Athlete of the Week: Hillsdale’s Makena Nitao

“No, not really,” Nitao said. “I was a little nervous because my free throws aren’t always consistent.”

As it turned out, Hillsdale was in good hands. Nitao converted both free throws with three seconds to play to seal a 55-52 victory. It capped a big week for her. Prior to her 18 points against Aragon, she exploded for a season-high 27 points in a 68-46 win over Mills.

For her efforts, she has been named Daily Journal Athlete of the Week.

Pacing Hillsdale with a 15.4 points per game scoring average this season, Nitao is part of a rich tapestry of talent for the girls’ basketball team. Off to a 14-1 overall start, and in the midst of a nine-game winning streak, the Lady Knights are loving life right now. And at times, they are making it look easy.

“She’s been a really big part,” Hillsdale head coach Dave Ichiki said. “She mans the points and usually draws the toughest defensive assignment. … The defense really starts from her, whoever the point guard is on the other team. So, her pressure on the perimeter really sets the tone for everything we do.”

The showdown with Aragon was Hillsdale’s first contentious win of the year. And the Knights showcased their depth to keep close when the Lady Dons took the lead in the second half. It was Jaelee Wilson’s two free throws that gave Hillsdale the lead 53-52 with under 10 seconds to go.

“In the fourth quarter, they just got on a run, and we couldn’t score,” Nitao said. “I was getting frustrated with the way I was playing because I couldn’t get the ball in the basket. But then Jaelee started getting all these steals … and she just kept us in the game.”

Wilson — a transfer from St. Francis — has been a big help to Nitao. The Knights like to rotate at the point, and Wilson’s ball-handling skills free up Nitao to drift out to the wing and show off her slashing abilities on dribble-drives to the basket. It also unleashes a dominant three-headed monster, with senior Bailey Fong averaging 15.2 ppg this season.

While Nitao isn’t a vocal leader, she’s a leader nonetheless. And it’s the range of basketball plays she’s able to run that allow her to lead by example.

“She competes on pretty much every possession,” Ichiki said. “You never see her take one off. So that’s the way she kind of leads by example.”

She’s prone to controlling Hillsdale’s momentum as well, as she did at the end of the first half last Wednesday against Mills. The Vikings cut the Hillsdale lead down to single digits before halftime — with Nitao taking the blame for committing a foul beyond the arc to put Mills at the free-throw line for three shots.

Mills knocked down the first two, closing the Hillsdale lead to 9. But when the third free throw missed, senior Rhea Mulkerrins came down with the rebound, and with just a few seconds till the buzzer, pushed the ball up to Nitao, who took aim from several feet behind the half-court line and let it fly.

And — boom!

“I just threw it up and it went in,” Nitao said.

The 50-foot jumper sent Hillsdale into the locker room with a head of steam. It also electrified the limited number of fans in attendance. While attendance numbers are still low as a pandemic precaution, the Hillsdale football team had drifted into the gym just minutes earlier, giving Nitao at least some semblance of a fan base to impress with her highlight-reel moment.

“They got pretty hyped after that shot,” Nitao said. “That was nice to hear.”

Hillsdale is now looking to ride such momentum to a special season. It’s been a special school year for girls’ athletics already, as the Hillsdale volleyball team went on a historic march in capturing PAL Bay Division and CIF Northern California banners.

The basketball Knights are as serious about their craft as the volleyballers. Nitao and Fong are Hillsdale’s most prolific AAU club players, an attribute Ichiki said has fueled the team’s PAL-best 14-1 overall record.

“It’s the work that they put in on their own, I think,” Ichiki said. “They both play pretty much year-round. … They’re both really diligent about expanding their game and just working on the little things.”