Mikela Thoemmes scored 10 of her game-high 22 points in a pivotal third quarter as Roosevelt outlasted Pearl City for a 51-43 win last night in the Oahu Interscholastic Association Red Conference playoffs.

Red East runner-up Roosevelt (16-3, 13-1 OIA) will meet Farrington next Friday.

“;This is where we wanted to be,”; Rough Riders coach Hinano Higa said. “;We had a lot of energy today.”;

Thoemmes hauled in 16 rebounds to help seventh-ranked Roosevelt take a 33-29 edge on the glass against the bigger Chargers. Nicole Ramirez added 12 points and point guard Kelcie Namba added 11.

Senior guard Jordan Ahakuelo scored 11 of her team-high 13 points in the first half for Pearl City. She also had a team-high seven rebounds.

A crowd of about 500, including about 200 fans in red Roosevelt T-shirts, was also a factor. Ninth-ranked Pearl City shot just 6-for-24 in the first half despite the homecourt advantage.

“;They were super nervous. The inexperience showed,”; Pearl City coach Mike Morton said. “;Roosevelt's playoff experience showed. We had our chance, but we've got to go backdoor now.”;

Pearl City (18-4, 11-2) is still alive in the double-elimination tourney and will face Mililani on Wednesday. The Chargers already have a state-tournament berth sealed.

Thoemmes' counterpart, Pearl City forward Keshia Manning, tallied five points and six boards. Though Thoemmes often backed off, Manning rushed often and missed her first nine shots before hitting a couple of fourth-quarter shots in the post.

Thoemmes faced double teams in the first half, but Roosevelt adjusted to a double high-post offense in the second half to give the 5-foot-9 senior more space to work with.

“;All my guards feed me the ball real good,”; Thoemmes said.

She scored on backdoor cuts and low-post spin moves, and after Kelcie Namba's steal and layup, the visiting Rough Riders led 35-28 late in the third quarter.

Roosevelt brought its offense out even higher, forcing the Chargers to chase the smaller Rough Riders. However, Roosevelt missed three 1-and-1 opportunities in a row, and after sophomore Shawna Angle swished a trey from the right wing, Pearl City was within 39-37 with 3:42 left.

Roosevelt straightened out its free-throw woes, though. Thoemmes and Namba connected on four foul shots in a row and Pearl City got no closer than four the rest of the night. After the Rough Riders spread the floor with 1:09 left, Nicole Ramirez and Namba swished free throws to give them a 47-39 lead, icing the win.

“;We gave them a little too much respect,”; Morton said. “;Backing up on defense instead of getting in their face. We expected everything (Roosevelt) did, but we weren't fronting the post and kept giving (Thoemmes) her moves.”;

Both teams used man defenses in the first half, resulting in five lead changes. With a single-digit lead, Roosevelt switched to a 2-3 matchup zone in the second half; Pearl City shot 2-for-11 from the arc during that span.

“;We just wanted to create more action,”; Roosevelt coach Hinano Higa said of her team's second-half adjustments on offense. “;We're getting everybody involved. We changed the tempo and put the shell in front. That forced (Pearl City) to play tighter.”;

No. 4 Farrington 55, Moanalua 50

With their star player in foul trouble, the Governors clawed their way back in the second half for a come-from-behind win over Na Menehune in the winners bracket of the OIA Red Tournament.

As Brydgette Tatupu-Leopolo sat on the bench with three fouls, Moanalua led by seven at the break.

Farrington outscored Moanalua 35-23 in the second half and with possession, clinging to a three-point lead, Dianna Prescott was fouled. She calmly sank both free throws to ice the victory for the Governors.

Kapolei 56, Castle 49

Led by Leilani Tauani-Fitita's game-high 20 points, the Hurricanes stayed alive in the OIA Red Tournament with a seven-point road win against the Knights.

The 10-point advantage in the first quarter was too much for Castle to overcome, as their season came to an end.

Kailee Awa had 17 points for Castle.

Mililani 52, McKinley 51

With the Trojans trailing by two points in the final seconds, Kellie Sakai nailed a long-distance shot at the buzzer to steal the victory from the host Tigers in an OIA elimination matchup.

Mililani made the comeback with a 17-point fourth quarter.

McKinley's Kylie Sato finished with a game-high 24 points as the Tigers were eliminated from the tournament.