POULSBO — Before sliding into a funk following by an overwhelming match-up with Mount Tahoma, the North Kitsap girls basketball team was off to a 4-0 start under new head coach Kaelea Makaiwi — aka Coach Mak.

After that eye-opening meeting Dec. 18, the Vikings hosted Olympia Dec. 20 and fell to the Bears by a count of 52-39 setting them back to a record of 1-2 in the Narrows League, 5-2 overall.

But from the starting gates, the Vikings have hit the court running, displaying passion and power, mirroring that of their fierce first-year head coach. Coming into the season, Makaiwi has been preaching team unity, devotion, desire, defense and toughness.

“We’ve been focusing this year a lot on team, team, team first, and being mentally tough, the only person that can take you out of (the game) is you,” she said.

Drawing from her experiences in childhood, high school and college sports, Mak knows a thing or two about the trials and triumphs the NK team is going through.

A four-year letter winner in both basketball and volleyball at Raymond High School, Makaiwi made it to the state championship stage in three years during her career, which was unfortunately shortened by an ACL injury.

More than a decade later, her passion persists.

“It’s been a dream of mine that I want to be a head coach and experience a championship from the other side,” she said. “That’s trickling down to the kids, the passion is there and that’s infectious.”

Championships, she said, are formed in a belief system that individual goals are achieved through team success. The 2006 Vikings — many of whom were coached under that philosophy as Makaiwi led last year’s NK JV — are buying into the concept.

As a multi-sport, multi-gender coach (Mak was also head coach of the boys track team in the spring), she is keen on the humanistic aspect of athletics which is a level on which she can relate to many of her players.

“In the past team chemistry hasn’t exactly been there,” said senior forward Jade Niemeyer. “I think that’s one of the things that she’s really focusing on. Hopefully, we can establish that we are playing for the love of the game.”

The love of the game shown brightly despite weather patterns which tried to gray the season. Amidst hodgepodge cancellations and postponements, the Vikings opened their season with back to back wins beating Port Angeles on the road Dec. 2 before holding off Bremerton at home Dec. 4. Two days later the Vikings hosted and beat Stadium before picking up momentum from an emotional steamroller win at CK Dec. 8.

Despite a fluctuating and at times inconsistent offense, one thing has been prevalent in all of NK’s first seven games — a stingy defense.

“I’m always telling them that the key to winning is your defense,” Makaiwi said following the 51-39 win over Bremerton. “If you play it solid for four quarters, it can carry you through.”

Following the team’s Narrows League losses to Olympia and Mount Tahoma, the Vikings are hoping to pick themselves up in non-league match ups with Olympic and Bainbridge Island that will carry them through the winter break.

However, regardless of records, Makaiwi’s goals are set even higher.

“My main goal: I just want to have the passion back for North Kitsap girls basketball. I want to get people to come out because they want to come watch our girls compete,” she said. “With that support, then the wins and losses can take care of themselves.”

The Vikings’ latest win took care of itself Friday night as North traveled to take on a shorthanded Trojans’ squad at Olympic.

The Trojans were missing four starters due to injuries and holiday absences, but the Vikings didn’t take full advantage of the fact until the second half.

Oly led 29-25 at the break, then North took over to steal the game by a count of 41-31.

NK sophomore Darcy Hughes led the Vikings with 12 points in the offensive court while steady senior Jade Niemeyer scored 10 and sophomore Arissan Ugles dropped nine.

For the Trojans: Nicole Buhl scored 14, Shannon White added nine.

For the Vikings, the non-conference win bolsters their record to 5-2 overall, but they remain 1-2 in the Narrows League.

North will host another non-conference game to end the holiday break as the Bainbridge Island Spartans come to Poulsbo for a co-ed quadrupleheader Dec. 29 starting with girls’ JV at 3 p.m.

The varsity girls will tip off at 6:15 p.m. followed by the varsity boys at 8 p.m.