The Kahuku Red Raiders picked a bad evening to go cold.

Top-seeded 'Iolani thwarted Kahuku, forcing 18 turnovers for a 55-44 win over the Red Raiders last night in the semifinals of the Hawaiian Airlines/HHSAA Boys Basketball Division I State Championships at the Stan Sheriff Center.

'Iolani had a dynasty, with five consecutive state titles from 2002 to 2006. This will be the Raiders' first trip to the final since.

The Raiders (19-7) swarmed Kahuku sharpshooter Nehoa Akina, who finished with just 11 points on 5-for-17 shooting. 'Iolani platooned five for five most of the night, assigning Kainoa Chu and Trevyn Tulonghari to cover Akina.

“;I know our guys really compete,”; 'Iolani coach Dean Shimamoto said. “;They're really working hard. Defense takes a lot of toughness and they're showing it.”;

Chu was productive offensively, as well, with 22 points (6-for-15) and five boards. The Raiders shot just 33 percent, struggling at times against Kahuku's 1-3-1 zone, but made up for it at the line with 18-for-24 shooting (75 percent).

Kahuku shot 36 percent from the field (15-for-42) against 'Iolani's scrambling man-to-man defense. Forward Shairone Thompson led Kahuku (15-12) with 17 points and 12 rebounds. He shot 9-for-10 from the foul line, but had limited touches in the second half and missed all four of his shot attempts.

“;We wanted our big guys to front him, but we also wanted our guys to put more pressure on top on their guards,”; Shimamoto said.

The pressure worked; Kahuku finished with numerous turnovers and was 2-for-17 from the 3-point arc. 'Iolani also outrebounded the Red Raiders 35-23.

Kahuku rallied from an 11-point deficit and pulled within 39-36 after a 3-pointer by Samala Afalava from the right wing just before the end of the third quarter.

“;We said, 'We aren't gonna lose.' We're family and you play hard for your family,”; Chu said. “;We executed on defense.”;

After Chu drove through the paint for a bucket, the Raiders ran a spread offense and forced Kahuku to extend its defense. Six turnovers without a point over the next 5 minutes by the Red Raiders sealed their demise.

Chu, Jarrett Arakawa and Josiah Sukumaran combined to make seven of their nine free throws as 'Iolani opened the lead to 52-40 with 1:06 remaining.

The key, though, was keeping Akina under wraps.

“;I feel bummed out. We came in here with a good game plan,”; the senior said. “;We had it slip away in the fourth quarter. We missed too many easy shots.”;

Akina didn't attack the basket until the final minutes.

“;Their defense was good,”; Kahuku coach Hiram Akina said. “;Shairone and Jackson (Kaka) did good early, but Nehoa wasn't hitting his shot,”; he said. “;We wanted Nehoa to drive and get fouled, but he said, 'I got the shot.'”;

“;He was looking for his 3 'cause he was relying on it all year,”; Tulonghari said. “;I knew I had to take that from him.”;