JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM Shanna-Lei Dacanay of Punahou drove through Kamehameha's Miki Nakamura and Danna Friedemann.

Warriors meet Kuehu

Shawna-Lei Kuehu loves challenges. And when Kamehameha went to a man-to-man defense the freshman center salivated.

Kuehu scored a game-high 25 points, including 17 points in the third quarter, as No. 1 Punahou overwhelmed No. 9 Kamehameha 62-46. The Buffanblu (12-1) won their ninth consecutive game and improved to 3-0 in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu. The youthful Warriors (5-5, 0-3) are still searching for their first ILH win.

"I really like man because it challenges me to do my best on offense," said a breathless Kuehu. "I was stoked they were doing that. I thought they were going to play zone on me the whole time. They do a good job at double-teaming. They were competitive."

It was Kuehu's first taste of an intense rivalry between two traditional ILH powers and she didn't freeze.

"She's really athletic and she's a great competitor," senior Shanna-Lei Dacanay said. "When we get it in to her, we have confidence that she'll finish and be an aggressor down in the post. Shawna plays beyond her years. She doesn't play scared."

Neither does Dacanay, a four-year varsity veteran. The senior guard added 15 points, including three 3-pointers.

The Warriors switched from an effective zone defense in the first half to a man-to-man defense in the second half. Kuehu went to work in the third quarter and demolished the defense.

The Buffanblu fed her on multiple possessions as the teams traded baskets.

Kuehu, who grabbed 11 rebounds in the game, scored nine straight and finished with 12 of the Buffanblu's 14 points during the final 6 minutes of the quarter.

"We need a lot of work on defense," Kamehameha coach Clay Cockett said. "We don't know our assignments. The team that we want to play, they're not getting it right now."

Despite trailing by 14 going into the final quarter, the Warriors kept battling. Unfortunately, Kamehameha couldn't get most of its outside shots to drop, and scored only a single point on a free throw by Ana Viena Lota during a 6-minute span.

At Punahou H.S. gym

Kamehameha (0-3)	10	10	15	11	--	46
Punahou (3-0)	18	10	21	13	--	62

KAMEHAMEHA--Miki Nakamura 10, Johanna Sai 13, Analee Viena Lota 7, Tiana Abbley 4, Noelani Hoopii 0, Tatriana Lorenzo 4, Danna Friedemann 0, Thais Lee 2, Nicole Pharr , Leah Godinet 6, Casey Lum 0.
PUNAHOU--Ciana Aiwohi 2, Elizabeth Abe 0, Shanna-Lei Dacanay 15, Stacy Brossy 6, Lauren Tompkison 0, Dara Tompkison 0, Shawna Kuehu 25, Mahina Macfarlane 2, Shaena Kuehu 2, Tessa Sonobe 2, Sophia Merrifield 4, Chelsea Deptula 2, Christine Takara 2, Devon Yamauchi 0.
3-point goals -- Kamehameha 3 (Nakamura 2, Sai), Punahou 5 (Dacanay 3, Brossy 2).

Division II
Punahou 68, Kamehameha 53
High scorers--Pun: Shelly Masuda 17, Cory Shin 13. KS: Shannon Spencer-Kennedy 16, Casey Perreira-Rabago 11.