[ HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL ]

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FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM Baldwin's Jenna Mailou grabbed a rebound from Baldwin's Nichole Inciong and Konawaena's Nancy Hoist during last night's state tournament game. Konawaena faces Kahuku in the final.

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Konawaena sprints
into tournament final

The Wildcats cruise to a 53-23 victory
over Baldwin to set up a title match
with Kahuku

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By Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.com

Konawaena ran wild in the opening moments of last night's Hawaiian Airlines Girls State Basketball Championship semifinal game with Baldwin, racing to a 53-23 victory over the Bears to advance to tonight's title game at the Stan Sheriff Center.

HHSAA Girls Basketball At Stan Sheriff Center Division I Yesterday Game 11: Iolani 42, Kamehameha 36 12: Lahainaluna 44, Kalaheo 43 13: Konawaena 53, Baldwin 23 14: Kahuku 39, Punahou 29 Today 15: Kaiser vs. Honokaa (seventh place), 12:45 p.m. 16: Iolani vs. Lahainaluna (fifth place), 2:30 p.m. 17: Baldwin vs. Punahou (third place), 4:15 p.m. 18: Kahuku vs. Konawaena (championship), 8 p.m. Division II Yesterday Game 1: St. Andrew's 37, St. Joseph 35 2: Roosevelt 38, St. Anthony 25 Today 3: St. Joseph vs. St. Anthony (third place), 11 a.m. 4: St. Andrew's vs. Roosevelt (championship), 6 p.m.

By winning the first all-neighbor island semifinal in tournament history Konawaena (16-0) advanced to the state final for the first time. The Wildcats will try to become just the fifth neighbor-island team to win the championship when they face Kahuku tonight at 8.

Another Big Island school, Honokaa, won the title in 1997, marking the last time the trophy left Oahu.

Fueled by swarming defense, the Wildcats opened the game with a 12-0 run and cruised to the win at the Sheriff Center.

"Now we know what it's like to be intimidated by tenacious defense," Baldwin coach Angel Kalehuawehe said after watching Konawaena limit his team to six field goals. "They have the skill players, they have quickness, they have size. ... They were just tenacious."

Konawaena had never played in the semifinals before last night's game. Baldwin had advanced this far just once before (1998) and had hoped to become the first Maui team to play for the crown.

Those dreams were doused quickly as Konawaena used its transition game to take command.

Konawaena freshman Jazzmin Williams scored nine points in the run and came up with a steal that led to a fast-break layup by Hina Kimitete.

"A lot of teams don't expect us to be that fast," said Williams, the niece of Konawaena head coach Bobbie Awa. "And we have such a good bench if we get tired we can sub out."

Williams finished with 10 points, while senior Nancy Hoist led all scorers with 14 and grabbed nine rebounds.

"It helps us get our nerves out, just playing our game," Hoist said of the Wildcats' up-tempo attack. "It's good when we run, but we're good knowing when to set up (the offense)."

Baldwin, which advanced to the semifinals thanks to a stingy defensive effort against Iolani, turned the ball over 14 times in the first half and managed one field goal in the game's first 15 minutes.

The Bears put up just 12 shots from the field in the first half, making three. Konawaena made 12 of its 25 attempts before halftime.

By the time Baldwin's Heidi Namauu scored on a layup with 41 seconds left in the half, Konawaena had opened up a 24-7 lead.

The Wildcats kept the ball out of the hands of Baldwin guard Kami Kapaku, who scored 18 points against Iolani, and created turnovers by trapping the Bears' ballhandlers at the sidelines.

"Once (Kapaku) gave up the ball we tried to deny so she didn't get the ball back," Awa said. "We wanted her to get tired so we were working her. We definitely did not want the ball in her hands."

Kapaku finished with six points, all coming on 3-pointers in the third quarter.

Konawaena slowed down in the second and third quarters and Baldwin ended the third period with a 7-0 run to cut the Kona lead to 14. But that was as close as they would get as Konawaena went on a 17-0 run in the fourth period.

Baldwin (15-2)	3	6	10	4	--	23
Konawaena (16-0)	18	6	9	20	--	53

BALDWIN--Kami Kapaku 6, Rachel Leano 2, Kai Sarmiento 0, Heidi Namauu 4, Ashley Perkins 0, Dayne Carvalho 8, Nichole Inciong 0, Kaira Kaya 0, Heather Namauu 0, Rosalani Gogue 0, Jenna Mailou 0, Nicole Alconcel 3.
KONAWAENA--Kristin Kitaoka 4, Tiane Estoy 4, Loren Gomes 0, Haunani Liftee 4, Hina Kimitete 6, Elizabeth Chung-Hoon Palau 3, Jazzmin Williams 10, Jessica Hanato 8, Keala Kaupu 0, Leilani Abaya 0, Nancy Hoist 14.
3-point goals--Bald: 2 (Kapaku 2). Kona: 1 (Chung-Hoon Palau).

Kahuku 39, Punahou 29
The Red Raiders packed their state title hopes on the shoulders of center Latoya Wily and the senior carried Kahuku past the Buffanblu with 20 points and 20 rebounds.

"She delivered, she was huge for us," Kahuku coach Wendy Anae. "She grabbed everything."

While Kahuku advanced to its second straight state final, the Punahou loss means the Interscholastic League of Honolulu will not be represented in the finals for just the fourth time in the tournament's 28-year history.

Wily also blocked four shots and her defensive presence forced the Buffanblu to settle for jump shots from the perimeter.

"We've had to rely on dribble penetration, passing angle and jump shots; we just couldn't convert. We had chances," Punahou coach Mike Taylor said. "I'm proud that we kept fighting and kept persevering."

Wily dominated the action early, scoring 11 points in the first five minutes of the game to put Kahuku ahead 13-2.

Kahuku lost point guard Karla Tailele to an ankle injury in the second quarter and nearly lost the lead in the second half.

The Red Raiders struggled against Punahou's pressure in the backcourt as Kahuku turned the ball over 12 times in the third quarter. But Punahou still trailed 28-25 heading into the final period.

"That was kind of disheartening," said Anae, who is optimistic that Tailele will be ready for tonight's game. "Mike responded well. He knows that she's our main ballhandler and put a lot of pressure on our guards. They got a little flustered at first, but they pulled through."

Punahou closed to within one twice in the second half, but both times Wily came up with buckets in the post to stretch the lead again.

After Punahou cut the lead to 30-29 with 4:26 left, Wily scored on a spinning move in the post to spark a 9-0 run to end the game.

"We went through a struggle tonight, we definitely had to earn this," Wily said.

Punahou (12-3)	9	10	6	4	--	29
Kahuku (15-1)	15	9	4	11	--	39

PUNAHOU--Shanna-Lei Dacanay 5, Eryn Chun 2, Makena Hunt 6, Mahina Macfarlane 0, Tessa Sonobe 2, Sophia Merrifield 4, Chelsea Deptula 0, Christine Takara 10, Gail Matsushima 0.
KAHUKU--Camilla Ah-Hoy 2, Mona Ale 2, Tina Soliai ,1 Anny Soliai 4, Karla Tailele 4, Aisha Ale 4, Nancy Vave 2, Latoya Wily 20.
3-point goals--Pun: 1 (Dacanay).

Iolani 42, Kamehameha 36
The Raiders advanced to play on the tournament's final day thanks to Hennasea-Sue Tokumura's game-high 15 points and the inside play of senior Ginger Gravelle, who posted nine points and 11 rebounds.

Tatriana Lorenzo scored 13 points for Kamehameha, which ended the season at 11-6.

Iolani (12-4)	20	4	11	17	--	42
Kamehameha (11-6)	9	6	7	14	--	36

IOLANI--Kaz Masutani 3, Hennasea-Sue Tokumura 15, Alana Matayoshi 5, Ginger Gravelle 9, Marci Kang 5, Alana Wall 0, Meilin Akamu 0, Keilyn Fujioka 5, Chelsea Wong 0.
KAMEHAMEHA--Miki Nakamura 1, India Soo 8, Lori Nakamura 0, Analee Viena-Lota 8, Kauiokeola Todd 0, Tatriana Lorenzo 13, Lilia Lee 0, Mounia Nihipali 6, Leah Godinet 0.
3-point goals--Iol: 3 (Tokumura 2, Masutani). Kam: 2 (Soo 2)

Lahainaluna 44, Kalaheo 43
Jessica Maielua's layup with 1:42 left broke a 42-42 tie and the Lunas hung on for the win.

Kalaheo erased a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit and tied the game at 39 on Taylor Smith's 3-pointer with 2:51 left. But the Mustangs twice missed free throws in the last 29 seconds that would have tied the game.

Kalaheo (11-6)	6	15	6	16	--	43
Lahainaluna (13-5)	9	22	5	8	--	44

KALAHEO--Hoku Kaiu-Denning 0, Shaina Siliga 9, Kandice Kinney 0, Randi Farstad 2, Welsey Whitman 4, Shantel Marumoto 5, Kaila Samson 0, Shanadee Canon 14, Taylor Smith 8, Kaiena Huihui 0, Kaliko Kepa 1, Kamala Kau 0.
LAHAINALUNA--Tasha Pagdillao 9, Krystal Omlan 11, Kelci Fushikoshi 5, Jessica Maielua 7, Casey Bartolome 0, Piilani Uyeda 0, Monika Vehikite 11, Monique Blando 1, Alise Hatch 0.
3-point goals--Kalh: 6 (Siliga 3, Canon 2, Smith). Lah: 7 (Pagdillao 3, Omlan 2, Fushikoshi, Maielua).

DIVISION II

St. Andrew's 37, St. Joseph 35
Timing, Holly Saito has learned, is just about everything.

The junior guard struggled through an afternoon of missed shots, but sank a 17-footer as time expired to lift St. Andrew's over St. Joseph in overtime yesterday at the Stan Sheriff Center.

St. Andrew's advances to tonight's title game of the Hawaiian Airlines Girls State Basketball Division II Championships. The Pride (11-6) will play Roosevelt (10-5) at 6 p.m.

St. Joseph (12-5) faces St. Anthony (7-5) in the 11 a.m. third-place game.

Caasi Nakasone, another junior, led St. Andrew's, the Division II representative from the Interscholastic League of Honolulu. Nakasone finished with 18 points, four rebounds, three assists and four steals.

Saito finished with nine points on three-of-11 shooting, along with six rebounds. She came through in the clutch, however. Saito's winning shot came off a '1-4 Low' play.

"It's a stack play designed to get the ball inside or get a layup," Saito said. "I was kind of surprised the defense played back. I wasn't even sure it was going in. It was a good surprise."

Lindsey Lee, who scored eight points to pace St. Joseph, was covering Saito on the final play.

"I wanted to keep her in front of me. She's a good guard, and she's quick," the senior said. "It was a nice shot. A tough shot."

Felicia Alves, Chelsey Riviera and Jazmin Paakaula added seven points apiece. Paakaula hauled in nine rebounds.

Representing the Big Island Interscholastic Federation, St. Joseph outrebounded St. Andrew's 42-36, but shot just over 19 percent from the field (11 of 56).

St. Andrew's held its own early on, especially under the glass against the bigger Cardinals. Nakasone scored eight points in the opening quarter to help the Saints take a 12-6 lead.

Against the Saints' 2-3 zone, the Cardinals were just two of 12 from the field in the first quarter, but rallied. Paakaula, held scoreless in the first eight minutes, came alive. She scored six points as the Cardinals rallied to take the lead, 17-16, shortly before the half.

Saito hit a 14-footer from the right wing for her only points of the half, giving St. Andrew's an 18-17 lead with 42 seconds before intermission.

Paakaula's emergence gave St. Joseph a 13-7 rebounding edge in the second quarter. That helped the Cardinals overcome 25 percent shooting from the field (seven of 28).

Nakasone didn't score in the second quarter but she scored five consecutive points in the third to help St. Andrew's take a 25-20 lead.

However, St. Joseph responded with a 10-2 run. While St. Andrew's went cold against the Cardinals' 1-1-3 zone, St. Joseph went ahead, 30-27, with 4:43 to go in the game.

St. Andrew's rallied and tied the game at 30 on Saito's free throw with 1:51 left. Both teams missed opportunities to take the lead, including Lee's 10-foot bank shot in traffic. There was heavy contact on her shot attempt, but no call the shot missed with time expiring.

"They weren't calling anything all game, so I wasn't going to argue with them," Lee said

St. Joseph (12-5)	6	11	7	6	5	--	35
St. Andrew's (11-6)	12	6	7	5	7	--	37

ST. JOSEPH--Felicia Alves 7, Lindsey Lee 8, Chelsey Riviera 7, Jazmin Paakaula 7, Duchess Kama 6, Dawnn Kama 0, Jennifer Lee Loy 0, Tara McCall 0, Rebekah Lee Loy 0, Ashley Hanohano 0.
ST. ANDREWS--Jordan Higa 0, Lindsey Higa 0, Caasi Nakasone 18, Holly Saito 9, Kristen Cortez 2, Emi Klapproth 0, Ginger Grimes 0, Ashley Jung 0, Laurie Miyasato 0, Kellee Tom 0, Lindsey Kawahakui 0, Jazmin Morrill 0, Lois Ornellas 5, Kimberlee Tom 3, Mallory Richards 0.
3-point goals-- StJ: Alves 1, Lee 1, Riviera 2. StA: Nakasone 1.

Roosevelt 38, St. Anthony 25
Nicole Yoshimoto scored 10 points and Roosevelt's swarming defense suffocated the Trojans in the other Division II matchup.

Tati Beasley added six points and 13 rebounds for the Rough Riders, who limited St. Anthony to 20 percent shooting (six of 30) from the field. The Trojans committed 28 turnovers.

Sierra Dunne led the Trojans with 11 points and seven rebounds.

Mililani jumped out to an early lead, but Roosevelt's pesky defense seized momentum. Down 7-4, the Rough Riders bolted ahead with a 15-3 run.

"They do things teams in our league don't do," Trojans coach Ron Browning said. "They switched their defense a lot to confuse us."

Roosevelt (10-5), the only team to beat Kahuku during the regular season, has room for improvement.

"We didn't play well, but we still got the 'W'," coach Bobby Keanini said. "This team feeds off adrenaline, and they feed off each other's energy, good and bad."

St. Anthony (7-5)	7	9	5	4	--	25
Roosevelt (10-5)	8	13	11	6	--	38

ST. ANTHONY--Tanilei Tesorio 0, Kelsey Campbell 2, Amanda Lumen 0, Tiara Dole 6, Kristen Gazmen 0, Melissa Naeole 0, Sierra Dunn 11, Kecia Sakugawa 2, Mahea Tassill 2, Noe Uruo 2, Lindsey Texeira 0.
ROOSEVELT--Tati Beasley 6, Chelsie Kadota 7, Dasha Kawakami 2, Larisa Nakasone 0, Miya Frank 0, Capi Uyechi 0, Nicole Yoshimoto 10, Shannon Miyashiro 9, Dara Kiyuna 2, Nicole Okada 2, Chelsea Uchihara 0, Puuwai Crawford-Kapanui 0.
3-point goals--StA: 2 (Dole 2). Roos: 1 (Kadota).