'Iolani freshman Alex Masaquel speaks with the naivete and innocence that can only come with youth.

When informed that she had scored a game-high 15 points yesterday, she responded with “;Oh, for real?”; and a wide smile. And when asked to what she attributed her scoring outburst, she immediately thought of her pregame beverage, which was an unusual part of her Saturday ritual.

“;You know, I think it was the Gatorade,”; she said in all seriousness.

If that's true, then 'Iolani needs to make sure the 5-foot-10 Masaquel guzzles lemon-lime Gatorades before every game. Because the freshman scored 11 second-half points and sparked the sixth-ranked Raiders to a come-from-behind 51-42 win over Mid-Pacific in an Interscholastic League of Honolulu regular-season game at 'Iolani.

It is the third time since Jan. 14 that 'Iolani (12-7) has beaten the Owls, though each victory was decided by fewer than 10 points. 'Iolani senior guard Lori Yamashita pitched in with 12 timely points. Senior Jenna Savusa led Mid-Pacific with a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds.

“;It's really frustrating, especially when you know you can beat this team,”; said Mid-Pac's Keaton McFadden.

The No. 8 Owls (15-7) looked poised to topple 'Iolani as they charged out to a five-point lead in the first half. Thanks to the gritty work in the paint by senior forwards McFadden and Savusa (she scored all of Mid-Pac's nine points in the first quarter), the visitors were punishing the guard-dominated Raiders. The two combined for 13 of Mid-Pac's first 17 points as the Owls pushed to a five-point lead midway through the second quarter.

“;They're very tough,”; said 'Iolani head coach Eddie Maruyama. “;They're probably two of the best in the state. We had our hands full, obviously.”;

But the Raiders ratcheted up their defensive pressure, especially on the perimeter and especially with a full-court press. With their guards hounding Mid-Pac into turnovers, the Owls were unable to feed their two power players inside. McFadden and Savusa finished with just nine points in the final two quarters.

“;When they run the press, we're just not handling the ball right now,”; said Mid-Pacific coach Wes Masuda. “;So we've got to go back and work on it.”;

Meanwhile, with her team continuing to trail the Owls late into the third quarter, Masaquel played like a wily veteran. She sliced along the baseline to score a layup (and she was fouled and made the free throw) on a baseline out of bounds play. Thirty seconds later, she converted another layup in traffic with less than a minute left in the quarter to give 'Iolani a 31-30 lead, which it never relinquished.

She followed that up with the first six points of the fourth quarter. Her 11-point outburst in less than 3 minutes essentially put the game away.

In the end, though Masaquel had momentarily credited her success to that Gatorade, she was quick to point out that 'Iolani's third-straight win over Mid-Pac was far more than a mere pre-game fruity drink.

“;I think it was a team effort, too,”; Masaquel said. “;We all had fun. I had fun in the game.”;

ILH Division I Boys

No. 1 Kamehameha 58, Saint Louis 43

The Warriors jumped out to an early lead and never looked back as they defeated the Crusaders. Micah Christenson led the way for Kamehameha with 17 points and Shane Matayoshi contributed with 14 points.

No. 3 'Iolani 83, Damien 64

Kainoa Chu carried the Raiders over the Monarchs by scoring a game-high 28 points, including five of 'Iolani's eight 3-pointers. Damien's Mark Baay kept up with Chu, posting 27 points and also nailing five shots from long distance.

OIA WHITE BOYS

No. 7 Roosevelt 68, Castle 36

Brandon Mitchell posted a game-high 13 points as the Rough Riders defeated the Knights. Agaese Tago added 11 and Chase Yogi followed with 10 points for Roosevelt. Jordan Manalo scored a team-high 10 points for Castle.

Waianae 56, Pearl City 33

The Seasiders pulled away in dominating fashion in the second half as they defeated the Chargers. Michael Foster's 12 points and Christian Mendonza's nine helped Waianae improve to 9-0.