Iolani’s ‘D’ succeeded against Fu and Henderson

Where there is a will, there's a way, they say.

For top-ranked Iolani, it all begins with defense. Facing giant-killer Maryknoll, the Raiders had all eyes on sharpshooter Nicole Fu.

Fu, who had scorched the nets for 44 and 29 points in recent games, managed just 12 against a swarm of Iolani defenders. The Raiders hatched a matchup zone defense that gave the speedy senior guard no easy looks.

"We played with intensity and kept an eye on Nicole," Iolani swingman Alana Matayoshi said. The Raiders also were wary of Maryknoll sophomore Kimberly Henderson, who had drilled four treys in an upset of Kamehameha.

The depth of Iolani's roster is equaled only by the Raiders' intensity and quickness on defense. Henderson, who has a very quick release, did not make a 3-point shot.

The Raiders won their three league games last week by an average of 26.3 points per game, serving notice that they will not accept another loss for the rest of the season.

With second-place Punahou a step back after losing to Kamehameha, Iolani's march to the Interscholastic League of Honolulu title is a wee bit easier. Don't expect the Raiders to let up, however.

Kid Clutch: Kamehameha has found itself a great asset in freshman Alexis Furtado. The guard drained three treys in clutch fashion as the Warriors stunned then-No. 2 Punahou 35-31.

Furtado's final trey, an NBA-range rainbow with 31 seconds left, gave Kamehameha the lead for good. Lacking a consistent inside scoring game, the Warriors have relied heavily on perimeter scoring with on-and-off results. Tatriana Lorenzo has beefed up her game lately, but the addition of Furtado as a viable threat eases the burden.

Kamehameha coach Clay Cockett had hesitated to use the 5-foot-1 Furtado until the second half of the Punahou game.

"I know she can handle the ball. I was just hoping she'd give us quality minutes," he said. "I want our upperclassmen to step up. We want to rely on them to do the job. I also know what Kuulei (Furtado) can do, but sometimes I dwell on size too much."

With the game up for grabs and Kamehameha in need of scoring punch, Cockett finally heeded the words of assistant coach Raelen Self.

"Rae has been saying, 'You gotta play Kuulei, you gotta play Kuulei.' If I hadn't listened to her, it would just be a case of me being stubborn," Cockett said.

Three amazing shots later, Furtado, the daughter of Kalaheo assistant coach Dave Furtado, may be the X factor that lifts Kamehameha to another level.