HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
In-synch Raiders win ILH
Jamie Smith will get plenty of attention -- deservedly so.
Fourth-ranked Iolani's 53-46 win over No. 2 Kamehameha last night for the Interscholastic League of Honolulu championship wasn't just about Smith, though. The win, arguably Iolani's finest performance of the season, was about a near-flawless effort on both ends of the floor by starters and reserves alike.
Smith dominated the paint with 27 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks, but was also in a magical flow with her teammates. The Raiders delivered assists on 13 of their 15 field goals, shot 50 percent from the field and 77 percent at the foul line (20-for-26).
"They always had two girls on me, so it works really good when I kick it out," said Smith, who had four assists in the first half.
Expecting double teams by Kamehameha on the low post, the Raiders spread the floor out to give Smith plenty of operating room.
"One on one, she's difficult for anybody in the league," Kamehameha coach Clay Cockett said. Smith shot 7-for-9 from the field and 13-for-16 at the line.
Iolani, with only five turnovers, captured its first ILH title in girls basketball in more than a decade. "I've never had an ILH championship, so this feels great," Smith added. "I want us to win a state title for our seniors. They've been so close."
Alana Matayoshi, Iolani's stopper, finished with 12 points and two steals. She did her part to contain Kamehameha sharpshooter Analee Viena-Lota.
"Alana did what she had to do," Iolani coach Glenn Takara said. "She stepped up to the challenge. Everybody played well. Everybody did their part."
The Raiders did it in large part with defense, limiting Kamehameha to just 33 percent accuracy from the field (15-for-45). Viena-Lota scored 18 points (6-for-12 from the field) and sophomore Pualei Furtado hit five treys and finished with 16 points.
Iolani (11-2) needed to defeat Kamehameha in the tiebreaker game after the teams finished regular-season play locked in first place. A raucous gathering of about 500 at McCabe Gym saw Kamehameha (10-3) come out smoking hot behind Viena-Lota, who scored 27 points two nights earlier against Punahou.
Viena-Lota was not an offensive factor when Iolani took command of the game in the second and third quarters. After five early lead changes, Chelsea Unemori and Chanel Hirata drilled 3-point bombs as the Raiders went on a 17-8 run. After Unemori fed Matayoshi for a fast-break layup, Iolani had its biggest lead of the first half, 30-20.
Viena-Lota scored eight points in the opening quarter, but Iolani's defense eventually put the wraps on the fluid senior. Facing relentless coverage by Matayoshi and a collapsing Raider defense, Viena-Lota managed just two points in the second quarter and was scoreless in the third.
Iolani zoomed to a commanding 41-27 lead before Viena-Lota finally scored again early in the fourth quarter. The Warriors rallied to within 45-39 after Rhani Kaneaiakala hustled for a follow shot with 3:34 left, but Smith scored her team's next four points.
At McCabe Gym
Kamehameha (10-3) |
10 |
11 |
6 |
19 |
-- |
46
|
Iolani (11-2) |
14 |
16 |
10 |
13 |
-- |
53 |
KAMEHAMEHA--Pualei Furtado 16, Analee Viena-Lota 18, Shaleese Javillo 1, Lindsey Wong 2, Tiana Abbley 0, Rhani Kaneaiakala 2, Alex Akana 0, Kylle Roy 1, Casey Lum 6.
IOLANI--Chelsea Unemori 3, Tami Konishi 0, Kylie Ahlo 0, Alana Matayoshi 12, Chanel Hirata 3, Dayna Jandoc 8, Jamie Smith 27, Raechele Takara 0, Sarah Turgeon 0.
3-point goals -- Kamehameha 5 (Furtado 5), Iolani 3 (Unemori, Hirata, Jandoc).
ILH Division II girls
St. Francis 56. St. Andrew's 44
Janell Nance scored a game-high 15 points and Nicole Perry added 12 as the Troubadours (10-4) earned a berth in the state tournament with the victory.
Maile Tua had 13 points to lead The Priory, who will La Pietra today at Iolani at 6 p.m. A St. Andrew's win would give them the ILH's third seed in the state tournament and the Troubadours the second seed. If La Pietra wins, the two teams would play again tomorrow at 4 p.m. at Hawaii Baptist for the higher seed in states.
Junior Varsity Girls
Iolani 41, Mid-Pacific 34