[ HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL ]
KEN IGE / KIGE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Becky Hogue of Punahou pulled down a rebound in front of Farrington's Laosamoa Misa-Uli and Joanne Fernandez.
Buffanblu try to
wrap up season
with titlePunahou reaches the girls
basketball championship
game by beating Farrington
There have only been a handful of losses for Punahou senior starters Rachel Kane, Elyse Umeda and Becky Hogue in the last three years. They have a chance to keep it that way today in the final game of their careers.
Top-seeded Punahou overwhelmed Farrington 63-39 yesterday in the first semifinal of the 2003 Hawaiian Airlines Girls Basketball State Championship. Punahou faces Kahuku tonight at 8 at the Stan Sheriff Center for the state title.
State girls basketball
At Stan Sheriff Center
YESTERDAY
Kamehameha 69, Maryknoll 41
Baldwin 54, McKinley 45
Konawaena 43, Lahainaluna 36
Punahou 63, Farrington 39
Kahuku 42, Moanalua 39
TODAY
Consolation final: Kealakehe vs. Kamehameha, 3 p.m.
Fifth place: Baldwin vs. Konawaena, 4:30 p.m.
Third place: Farrington vs. Moanalua, 6 p.m.
First place: Punahou vs. Kahuku, 8 p.m.
The Buffanblu needed just the first eight minutes of the game to snuff out any threat the Governors might have posed. Punahou (16-0) reached its 11th state final behind incredible defensive pressure and perimeter shooting that couldn't be contained. The Buffanblu were six of 10 from beyond the arc.
"We came out with a lot more energy than we did yesterday," Umeda said. " We didn't come out with a lot of intensity and it was close in the first half. (Today) we wanted to take them out from the very first minute. That was the most intense defense I've seen us play in a while.
"Our fullcourt press is the way we normally get our points. That's how we like to play. Our defense is our offense. Farrington is a great team. They came at us with a lot of size."
Punahou opened the game missing its first six shots, but the Buffanblu's swarming defense prevented points until their guards got hot. Punahou broke away from a 6-4 game and moved ahead on a flurry of 3-pointers. Umeda hit a trey and Rachel Kane knocked down back-to-back 3s during an 11-0 run that put Punahou ahead for good.
The Buffanblu stretched their lead to 20 in the second quarter. Even their errors became points. A pass intended for Hogue deflected off her hands and to a wide open Christine Takara, who scored for a 26-6 advantage.
"We did a good job pushing the ball up, getting our transition baskets," Punahou coach Mike Taylor said. "I liked that we were aggressive. We missed a few shots in the beginning, but we just kept firing. We had our legs under us."
Farrington (12-5) had trouble bringing the ball up to halfcourt. The Governors got trapped in the Buffanblu's fullcourt press. Punahou picked off most of the passes and converted them for quick layups. Five of Farrington's seven second-quarter points came from the charity stripe.
"Those turnovers early in the game weren't caused by us," Farrington coach Jenic Tumaneng said. "They (Punahou) were aggressive and creating those turnovers. And their shots fell, while ours weren't falling. That's the game of basketball. We have another game tomorrow and we'll come out and play."
KEN IGE / KIGE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Rachel Kane of Punahou blew by Farrington's Joanne Fernandez in last night's semifinal, won by the Buffanblu 63-39.
Junior Laosamoa "Sunshine" Misa-Uli led the Govs with 14 points and seven rebounds. But 11 of her points came in the fourth quarter.
Fatigue will not be much of a factor for Punahou tonight. The Buffanblu starters played at most 20 minutes in yesterday's game. Kane did most of her damage in the first quarter, drilling 10 points and finishing with 16 for the game to go along with five steals and seven rebounds.
Umeda added 12 points, six assists and four steals. The Buffanblu also got 16 points from their reserves.
"We wanted to give our bench a chance. They've really been supportive all year," Taylor said. "We wanted to give them a chance to play. They did a good job."
At Stan Sheriff Center
Farrington (12-5) 6 7 7 19 -- 39 Punahou (16-0) 19 11 16 17 -- 63
FARRINGTON -- Revelyn Cabaya 4, Ellaine Bihag 0, Gretchen Santos 1, Joanne Fernandez 0, Jo Ann Montiero 7, Shirlynn Tambua 1, Sandy Tauta 0, Racquel Rivera 0, Merissa Keohohou 0, Paepaetele Poasa 0, Tanya Alualu 2, Talia Tapua 0, Audrina Esera 0, Hanau Kaiura 2, Meleane Mateaki 8, Laosamoa Misa-Uli 14.PUNAHOU -- Rachel Kane 16, Elyse Umeda 12, Shanna Dacanay 6, Eryn Chun 0, Stacy Brossy 5, Makena Hunt 3, Anuhea Macfarlane 0, Kelsey Jandoc 2, Tessa Sonobe 2, Kelly Karns 0, Christine Takara 6, Gail Matsushima 4, Becky Hogue 7.
3-point goals: Punahou 6 (Umeda 3, Kane 2, Brossy).
CONSOLATION
Konawaena 43, Lahainaluna 36The Wildcats (14-1) got a double-double from Nancy Hoist, who scored 14 points and added 10 rebounds.
Konawaena plays Baldwin in today's 4:30 p.m. fifth-place game.
Fatai Halaapiapi mangaged 15 points and added a game-high 14 rebounds for the Lunas, who finished their season at 13-5.
Konawaena (14-1) 10 14 15 4 -- 43 Lahainaluna (13-5) 8 8 6 14 -- 36
KONAWAENA -- Kristen Kitaoka 3, Tiane Estoy 2, Loren Gomes 0, Shawna Marie Gomes 0, Leesa Deniz 0, Elizabeth Chung-Hoon Palau 10, Jennifer Tayamen 2, Jessica Hanato 6, Keala Kaupu 2, Tiare DeAguiar 4, Nancy Hoist 14.LAHAINALUNA -- Tasha Pagdilao 0, Krystle Omlan 6, Kelci Fushikoshi 2, Jessica Maielua 0, Tiara Kukahiko 3, Alise Hutch 3, Monika Vehikite 7, Monique Blando 0, Fatai Halaapiapa 15.
3-point goals: Konawaena 2 (Kitaoka, Palau), Lahainaluna 2 (Kukahiko, Hatch).
Baldwin 54, McKinley 45
The Bears (14-3) advanced to the fifth-place game against Konawaena as Kami Kapaku scored 12 of her game-high 23 points in the second half. Kapaku also contributed with nine rebounds.
Chantal Yadao scored 10 of her 13 points in the first half and finished with nine boards for the Tigers, who completed their season at 11-6. Amber Lee, headed to the University of Hawaii in the fall, was held to five points in her final high school game.
Baldwin (14-3) 12 13 16 13 -- 54 McKinley (11-6) 16 13 7 9 -- 45
MCKINLEY -- Chantal Yadao 13, Rayna Isaki 0, Kauai Quartero 0, Kelli Fukumoto 0, Meagan Miyasaka 4, Melody Ababa 0, Bre Carson 13, Janine Corpuz 0, Kimberly Elia 0, Sharlee Kitaoka 0, Ceslie Ma'afala 5, Amber Lee 5, Tania Liufau 5.BALDWIN -- Kami Kapaku 23, Crystal Manuel 3, Kapua Atay 2, Kai Sarmiento 3, Jooann Gogue 1, Isabeau Waiau 15, Jenna Mailou 7, Heidi Namauu 0.
3-point goals: McKinley 3 (Yadao 2, Carson), Baldwin 1 (Waiau).
Kamehameha 69, Maryknoll 41
The Warriors (13-3) moved into today's 3 p.m. consolation championship against Kealakehe (11-4) as Megan Ching and Jeneka Taeoalii combined for 32 points.
Mounia Nihipali helped Kamehameha's cause with eight rebounds.
Sela Fisilau scored eight points and added eight rebounds for the Spartans, who finished their season at 9-9.
Kamehameha (13-3) 19 15 19 16 -- 69 Maryknoll (9-9) 14 7 14 6 -- 41
KAMEHAMEHA -- Jeneka Taeoalii 16, Jordan Tangonan 2, India Soo 4, Tiffiny Shim 2, Wendy Kashiwabara 8, Lori Nakamura 4, Tatriana Lorenzo 6, Lehua Wood 3, Mounia Nihipali 6, Megan Kanoa 2, Megan Ching 16.MARYKNOLL -- Jessica Akamine 8, Tammie Andres 6, Kristie Watanabe 4, Rachel Chang 0, Whitney Wong 4, Brianna Goo 0, Jessica Ho 0, Kaulana Salangdron 0, Michelle Taketa 0, Lauren Lau 2, Bowha Kang 0, Cheryl Lee 9, Sela Fisilau 8.
3-point goals: Kamehameha 2 (Ching 2).
Star-Bulletin reporter Nick Abramo contributed to this report.
BACK TO TOP |
Kahuku reaches
final vs. Punahou
For two and a half quarters, it appeared Kahuku's amazing run was coming to an end.
But the Red Raiders fought back from a huge deficit to upset Moanalua 42-39 last night in the semifinals of the Hawaiian Airlines State Girls Basketball Championship at the Stan Sheriff Center.
Trailing 24-14 early in the third, Kahuku (12-2) displayed its fast-paced, hard-rebounding, ball-hawking game that was missing earlier. Tuli Peters scored six points in a 13-3 run for a 27-27 tie at the end of three quarters.
The Red Raiders (12-2), who played two energy-sapping games against Kamehameha and Konawaena, somehow had enough left to finish off the Oahu Interscholastic Association champion Menehunes in the back-and-forth fourth quarter. Kahuku plays Punahou tonight at 8 in the championship game.
Moanalua (14-1) meets Farrington in the third-place game at 6.
Punahou has won six state titles and will be playing in its 11th final. Kahuku won states in 1983 and was runner-up two years later.
"One heart, one team," Kahuku defensive catalyst Mona Ale said after the victory. "That's what we're all about, heart.
"This one wasn't over until the buzzer sounded. I've heard Punahou is a good team, but we're pretty good, too, and we plan to keep on working hard."
Ale finished with a team-high 11 points.
Marleen Leautu and Amy Kotani hit key baskets for the Menehunes early in the fourth for a 31-27 advantage, but Kahuku's Latoya Wily kept it close with four free throws.
The Red Raiders took control with less than three minutes left as Ale and Peters hit clutch hoops to go ahead for the first time in the game, 35-32. From there, Karla Tailele added two free throws and Wily hit one to offset four from the charity stripe by the Menehunes' Patti Hardimon.
"They outrebounded us in the first half," Kahuku coach Wendy Anae said. "I told our offense it needed more movement because we weren't moving in the first half. Then we put the press on. Sometimes, it's effective, sometimes it's not."
In this case, it turned out to be effective as the Red Raiders created lots of turnovers.
Ale gave Kahuku a comfortable 40-36 lead with 30 seconds left on a fastbreak layup after Leautu's miss at the other end.
Hardimon's 3-pointer with eight seconds left wasn't enough for the Menehunes.
"Kahuku made a run and our presence in the middle got injured (when Leautu went down with a bump in crunch time)," Moanalua coach Roy Dias said. "We fought back, but we're very proud of our girls and we still get to play one more game."
After a slow start, Wily controlled the boards for Kahuku and finished with 17 rebounds.
Hardimon, one of Moanalua's top scorers, also had a slow start. She scored all eight of her points in the final eight minutes.
Kotani led the Menehunes with a game-high 14 points, while Leautu finished with 11 boards.
At Stan Sheriff Center
Kahuku (14-2) 4 9 14 15 -- 42 Moanalua (14-1) 9 12 6 12 -- 39
KAHUKU -- Camilla Ah-Hoy 0, Michelle Peters 10, Mona Ale 11, Lesina Funaki 3, Artevia Wily 3, Karla Tailele 5, Aisha Ale 1, Latoya Wily 9.MOANALUA -- Amy Kotani 14, Ronni Keliihoomalu 2, Sasha Silva 0, Patti Hardimon 8, Joy Matsukawa 0, Kepua Lee 8, Marleen Leautu 7.
3-point goals: Kahuku 1 (Funaki), Moanalua 3 (Kotani, Hardimon, Lee).
