Iolani's Meilin Akamu had her shot blocked by Maryknoll's Sila Fisilau yesterday.
Iolani earns win
The ebb and flow of the ocean could not have been any more violent than the momentum changes in the showdown between No. 3 Maryknoll and No. 5 Iolani. But in the end, the Raiders were able to wash out the Spartans' offense for a 43-31 win at McCabe Gym.
The Raiders remain undefeated in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu with a 4-0 record, leading to a showdown at rival Punahou on Friday. The undefeated and top-ranked Buffanblu beat Sacred Hearts 61-30 last night. The Spartans fell to 2-2 in the ILH, with their other loss coming against the Buffanblu.
In the first and third quarters, the Raiders outscored the Spartans 27-4.
Starting off cold in the first quarter, the Spartans took their time looking for the open shots with perimeter passing. But the ball did nothing but bounce off the rim, and usually then into the hands of a Raider defender.
"We had a lot of shots that didn't fall, we couldn't shoot free throws," Maryknoll coach Robert Samson said. "But we were in it until the last 3 minutes, only three or four baskets away."
In what would become a common theme in the game, the Raider defense stifled the Spartans' flow, double- and triple-teaming the Maryknoll post players.
"The one thing we do stress is our defense. It's the one thing I think our strength is," Iolani coach Glenn Takara said. "It was a team effort. Everyone came to play."
The Raiders held the Spartans to only three points while scoring 12 in the first period. The connection of Marci Kang to Jamie Smith yielded two quick layups to give the Raiders a 9-3 lead. A jumper by Alana Wall put Iolani up by nine.
But the lead evaporated quickly for the Raiders, who lost their spacious advantage just a few minutes later. In stark contrast to the first quarter, the Spartans came out firing in the second period. Senior Cheryl Lee led the comeback charge, getting a layup and a foul with 6 minutes left in the period. She followed that up by draining a 3-pointer to bring the Spartans to within two points, 13-11.
Another 3 by senior Kaulana Salangdron a minute later gave the Spartans a one-point lead. Lee scored eight points in the quarter, her only points of the game.
"(Lee) provides us with a lot of senior leadership," Samson said. "We're a very senior-heavy team, which is why it's kind of disappointing to come out in the second half like this."
Meanwhile, the Raiders went cold, getting outscored 17-5 in the period. Iolani forward Wall scored four points in the quarter. She finished with a game-high 10 points. But the game went through one more change in direction in the third quarter, as the Raiders took control with a 15-1 run.
As the Raiders' offense began to produce, so did their defense. The man-to-man scheme allowed the Raiders to use their speed to keep up with the Spartans' shooters.
"I knew we couldn't stop them, just contain them," Takara said. "The other thing I told the girls is that it would be a game of runs. I told them we just have to sustain our defense, try to weather their run, and then just take it from there."
Missed free throws doomed the Spartans in the final quarter. After reaching the double bonus midway through the period, the Spartans could not take advantage of Raider mistakes, shooting just 4-for-11 from the free-throw line in the fourth.
"I think we were kind of worn," said Samson, adding that senior guard Jessica Akamine did not start the game because of an injury. Akamine scored two points off the bench. "We're not very deep to begin with. ... We had to try different combinations, and it was OK in the first half. But in the second half, we came out flat."
At McCabe Gym
| Iolani (3-0) | 12 | 5 | 15 | 11 | -- | 43 |
| Maryknoll (2-1) | 3 | 17 | 1 | 10 | -- | 31 |
MARYKNOLL--Nicole Fu 5, Kristie Watanabe 0, Jessica Akamine 2, Tammie Andres 4, Kaulana Salangdron 5, Bowha Kang 1, Cheryl Lee 8, Sela Fisilau 6.
3-point goals -- Iolani 3 (Tokumura, Kang, Akamu), Maryknoll 2 (Salangdron, Lee).
No. 1 Punahou 61, Sacred Hearts 30
Sophie Merrifield had 14 points as 13 Buffanblu players scored in a rout of the Lancers.
Samantha Saito had 14 to lead Sacred Hearts.
At Hemmeter Fieldhouse
| Sacred Hearts (1-3) | 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 | -- | 30 |
| Punahou (4-0) | 20 | 8 | 15 | 18 | -- | 61 |
PUNAHOU--Ciana Aiwohi 2, Elizabeth Abe 5, Shanna-Lei Dacanay 8, Stacy Brossy 7, Lauren Tompkison 1, Dara Tompkison 0, Melanie Feldman 0, Shawna Kuehu 14, Mahina Macfarlane 4, Shaena Kuehu 1, Tessa Sonobe 2, Sophie Merrifield 6, Chelsea Deptula 2, Christine Takara 4, Devon Yamauchi 5.
3-point goals -- Sacred Hearts 2 (Valle, Smith), Punahou 1 (Brossy).
Mid-Pacific 41,Kamehameha 36
Kristina Lin scored 13 points and Meghan Laughlin added 10 as the Owls stopped a three-game losing streak.
Tatriana Lorenzo had a team-high 12 points for the Warriors, who were outscored 17-11 in the final quarter.
At Kekuhaupio Gym
| Mid-Pacific (1-3) | 10 | 3 | 11 | 17 | -- | 41 |
| Kamehameha (0-4) | 11 | 4 | 10 | 11 | -- | 36 |
KAMEHAMEHA--Miki Nakamura 6, Johanna Sai 5, Analee Viena Lota 8, Tiana Abbley 0, Noelani Hoopii 0, Tatriana Lorenzo 12, Danna Friedemann 2, Thais Lee 3, Leah Godinet 0, Casey Lum 0.
3-point goals -- Mid-Pacific 3 (Sei, Lin, Ajifu), Kamehameha 1 (Lee).
OIA West
Kapolei 45, Pearl City 39Jerrell Taituave scored a game-high 17 points as the Hurricanes converted four of six free throws down the stretch to edge Pearl City.
Jazmin Pahukoa-Malia and Mele Laulea each had 11 points to lead the Chargers.
At Pearl City H.S. gym
| Kapolei (7-1) | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | -- | 45 |
| Pearl City (4-4) | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 4 | -- | 39 |
PEARL CITY--Crystal Tadeo 5, Tiana Bolosan 0, Desiree Luis 0, Lindsay Cartwright 0, Channette Nakama 2, Tazha Passi 4, Jazmin Pahukoa-Malia 11, Tiffany Manning 6, Mele Laulea 11.
3-point goals -- Kapolei 1 (Kam), Pearl City 4 (Pahukoa-Malia 3, Tadeo).
Junior varsity -- Pearl City 25, Kapolei 23
Radford 38, Mililani 27
Marlena Malepeai scored a team-high 14 points and Tereva Moore added 11 as the Rams got out to a 21-10 halftime lead and used a 10-2 third-quarter run to pull away from the Trojans and remain undefeated.
Christina Korodan nailed the game's only two 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 19 points to lead Mililani.
At Mililani H.S. gym
| Radford (8-0) | 9 | 12 | 10 | 7 | -- | 38 |
| Mililani (2-6) | 5 | 5 | 2 | 15 | -- | 27 |
MILILANI--Kimi Ebina 0, Kelsie Woodward 0, Ally Ochoa 0, Melissa Lehano 0, Christina Korodan 19, Rayna Downey 6, Ulu Ahsam 2, Ashley Anthony 0, Joleen Realin 0, Chelcey Pang 0, Diamond Bajados 0, Ashley Payne 0.
3-point goals -- Radford 0, Mililani 2 (Korodan 2).
Junior varsity -- Mililani 40, Radford 37, OT
Campbell 40, Nanakuli 39
Darlyn Livae scored 16 points and Everlyn San Agustin added 10 as the Sabers earned their first victory.
Sierra Nakea scored 14 of her game-high 20 points in the second half for the Golden Hawks, who missed three shots in the game's final seconds.
At Nanakuli H.S. gym
| Campbell (1-7) | 8 | 8 | 10 | 14 | -- | 40 |
| Nanakuli (1-6) | 10 | 3 | 12 | 14 | -- | 39 |
NANAKULI--Sasha Montez 3, Kristen Serrano 3, Delisha Kaimi 0, Sheila Argayoso 0, Vernadine Vickers 10, Frances Busano-Leleo 0, Kina Palaualelo 0, Lahela Kanagasuku 2, Chantel Tuiloma 0, Sierra Nakea 20, Britney Wolf 0, Sasha Kanahele 1.
3-point goals -- Campbell 0, Nanakuli 1 (Vickers).
Junior varsity -- Campbell 26, Nanakuli 22
ILH
Division II varsity girlsLa Pietra 56, Saint Andrew's 44
Punahou 52, Christian Academy 51
Saint Francis 55, Word of Life 42
Hawaii Baptist 57, Kamehameha 48
Iolani 44, University 41
High scorers--LaP: Courtney Gaddis 20, Elizia McGuire, 14. StA: Caasi Nakasone 16, Holly Saito 15. Pun: Shelly Masuda 11, Cory Shin 11. CA: Ashley Metcalf 23, Hanna Edwards 15. StF: Siutiti Takai 25, Maile Kimura 10. WOL: Justine Sampaga 17, Samantha Khan 11. HBA: Jodi Kamemoto 18, Kara Onosaki 13, Rayna Kitaguchi 12. Kam: Casey Perreira-Rabago 15, Shannon Spencer-Kennedy 13. Iol: Kari Oki 12. UHS: Brennan Clark 10.
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