RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM
Kahuku's Karla Tailele chased down a loose ball in front of Kalaheo's Shantel Marumoto in the third quarter of last night's game at Kahuku High School.
Red Raiders
overcome Mustangs
Kahuku solidified its standing as the No. 2 girls basketball team in the state last night by hustling to a 49-41 victory over No. 5 Kalaheo on the North Shore.
The seeds of the win can be traced back to a 9-0 run that closed out the half and gave the Red Raiders a 24-18 lead.
Prior to that, neither team could nose past the other as the first half included eight lead changes.
"We came out a little dead," said Kahuku coach Wendy Anae, whose Oahu Interscholastic Association East Division-leading team improved to 7-0 and dropped the Mustangs to 5-2. "And we were a little anxious on our shots. But we finally got control and started making good decisions."
Trailing 18-15 with 2:33 left in the half, the Red Raiders rode the extra effort of veterans Camilla Ah Hoy, Mona Ale and Latoya Wily to take control.
Ale's rebound basket tied it at 18 and then she passed to Ah Hoy underneath for a 20-18 edge. Wily followed up with a bucket in the low post and then she fed Aisha Ale for a hoop and the six-point 24-18 halftime bulge.
Kalaheo, led by freshman Shanadee Canon's seven straight points, briefly took a 25-24 second-half lead.
But Kahuku came back strong. This time, Aisha Ale took control of the boards and generally disrupted the Mustangs' offense. Meanwhile, Karla Tailele bombed in a 3-pointer, Mona Ale added an 18-footer and Wily scored from underneath on a pass from Aisha Ale for a 32-28 lead after three quarters.
"Defensively, we weren't rotating correctly early in the game," Ah Hoy said. "So the coaches were on us for that and we finally started doing it right late in the second quarter. We got pumped up and worked harder. That's what usually happens in practice. We start slow and pick it up. I guess what you do in practice you end up doing in the game, too."
Ah Hoy's five quick points, including a trey, early in the fourth made it 37-30 and the Red Raiders were never in trouble after that. They fed Wily inside and she hit four of six free throws to help wrap it up. Kalaheo got as close as six points -- 41-35 -- with 1:47 left.
Wily ended with a team-high 17 points, while Ah Hoy added 14. Canon scored 20 for the Mustangs, including 16 in the second half.
"We had a couple of lapses," Kalaheo coach Chico Furtado said. "We had six turnovers when they went on their 9-0 run, but we battled back. Kahuku is a team playing with a high level of confidence and we're a team that is still striving to do that.
But I'm proud of our players. We stayed close. We'll take something from this loss. If our girls start playing with more effort and more smarts, we'll be a pretty good basketball team."
Canon said the Mustangs could have done better with their transition defense.
"Once they started pushing the ball, it killed us," she said. "But in the long run, we did well. Win or lose, we still had confidence."
Kalaheo forwards Randi Farstad, Kaiena Huihui, Kaliko Kepa and Kamala Kau turned in solid inside games, especially in the first half, and combined for 17 points as Farstad scored five and the rest added four apiece.
The Mustangs face East contenders Farrington and Kaiser in their next two games, while the Red Raiders will try to continue their winning streak all the way into the upcoming OIA playoffs.
"It's good to be 7-0, but mentally we've got to be hungry every night," Anae said.
At Kahuku H.S. gym
KALAHEO--Hoku Kaiu-Denning 2, Shaina Siliga 0, Randi Farstad 5, Wesley Whitman 0, Shantel Marumoto 0, Kaila Samson 2, Shanadee Canon 20, Kaiena Huihui 4, Kaliko Kepa 4, Kamala Kau 4.
Kalaheo (5-2) 6 12 10 13 -- 41 Kahuku (7-0) 7 17 8 17 -- 49
KAHUKU--Camilla Ah Hoy 14, Delicia Wilson 0, Ane Vea 0, Mona Ale 4, Tina Soliai 0, Anny Soliai 0, Karla Tailele 8, Aisha Ale 6, Nancy Vave 0, Latoya Wily 17.
3-point goals: Kalaheo 1 (Canon), Kahuku 3 (Ah Hoy 2, Tailele)
Junior varsity--Kahuku 60, Kalaheo 35
