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Punahou routs Iolani

Freshman Shaena Kuehu scored 16 points and a tenacious full-court press powered No. 1-ranked Punahou to a 52-36 win over Iolani last night in the semifinals of the Lady Mustang Classic.

This win, the Buffanblu said, happened on the practice courts of their home gym.

"We really picked up the intensity on defensive pressure in the third quarter," Punahou coach Mike Taylor said of a 19-2 run that vaulted Punahou to victory. "We did a better job on offensive rebounding, too. The hustle plays come from practice, the blue and gold going at it every day."

Punahou (8-1) will meet the Honokaa-Kalaheo winner today at 4 p.m. for the tourney title. The Buffanblu rotated reserves into the game as early as the middle of the first quarter and kept the mass substitutions coming all game long.

"They each deserve to get quality minutes. Our motto is, no matter how many minutes you play, you go as hard as you can," Taylor said.

Senior point guard Shanna-Lei Dacanay liked her team's effort.

"I love it. Everyone who goes in gives quality minutes," she said.

Shawna Kuehu, Shaena's twin sister, added eight points, and Sophie Merrifield hauled down a team-high eight rebounds. Defensively, Christine Takara and Shaena Kuehu were among the Buffanblu who applied tight defense on Iolani point guard Hennasea-Sue Tokumura.

Center Keilyn Fujioka led Iolani with nine points.

"Iolani's improving. They're a quality team," Taylor said of the Raiders, who used a new starting lineup in another of coach Glenn Takara's preseason experiments.

Iolani, ranked No. 9 in the Star-Bulletin Top 10, found some success against Punahou's defensive pressure early on. Despite turnovers, the Raiders chipped away and pulled within 18-17 on a baseline jumper by Tokumura. Midway through the third quarter, a technical foul was called on Punahou's bench. The whistle came after a strong response by Punahou fans behind the Buffanblu bench, and after freshman Jamie Smith sank a free throw, Iolani trailed 28-25.

That's when Punahou responded to the technical with the 19-2 blitzkrieg. Iolani committed four more turnovers during Punahou's run. Shaena Kuehu scored five points and Mahina Macfarlane swished a trey as the Buffanblu took a 47-27 lead with 5:54 left.

Iolani never threatened again.

No. 6 Kalaheo 70, No. 7 Honokaa 57

Taylor Smith scored 17 points and spurred a big second-quarter run as the Lady Mustangs advanced to the finals.

Smith, a 5-foot-10 senior, scored on a drive down the lane and added a pull-up jumper as Kalaheo went on a 12-2 run midway through the second quarter. After Shaina Siliga finished off a three-point play under the basket, Kalaheo led 30-15 and never looked back.

Keliko Kepa added 11 points for Kalaheo (7-2).

Keisha Kanekoa led Honokaa (7-1) with 12 points. Kari Heers added 11.

No. 3 Kahuku 44, Roosevelt 39

Aisha Ale scored 12 points to lead a balanced Lady Raider attack. Artevia Wily added 11 points and Camilla Ah-Hoy tallied 10. First-year player Kamaile Hughes, a softball standout, led Kahuku (5-2) under the boards with 11 rebounds.

Chelsie Kadota led the short-handed Rough Riders (6-4) with 17 points. Roosevelt led 35-29 with 6 minutes remaining, but Kahuku's full-court press wore out the weary Rough Riders. Kahuku took control with a 15-2 run down the stretch.

Radford 40, Pearl City 28

Tereva Moore scored 13 points and the Lady Rams rallied to victory. Tiffany Manning led Pearl City with 11 points.

Pearl City, a team with just one senior, led 18-16 early in the third quarter. Radford went on a 9-0 run to seize command.

LADY TIGER CHALLENGE

No. 5 Maryknoll 50, Lahainaluna 20

Less than 24 hours after upsetting fourth-ranked Kamehameha, the Lady Lunas ran into trouble against the Spartans.

Maryknoll (8-1) got balanced scoring to dominate Lahainaluna. Tammi Andres and Bowha Kang each scored nine points, while Sela Fisilau had eight points and Cheryl Lee hauled in six rebounds.

Casey Bartolome paced Lahainaluna with six points. Alise Hatch, who buried four treys and scored 16 against Kamehameha, was marked by the Spartans. They held the sharpshooter to only three points as she missed her first seven tries from the arc.

The Spartans got key contributions off the bench, including the effort of junior point guard Kristie Watanabe. She filled in at times for Andres, who played with shin splints.

In other games, Kamehameha II defeated Baldwin 51-40, Kamehameha beat Kaiser 46-42 in double overtime, and McKinley beat Waimea 42-29.

LADY MENEHUNE PEEK TOURNEY

At Moanalua Gym, Hilo and Sacred Hearts advanced to the finals of the First Hawaiian Bank Lady Menehune Peek Tournament. The two teams meet today at 7:30 p.m.

Hilo 41, Mid-Pacific 39
Lynelle Paranada poured in 16 points for the Vikings. Sherice Ajifu tallied 12 for the Owls. Yuki Sei had a chance to tie the game with 8 seconds left, but missed two free-throw attempts.

Sacred Hearts 32, Moanalua 23
Karis Moi-Simeona scored 12 points to power the Lancers. Terina Blue led the host Menehunes with seven points.

Nanakuli 28, Kamehameha-Maui 27
In consolation play, Sasha Montez led the Golden Hawks with nine points. Lahela Matsui led the all-underclassmen Warriors with seven.

Campbell 49, Waialua 34
Everly Agustin and Darlyn Livae tallied 10 points each for the Sabers. Christina Dunn paced the Bulldogs with 13 points.