HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS
India Soo, who scored 10 of her 14 points during a key third-quarter run, drove around Punahou's Eryn Chun last night.
Warriors beat Buffanblu
India Soo scores 14 points to lead
Kamehameha to a 51-35 upset
of previously unbeaten Punahou
This time around, the Kamehameha Warriors weren't quite so generous.
India Soo scored 10 of her team-high 14 points in a key third-quarter run as Kamehameha upset Punahou 51-35 last night at Hemmeter Fieldhouse.
The loss ended Punahou's unbeaten run in Interscholastic League of Honolulu play, but the Buffanblu still have breathing room with a 9-1 mark. At 6-4, Kamehameha knows it will have to earn a state berth the hard way -- through the tough gauntlet known as the third-place tournament.
"We're playing for the third spot," veteran Kamehameha coach Clay Cockett conceded. "We've had good practices. Each player has worked hard and sacrificed a lot. Each understands her role now."
The Warriors, arguably the most erratic state title contender in the islands, looked like champions last night.
"They hit shots and we didn't," Punahou coach Mike Taylor said. "But we kept fighting and persevering."
After a roller-coaster two weeks of ILH battles, the Warriors can feel good about yesterday's win. On April 3, Kamehameha was in position to defeat Punahou, but key turnovers allowed the Buffanblu to pull out a 37-33 win at Kekuhaupio Gym.
This time, Kamehameha's defense and rebounding had plenty to do with a bad shooting night by the host Buffs. Senior center Mounia Nihipali scored 10 points and pulled down 20 rebounds, and guard Tatriana Lorenzo added nine points.
The Warriors didn't use full-court pressure once. Instead, they unveiled a 3-2 zone that smothered Punahou's shooters. Christine Takara, with 13 points and five rebounds, was the only Buffanblu scorer in double figures. Freshman Chelsea Deptula scored eight points and guard Shanna-Lei Dacanay finished with just seven. Sophie Merrifield led Punahou with 10 rebounds.
Kamehameha's Jordan Tangonan was fouled by Punahou's Eryn Chun as she went up for a shot during last night's game.
Punahou managed just two points in the opening quarter as it tried to figure out the zone. Eventually, the Buffanblu got open looks, but their offense was out of rhythm. They were fortunate to be only down 15-13 at intermission.
Dacanay, Punahou's key outside shooter, was 0-for-6 in the first half and did not score. Still, her ball handling and composure helped the Buffanblu stay close.
Kamehameha exploded with a 16-2 run against Punahou's man defense to open the third quarter. Soo drilled a 3-pointer from the right wing, turned a steal into a free throw, sank another trey and then a 16-foot jumper. The senior guard, who did not score in the first half, suddenly had 10 points in a span of less than six minutes. Kamehameha led 31-15 when Punahou called its second timeout of the quarter with 2:21 to go in the third.
The Buffanblu answered with a 10-0 run, using its full-court press to force three Warrior turnovers. Deptula scored off a pass from Mahina Macfarlane and added a layup off a steal as Punahou pulled within 31-25 with 1:06 left in the third.
That's when Kamehameha's sharpshooting freshman, Analee Viena-Lota, stepped it up. The lanky forward sank a 15-footer from the left wing to slow Punahou's run. She sank a 3-pointer from the right wing to open the fourth quarter to give Kamehameha a 35-25 lead.
Punahou mounted one last run. Dacanay, with just two points entering the final quarter, came up with a 22-foot trey and a steal for a tough left-handed layup to bring the Buffanblu within 40-34 with 3:44 remaining.
However, Viena-Lota answered again. Soo found her open on a fast break, and Viena-Lota's 10-foot shot from the right baseline hit all net. That was the spark the Warriors needed, and they finished off the game with an 11-0 run.
Soo scored her final four points during that mini-blitz, knocking down a bank shot and breaking away for an easy layup.
Kamehameha finished with a 36-30 edge on the boards. Punahou grabbed 15 offensive rebounds, but struggled to finish inside. Post Makena Hunt, ailing with an ankle injury, played just a few minutes in the first half.
Defensive stopper Eryn Chun, the lone senior, played despite an ankle injury of her own. In the midst of aloha night for her and the Division II Buffanblu's seniors, Chun wasn't worried about the loss.
"Going undefeated was one of our goals, but maybe this was a reality check," she said. "We already lost in preseason, and we bounced back from that."
Punahou has a showdown with second-place Iolani on Friday.
"In a good way, this makes us want it more," Dacanay added.
Punahou had seen zone defenses all season, but even the normally stoic Cockett was impressed.
"We've had our 3-2 zone for a long time, but it's evolved from so-so to pretty good," he said. "We had some breakdowns and didn't play completely well on the defensive side, but fortunately, Punahou didn't hurt us enough."
Iolani 49, Sacred Hearts 31: Hennasea-Sue Tokumura scored 13 points and Ginger Gravelle added in 11 as the Raiders defeated the Lancers.
Iolani pulled away from a tight game with a 17-8 run in the third quarter and survived a late Sacred Hearts rally despite not scoring a single point in the fourth.
At Sacred Hearts Academy Gymnasium
Iolani (8-2) 11 11 17 0 -- 49 Sacred Hearts (3-7) 11 12 8 10 -- 31
IOLANI-- Kaz Masutani 7, Chelsea Unemori 0, Hennasea-Sue Tokumura 13, Alana Matayoshi 2, Ginger Gravelle 11, Marci Kang 2, Alana Wall 8, Meilin Akamu 3, Ashley Reinig 1, Sarah Turgeon 0, Keilyn Fujioka 2.
SACRED HEARTS-- Megan Burton 9, Rebecca Debo 2, Nohealani Ho'opi'i 0, Cherie Kinoshita 0, Nicole Lehner 14, Maleselina Manupuna 0, Tiare McClellan 2, Karis Moi-Simeona 0, Anna Moore 0, Malia Okamura 0, Chelsea-Rae Puma 0, Tameika Trujillo 0, Sandy Tsui 4, Lola Williams 0.
3-point goals -- Iolani 3 (Tokumura 2, Gravelle 1), Sacred Hearts 0.
Mid-Pacific 45, St. Francis 41: Mid-Pacific jumped out to a 12-4 advantage in the opening period as Sherice Ajifu and Kelli Kajiwara hit consecutive three-pointers near the end of the quarter. Kajiwara went on to add two more three-pointers before halftime and the Owls held off St. Francis in the second half. Monica Chock scored nine of her game-high 15 points in the second half to pace the Troubadours' attempted comeback and Jasmine Dulan added 10 in the loss.At Damien H.S. gym
Mid-Pacific (4-7) 12 14 8 11 -- 45 St. Francis (1-10) 4 15 9 13 -- 41
MID-PACIFIC--Sherice Ajifu 8, Danielle Mafua 6, Jasmine Vieira 6, Kristina Lin 3, Kelli Kajiwara 11, Crisi Nihipali 2, Morgen Sullivan 9.
ST. FRANCIS--Monica Chock 15, Kanani Perry 6, Latasha Griffin 7, Jasmine Dulan 10, Chelsey Powell 2, Tiyana Fao 0, Abigail Lee 0, Siutiti Takai 1.
3-point goals --Mid-Pacific 4 (Kajiwara 3, Ajifu), St. Francis 6 (Griffin 2, Perry 2, Chock, Dulan).
ILH
Division II
Varsity girls
Hanalani 59, Christian Academy 44
Kamehameha 54, St. Andrew's 31
Punahou 52, Hawaii Baptist 43
Leading scorers--Han: Jen Ramos 22, Sachi Seaburn 16. CA: Ashley Metcalf 15, Momoko Metzker 11. Kam: Amber Carter 12. SAP: Holly Saito 12. Pun: Kim Hoo 15, Karissa Look 13. HBA: Jodi Kanemoto 20.
