6-6) saw their season come on an end with the loss. 

"We came into the game knowing that this might be our last game, so that really pushed the momentum of the game," Enos said. 

"We've been working hard these last few days trying to prepare for today," Montez added. "Our girls knew that tonight was a very important game. We came to play and we knew we had to just get the first day so I'm glad that we got past the first day and we're blessed to play another day of basketball tomorrow.

Montez noted that in the days since a 51-30 loss at Campbell last Thursday to end the regular season — which ended a five-game win streak for her team — she utilized the time to get back to the proverbial drawing board. 

"We definitely had a sense of urgency," she said. "We got to go back into the classroom and do some fieldwork and see what we didn't do well, so our girls were able to make adjustments, see that and gain some confidence and just make plays happen, so getting in the classroom and doing some film work really helped us with our IQ and a better understanding of what we need to do moving forward."

Liana said that she and her teammates took the loss to the Sabers — who finished as the West's top seed —  in stride and that it, in hindsight, proved to be beneficial for the team. 

"It was hard but we took it as a lesson instead of a loss and we just wanted to come back firing as a team to make it to playoffs," she said. "This playoffs, it's a whole new team and we're coming out strong."

They certainly came out strong Wednesday night. 

After Farrington took its only lead of the game at 2-0 on a Shayna Cabato-Machado bucket, Nanakuli went on a tear to the tune of a 20-0 run. Liana tied the score with her 16-foot jumper and one possession later, Enos gave her team the lead for good with her steal and layup in transition. 

However, she had to leave the game with four minutes and 45 seconds left in the first quarter after she collided with a Farrington player, fell and hit her head on the court. She returned with 2:05 left in the first quarter and right away hit a 13-foot fadeaway that gave her team a 16-2 lead. 

While Enos was being tended to on the bench, Liana scored five straight points over the course of three consecutive possessions.

"Ceci is like my twin on the court. We know each other's minds and when she's out we all have to step up — not just me, us as a whole team — so the energy just had to step up a little bit and the person replacing her had to step up even more because that's filling a big shoe," said Liana, whose layup just seconds before the end of the first quarter capped the run and gave the Golden Hawks a 20-2 lead after eight minutes. 

Nearly midway through the third quarter, Enos made a play on both ends of the floor that epitomized the kind of night it was for both teams. 

She misfired on a 3-pointer and was unable to secure the rebound. But as she ran back on defense, Enos blocked a Govs' shot attempt in transition. She then scooped up the ball and raced downcourt before she pulled up to drain a 12-foot jumper. That stretched the Nanakuli lead to 49-13 — its largest of the night — with 4:!5 left in the third quarter. 

"If anyone loses the ball we're taught to go back and play defense as if you want the ball back so that you can make up for your loss, so that's pretty much what I thought and that's how I handled the situation," Enos said. "I went back on defense and I tried to get a stop, but instead of a stop I stole the ball and ended up going for the score."

Montez could appreciate the hustle play by the senior forward. 

"Definitely," she said. "She plays on both ends of the floor. She made a stop on defense and she took it from coast to coast; that was definitely high IQ, heart and just hard work."

"I was not expecting that," Liana laughed. "Ceci is just, she's a ninja; we call her ‘ninja' because you never know what to expect from her. She's just a really good player."

The Golden Hawks utilized a number of defenses throughout the game. They opened in a full-court press, later went to a half-court trap and also spent some time in a three-quarter press. 

That translated to 13 turnovers by the Govs in the first quarter alone. They finished with 36 turnovers for the game. 

"Defense wins games, that's pretty much our motto; we knew that our defense had to be on it for us," Montez said. "We thrive off of our defense and we rely on that. We want to get some stops, as much as we can apply the pressure and get some layups and we did that tonight; our girls came ready to play."

In the fourth quarter, Enos hit her head on the hardwood once more, but was no worse for wear, according to her coach. 

"She did," Montez confirmed. "She's a go-getter. She dives on the floor for balls. She hit her head a couple of times, but she's a trooper so she's going to bounce back from it. All in all, thankfully she's OK and will be able to play (Thursday) and the rest of the playoffs."

Hailey Kauweloa and Kihani Cavaco added nine points apiece for the Golden Hawks. 

Cabato-Machado finished with 12 points to lead the Govs, who played without leading scorer Jorja Williams (9.5 ppg).

Nanakuli led at halftime, 39-11. 

The Golden Hawks can secure their first trip to the state tournament since 2016 with a win over the undefeated Cougars (11-0). 

Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.