HHSAA GIRLS BASKETBALL DIVISION II
St. Francis' defense drops fourth seed Seabury Hall in quarters
By Kyle Galdeira
Special to the Star-Bulletin
Sometimes a simple adjustment can go a long way in changing the momentum of a game.
St. Francis' switch from a zone to man-to-man defense allowed the Troubadours to stifle No. 4 seed Seabury Hall en route to a 64-43 victory yesterday afternoon in the quarterfinal round of the Hawaiian Airlines/HHSAA Girls Basketball Division II State Championships at McKinley High School's Student Council Gym.
The Spartans (11-2) were in control early after jumping out to a 13-7 lead late in the first quarter, thanks in part to a 5-minute St. Francis shooting drought in which the Troubadours didn't convert a field-goal attempt.
But St. Francis (16-2) stormed back with an 11-2 run to go ahead 18-15 early in the second period. Aided by the effective fullcourt press and tenacious defense, St. Francis forced 13 of Seabury Hall's 26 turnovers in the first half, and went into the locker room at halftime with a 31-24 lead.
"In the first quarter we came out with a zone, but the seniors are taking finals now and practicing for graduation, so their heads really weren't in it," Troubadour head coach Paul Tanaka said. "So we switched to man (defense), and brought up the intensity just to wake (our players) up. When we went fullcourt man, it really picked up the intensity."
St. Francis came out running on all cylinders to begin the second half, extending their lead to 44-24 after going on a 13-0 run to start the third period. Senior Kanani Perry led the way on offense with 15 points, and hit three 3-pointers that ended any hope of a Seabury Hall comeback.
"One of my coaches, Mandy Llamedo, told me to follow through on my shot, so this game, I followed through, and we came out on top," Perry said. "I want to make it a good year for all of the seniors on our team, as well as the underclassmen, so we'll keep coming out to win (the championship)."
The Troubadour defense pushed until the end, limiting the Spartans to 19 points in the second half, nine of which came on three 3-pointers in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
"What was really key was the non-starters came through, because we didn't have to put our starters back in (after gaining a large lead), so they got some rest, and the intensity was still there (with the subs playing) so that was awesome," Tanaka said.
Junior point guard Danielle Tanaka added 12 points and dished out four assists.
Korena Burgio and Tiana Barbier led the Spartans with 12 points each.
St. Francis (16-2) |
8 |
23 |
21 |
12 |
-- |
64 |
Seabury Hall (11-2) |
13 |
11 |
8 |
11 |
-- |
43 |
ST. FRANCIS--Kaui Berinobis 0, Visha Bungo 0, Nicole Perry 4, Kanani Perry 15, Danielle Tanaka 10, Emma Dacalio-Spencer 6, Bryanna Batts 9, Maile Kimura 4, Rochelle Nakagawa 0, Kristin Enomoto 0, Melissa Allen 4, Jaimie Iwashita 6, Kacee Coito 2, and Siutiti Takai 4.
SEABURY HALL--Michelle Mallen 2, Allicia Imada 0, Emma Burns 2, Yacine Meyer 4, Kim Goodfellow 0, Korena Burgio 12, Tiana Barbier 12, Lesley Smith 4, Talia Anama 0, Chelsea Kikuchi 4, Ally Pennebaker 3.
3-point goals -- St. Francis 3 (K. Perry 3). Seabury Hall 3 (Barbier 2, Pennebaker)
Kamehameha-Hawaii 54, Castle 42
The No. 2 seeded Warriors looked a bit rusty, but still managed to hold off the Knights in the second quarterfinal game yesterday afternoon. Kamehameha-Hawaii's Leilani Galdones scored a game-high 19 points, including three treys, while Jamie Mattos and Lisa Yang chipped in with 14 points each.
Castle (10-5) overcame a 28-17 halftime deficit to pull within four points with 5 minutes to play. But the Warriors (11-3) spread the floor and played keep away to milk the clock and guarantee the victory.
"I don't think our transition (offense) went as well as it usually has," said KS-Hawaii head coach Kimo Miller. "We need to force (our opponents) back on their heels a lot faster.
"This is an OIA gym," he added. "So with the different venue, I think the girls were a little hyped up."
Castle (10-5) |
4 |
13 |
9 |
16 |
-- |
42 |
KS-Hawaii (11-3) |
16 |
12 |
11 |
15 |
-- |
54 |
CASTLE--Kellsie Sasaki 10, Kori Berinobis 0, Candyce Ames 3, Nicole Kobashigawa 2, Sarah Phromisiri 0, Raquel Hoe-Pedro 0, Tihani Kekauoha 4, Tracie Kam 0, Marisa Ameperosa 0, Leighla Kalahiki 0, Fa'asa'osa'o Lefotu 0, Shanyn Fafard-Kaaihue 11, Kawekiu Kawainui 6, Rachel Gage 6.
KAMEHAMEHA-HAWAII--Kanisha Bello 2, Leilani Galdones 15, Sierra Gacayan 2, Bryanna DeLima 0, Wikolia Enos 0, Cassidy Cabel 0, Jamie Mattos 14, Charven Rodrigues 0, Lisa Yang 14, Carissima Naki 0, Kamaile Allen 3.
3-point goals -- Castle 4 (Kawainui 2, Ames, Sasaki), Kamehameha Hawaii 7 (Yang 4, Galdones 3)
CONSOLATION
Kapaa 34, Hawaii Prep 25
Michelle Toy and Poerava Gantt scored 10 points apiece for the Warriors, who held Ka Makani (7-8) to just 23 percent shooting from the floor. The teams combined for 44 turnovers in the game, and each squad picked up 13 steals.
Hawaii Prep (7-8) |
5 |
7 |
5 |
8 |
-- |
25 |
Kapaa (8-3) |
4 |
15 |
4 |
11 |
-- |
34 |
HAWAII PREP--Cecily Kimura 2, Ashley Sutton 1, Charnelle Terawaki 0, Maya Chong 2, Kelly Flickinger 0, Chelsea Himalaya 5, Corina Stevens 0, Tamlyn Tsubota 6, Camille Mori 0, Kela Fitzgerald 9.
KAPAA--Michelle Toy 10, April Johnson 0, Kennilyn Nakamura 0, Poerava Gantt 10, Rachel Ganir 0, Danielle Creamer 6, Kieren Pond 0, Brittney Carvalho 2, Roselynn Ebinger 0, Mailika Napoleon 6.
3-point goals -- Kapaa 2 (Toy 2).