Punahou holds off
Honokaa

Long, quick and explosive, the Punahou Buffanblu showed exactly why they are the No. 1 seed in the Hawaiian Airlines Girls Basketball State Championships last night.

Punahou (21-1) repelled everything Honokaa offered en route to a 54-38 win in the semifinals at the Stan Sheriff Center. The win set up tonight's title tilt against defending state champion Konawaena.

"We need to come out with better effort, more discipline and attention to detail," Punahou coach Mike Taylor said.

Punahou defeated Konawaena 52-38 in nonconference play on March 4 at the Buffanblu's Spring Wahine Classic.

Honokaa, aiming to make it an all-Big Island final, never surrendered.

"We hadn't played them all season. We wanted to play our game and came out with a solid effort," said point guard Shanna-Lei Dacanay, who scored 15 points and had six steals for the Buffanblu.

The freshman twins, Shawna-Lei and Shaena-Lyn Kuehu, also scored 15 points each for the Buffanblu. Shawna-Lei, their center, pulled down 12 boards, including six on the offensive glass. She also had a team-high three steals.

"I'm excited. Watching states in the past is like a whole different story for me," she said. "We had to focus on our box-outs and being patient."

Dacanay's steady, heady play proved pivotal.

"As a team, we settled down, and Coach said we wanted the pace to go our way. Shanna being the point guard, she took control of the tempo," Shawna-Lei Kuehu said.

Keisha Kanekoa, Honokaa's play-making sophomore guard, led her team with 14 points, seven boards and four assists.

"We could've done better on some things," Kanekoa said.

Kari Heers added 10 for the Dragons (21-6), runners-up from the Big Island Interscholastic Federation.

"Punahou did a great job," Honokaa coach Daphne Honma said. "They've got depth and game experience, and this is the first time in the semifinals for our players."

Punahou put an emphasis on wearing down Kanekoa.

"We gave her different looks and made her work a little harder," Taylor said. "Kanekoa keeps on getting better and better. She's always in control, takes care of the ball and has great discipline."

The Buffanblu's swarming array of man-to-man and trapping defenses forced five crucial turnovers by Honokaa during a pivotal third-quarter run.

Down seven points at the half, the Dragons hung tough, pulling within 20-19 after a 3-point play underneath by Wila Lavea.

"I thought it was ours. If we could've come up with a big stop, got a bucket and held them off," Honma said.

Punahou's relentless pressure defense and depth, however, took a major toll.

Dacanay scored off a steal and then on a 3-point bomb during a frenzy of quick turnovers by the Dragons in the backcourt. After Ciana Aiwohi hit a 3-pointer from the left wing at the buzzer, Punahou led 32-21 at the end of three quarters.

"The barrage of turnovers wasn't expected, but we've been consistent at being inconsistent," Honma said. "They capitalized on our turnovers."

The Buffanblu led by as many as 15 in the final quarter to put a large margin of victory on an otherwise intense battle.

Punahou came out with purpose, using three different defenders on Kanekoa. With Christine Takara, Aiwohi and Shaena-Lyn Kuehu taking turns, Kanekoa worked for every inch of the floor.

The game stayed tight and low-scoring until Punahou went to a fullcourt trap with 2 minutes left in the first quarter. Honokaa responded with a four-guard lineup, but the Buffanblu seized momentum with a 10-4 run.

Lahainaluna 52, Roosevelt 48

Monique Blando, a 5-foot-5 center, scored 17 points and corralled 14 rebounds to lift the Lady Lunas (18-3) into the consolation title game. The senior shot 7-for-10 from the floor and also had four steals. Kelci Fushikoshi added 15 points and Alise Hatch tallied 11 points for the Maui Interscholastic League champions.

Shannon Miyashiro, a junior center, pumped in 27 points and grabbed seven boards to lead the Rough Riders (15-16).

Iolani 65, Kalaheo 48

Hennasea-Sue Tokumura scored 15 points, including three treys, as Iolani pulled away for a win over the Lady Mustangs.

Alana Wall and Jamie Smith added nine points each for Iolani (20-7), the ILH runner-up.

Taylor Smith led Kalaheo (21-7) with 12 points.