2 titles in a row for Rough Riders

Execution made for an excellent championship effort by Roosevelt, once again.

The Rough Riders, with 22 points from Iwalani Rodrigues and 13-for-15 shooting at the line, outlasted Radford 43-32 last night to capture their second Oahu Interscholastic Association Red Conference title in a row.

Roosevelt (14-1) won its third OIA title since the league began girls hoops in 1977. Rodrigues, a junior swingman, also had 11 rebounds, four blocks and two steals.

"It's back-to-back, two in a row. You can't go wrong," Rodrigues said.

She was especially tough down the stretch, sinking all three of her field-goal tries and all six of her foul shots for 12 points in the final quarter.

"Brittni (Fuller) did a good job on Iwa, but that just shows what a good player Iwa is," Radford coach David Lane said.

Sophomore post Tasia Kamakawiwo'ole added 12 points for Roosevelt, while Kaui Kuehu provided valuable defensive work against Radford's high-scoring center, Ta Nitra Byrd.

The Rams' standout freshman finished with 12 points on 4-for-12 shooting.

Roosevelt decided to play Byrd straight-up and take its chances.

"She's a great passer, so we didn't double her," Roosevelt coach Bob Keanini said.

Roosevelt's tough man-to-man defense made all of the Rams struggle. Radford's Marlena Malepeai had eight points, but shot 3-for-14 from the field.

The Rams hit 39 percent at the foul line (7-for-18) and 29 percent from the field (12-for-41).

"We could've done a lot better at the free-throw line," Lane said. "But (Roosevelt) boarded better than I've seen them in other games."

The Rough Riders shot 49 percent from the field (15-for-31) and outrebounded Radford 26-19.

"At practice, we work a lot on boxing out," Rodrigues said.

Roosevelt made do without starting guard Tiana Sugui, who suffered an ankle injury in a semifinal win over Farrington.

The Rough Riders will now have the OIA's seeded berth and a first-round bye when the state tourney begins on Tuesday.

Radford (13-2), looking for its first OIA girls basketball crown, is one of six OIA teams that qualified for the state tourney.

Roosevelt played with composure from the start despite a horde of boisterous Radford fans at McKinley Student Council Gym.

The opening half was a defensive battle until the Rough Riders went on an 8-2 run. Rodrigues knocked down four free throws in a row to close the half, and Roosevelt led 19-12.

Radford pulled within 23-19 after Byrd hit a pair of buckets under the basket.

"Radford came out really strong. They were hungry from the get-go," Rodrigues said.

Roosevelt responded with an 8-1 run. After Rodrigues pulled up for a 15-footer from the foul line at the buzzer, the Rough Riders had a 31-20 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Fuller's 3-pointer off the glass brought Radford within 33-26 with 4:40 left, but the Lady Rams couldn't get any closer. The final margin was Roosevelt's largest of the game.

Kamakawiwo'ole shot 7-for-12 from the field against the taller Byrd.

"I rushed a couple of my shots, but I learned from them," she said. "I was nervous and scared to get capped, but Iwa and everybody were encouraging me."

At Student Council Gym

Radford (13-1)	4	8	8	12	--	32
Roosevelt (13-1)	5	14	12	12	--	43

RADFORD--Leslie Lazo 0, Itali Lindsay 0, Bui Baravilala 2, Disa Brown 0, Marlena Malepeai 8, Brittni Fuller 3, Kiara Dykes 0, Chelsea-Ann Villanueva 7, Ta Nitra Byrd 12.

ROOSEVELT--Dianna Zane 2, Iwalani Rodrigues 22, Kathleen Nakata 0, Jayna Tasaka 4, Shandree Armstead 3, Tiyana Nakasone 0, Brittni Au 0, Tasia Kamakawiwoole 12, Kaui Kuehu 0.

3-point goals--Radford 1 (Fuller), Roosevelt 0.

No. 5 Kalani 38, Farrington 28

Playing without their injured star Megan Kamehiro, Kalani used their bench to earn a complete team victory by shutting down Farrington and winning third place in the OIA Red.

Courtney Gaddis scored 11 points, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked three shots to lead the Falcons.

At Student Council Gym

Kalani (12-3)	13	8	8	9	--	38
Farrington (10-6)	8	5	6	9	--	28

KALANI--Megan Kamehiro 0, Kacie Gushiken 7, Courtney Gaddis 11, Kim Cabuyadao 1, Violet Alama 4, Allison Neussl 2, Chloe Martin 8, Brandi Yamauchi 0, Kim Balsai 0, Alisha Bonafacio 0, Chaude Bonafacio 0, Kayla Kimura 0, Rhianna Farm 2, Chelsea Kimura 1, Tia Kobayashi 2, Ashlyn Onaga 0.

FARRINGTON--Cani Kealoha 5, Jorell Telefoni-Sablan 8, Macilee Moi 2, Deja Bryce 0, Valerie Lesu 7, Angie Gasio 0, Honour Stone 0, Sandy Valdez 0, Elane Leaupepe 4, Polohiva Folaumahina 0, Jaiene Telefoni-Sablan 0, Cina Otineru 2, Kerreses Hogg 0.

3-point goals -- Kalani 4 (Martin 2, Gushiken, Gaddis), Farrington 1 (Kealoha).