HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Redondo's Ryann Louie went to the hoop against Iolani's Lori Yamashita last night.
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Redondo shoots down Iolani
Don't take offense, but the Sea Hawks of Redondo Union have a way of getting defensive.
Riding an air-tight man-to-man defense, Redondo Union (Calif.) overpowered Iolani 40-29 last night in the semifinals of the Iolani Classic. UCLA-bound forward Atonye Nyingifa scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lift the Sea Hawks (6-0).
Redondo Union will play Punahou in the title game at 8 p.m.
"I missed so many shots. Twenty points, I don't know where that came from," the 6-foot senior said.
She was only 3-for-15 from the field in the first three quarters, covered by Iolani's Jamie Smith much of the way. Iolani, however, could not take advantage. The Raiders shot just 21 percent from the field (10-for-47) as their leading scorer, Smith, struggled against swarming defenders all night.
"They had tremendous focus defensively. I'm real proud of their effort," Redondo Union coach Marcelo Enriquez said. "Iolani did some things that took us out of our game with the higher pressure, the higher (2-3) zone."
Smith finished with 11 points and 21 rebounds, but shot only 4-for-17 from the field. The Raiders, normally an accurate shooting team, were just 3-for-12 from the foul line.
Iolani jumped to an early 9-2 lead, but a penchant to spread the floor and run time off the clock failed to work for long in the second quarter. Enriquez ordered his defense to extend pressure as far as necessary to pressure Iolani's ballhandlers.
Iolani, in response, didn't attack the basket often against the taller Sea Hawks until the last few minutes. Smith, who has averaged more than 20 points per game in nonconference play, didn't score for a stretch of 25 minutes between the first and fourth quarters.
Chanel Hirata also scored 11 points for Iolani (9-1), the No. 2-ranked team in the Star-Bulletin Girls Basketball Preseason Top 10. Hirata shot 3-for-9 from the arc.
Redondo Union took the lead for good on a drive to the bucket by guard Joylyn Ichiyama. That gave the Sea Hawks a 10-9 lead with 3:34 left in the first half.
Ichiyama, one of two players with Hawaii ties, finished with eight points and three assists, and her floor leadership was impeccable.
Redondo outrebounded Iolani 34-30. Iolani had just six turnovers, while the Sea Hawks had 10.
Punahou 47, Narbonne (Calif.) 39
Shawna-Lei Kuehu scored 21 points and grabbed 20 rebounds as the Buffanblu knocked off the defending Los Angeles City champions.
Point forward Shaena-Lyn Kuehu handled Narbonne's fierce fullcourt pressure most of the night and finished with seven points.
Reiko Thomas led the Gauchos with 17 points.
Roosevelt 48, Granada 39
Dianna Zane scored 20 points and Mikela Thoemmes added eight as the Rough Riders beat Granada.
Roosevelt outscored Granada 22-13 in the fourth quarter to blow open the close game.
Kamehameha 68, Moanalua 44
Rhani Kaneaiakala scored 15 points and Tiana Abbley added 14 as the Warriors blew out Na Menehune.
Britni Ronolo scored half of Moanalua's points.