[ HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL ]
Tokumura pushes Iolani
into ILH tie
Hennesea-Sue Tokumura picked just the right time to find her shooting touch.
Tokumura drilled a 3-pointer with 3:01 to play, and Iolani's lock-down defense shut out Punahou the rest of the way for a 32-30 win last night at the Raiders' gym.
The win pushed Iolani (9-2) into a tie with Punahou (9-2) for first place in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu.
Tokumura and Ginger Gravelle led Iolani with nine points apiece. Keilyn Fujioka, a 6-foot sophomore, pulled down a team-high nine rebounds. Gravelle, who also grabbed six caroms, could barely contain her surprise and joy.
"We never beat Punahou in my four years until now," said Gravelle, a 5-foot-10 forward who is the Raiders' lone senior. "They've got so much strength. They're young, but they play like they're so much older."
Christine Takara scored nine points to pace Punahou.
"We're just that much more hungry now," the junior said. "The ILH is really competitive, and any team can beat another anytime."
Punahou coach Mike Taylor kept the loss in perspective.
"Nobody expected us to be where we are right now," he said. "Now we have to get ready for Maryknoll."
In a league where there are no pushovers, Punahou learned all too well that anything less than an outstanding performance could be lethal. The Buffanblu suffered their first loss in ILH play, to Kamehameha, on Wednesday night. A nice cushion atop the league has turned into a heated battle for a state-tournament berth.
They can thank Tokumura for that. The sophomore guard was scoreless in the first half, but came alive with all nine of her points after intermission.
"This is almost as good as winning the ILH already," Tokumura said. "Especially on senior night. It was a good way to end up at home."
Longtime Iolani coach Glenn Takara is still amazed at the way his team has jelled.
"I'm happy for them, especially Ginger. She's worked really hard, and she's kept them together," he said. "But it's still not over yet."
Punahou, the defending ILH and state champion, had plenty of chances to tie or take the lead. Iolani, however, executed with precision in the final three minutes.
After committing 12 turnovers, the Raiders took nearly complete care of the ball. Running a motion play over and over, Iolani whittled one minute and 41 seconds off the clock before being whistled for a five-second violation with 45 seconds remaining.
With just two team fouls, Iolani had plenty of giving to do. Kajioka blocked a strong driving layup attempt by Takara, and the Raiders dealt out fouls to stymie Punahou's offense.
By the time Marci Kang fouled Shanna-Lei Dacanay for Iolani's fourth team foul, there were just six seconds to play. Moments later, Kajioka fouled Chelsea Deptula on an inbounds pass, and there were just four ticks left.
With one more foul to give, Gravelle hacked a Buffanblu on a sideline inbound pass, and the clock stopped with just two seconds remaining. Punahou settled for a 26-footer by Dacanay from the left wing, which fell short as time expired.
At Iolani gym
Punahou (9-2) 7 12 7 4 -- 30 Iolani (9-2) 12 2 8 10 -- 32 PUNAHOU--Shanna Dacanay 5, Makena Hunt 2, Mahina Macfarlane 4, Tessa Sonobe 4, Sophia Merrifield 2, Chelsea Deptula 4, Christine Takara 9, Gail Matsushima 0.
IOLANI--Kaz Masutani 1, Hennasea-Sue Tokumura 7, Alana Matayoshi 0, Ginger Gravelle 9, Marci Kang 3, Alana Wall 4, Meilin Akamu 4, Keilyn Fujioka 4, Chelsea Wong 0.
3-point goals -- Punahou 2 (Dacanay, Takara), Iolani 2 (Gravelle, Tokumura).Varsity II Round Robin Tournament
Kamehameha 29, Word of Life 22
La Pietra 64, Hanalani 38
Leading scorers--Kam: Aubrey Kiemnec 6. WOL: Careena Onosai 11. LaP: Elizia McGuire 15, Jenny Kim 13, Courtney Gaddis 11. Hana: Jasmine Yoshimoto 12.
OIA basketball tourney
Division I
Friday, May 7
At Radford
1: Kalaheo vs. Mililani, 5 p.m.
2: Radford vs. McKinley, 6:30 p.m.
At Kahuku
3: Pearl City vs. Kaiser, 5 p.m.
4: Kahuku vs. Kapolei, 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, May 11
At McKinley
5: Winners 1 and 2, 5 p.m.
6: Winners 3 and 4, 6:30 p.m.
Friday, May 14
At McKinley
7: Losers 5 and 6, 4:30 p.m. (third place)
8: Winners 5 and 6, 8 p.m. (championship)
Division II
Friday, May 7
At Nanakuli
1: Roosevelt vs. Waipahu, 5 p.m.
2: Nanakuli vs. Kalani, 6:30 p.m.
Friday, May 14
At McKinley
3: Winners 1 and 2, 6 p.m. (championship)