HondaReport.com - Girls' Basketball: Radford pulls out OT win at Pearl City

Somehow, some way, the Lady Rams have learned to conquer the West without being home a whole lot. Defense led Radford to a 32-30 overtime win at Pearl City. Here is the extended version of the game story in Thursday's Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

PEARL CITY—Joanne Czumalowski knows lock-down defense as well as any guard in the state.

Just don’t expect her to forget her offense, either. The senior guard came up with a steal and the go-ahead free throw with 54 seconds left in overtime as Radford edged Pearl City, 32-30, last night.

Radford, a team without a homecourt this year, retained its sole possession of first place in the Oahu Interscholastic Association West Division. At 6-0, the Lady Rams are in excellent shape to earn one of the four playoff berths allotted to the West.

Pearl City dropped to 5-2, but is still in relatively solid position to secure a playoff berth.

“We lost to Pearl City when our girls were on JV, and again the last two years on varsity,” Radford coach David Lane said. “I didn’t have to do much yelling to motivate them for this.”

Pearl City, which was 10-0 in the OIA West last year, has lost its share of close games this season.

“They played their hearts out. They just need to keep their heads up,” Pearl City coach Mike Morton said of his Chargers. “Give all the credit to Radford. They did an awesome job.”

The Lady Rams did it with relentless man-to-man defense, stifling a Charger team that averaged 48 points per game.

Center Michelle Winebush and sophomore forward Tereva Moore paced Radford with eight points apiece. “Michelle’s a senior, and she’s never stepped up like she did tonight,” Lane said.

Lusia Kleinschmidt, a senior center, led Pearl City with 12 points. Senior forward Marci Lobendahn, who came into the game with a West-leading 16.2 points per game, was limited to seven.

In overtime, Desiree Blaney’s pull-up bank shot tied the game it 30-all, but Czumalowski stole an inbounds pass moments later. Blaney committed her fifth personal foul on the play, and Radford went ahead on a free throw with 54 seconds to play.

Moore stole the ball from Nishikida with 25 seconds left, and Leslie Lazo drew a foul from Lobendahn with 12.6 seconds to go. Lobendahn fouled out on the play, and Lazo hit the second of her two foul shots to give Radford a 32-30 lead.

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Pearl City, without its point guard and go-to post scorer, got the ball to Mele Laulea for a tough 13-footer in the lane that missed with five seconds to go.

The ball was loose on the rebound, and a jump ball was called with one second to go. Radford gained possession and ran out the clock.

The Lady Rams devoted plenty of attention to Blaney, Pearl City’s point guard. The senior finished with just four points before fouling out on Czumalowski’s breakaway play.

The game was tight from the start. That was no surprise, since Lane and Morton are best friends, as well as rivals. The game was tied five times and had three lead changes after halftime.

Pearl City, with a 2-3 matchup zone, patiently waited and took a 21-20 lead on Kamill Riego de Rios’ free throw with 1.3 seconds left in the third quarter.

The Chargers went to a man defense as the final quarter started, and Radford went on an 8-3 run. Three Pearl City turnovers helped the Rams, who got four points during the run by Winebush on assists from Moore and Czumalowski.

Pearl City game back to tied the game, and Lenny Radona’s layup on a fastbreak made it 28-all with 1:27 left in regulation.

Radford didn’t hold for the final shot. Instead, the Rams turned the ball over with 18 seconds left. However, Jenna Johnson-Endo picked the ball from Blaney on a drive and headed upcourt. She bumped into Kellie Nishikida on the right wing and traveled, giving the ball back to Pearl City.

Kleinschmidt’s off-balance 14-footer missed with a second remaining, and the game went into overtime.

Radford, a team with four returning starters, has made a habit of coming through in the clutch. Three of Rams’ six wins have been by margins of four points or less. “Joanne, Jenna, Lia and Michelle started last year,” Lane said. “The veteran experience makes all the difference.”

So does production from their “diaper dandies.”

“Leslie (Lazo) and Shenice are just freshmen,” Lane said of two key contributors to last night’s win.

In addition, because the Rams’ home floor is unsuitable for playing due to rain damage, winning away from home isn’t just the norm. It’s necessary.

For now, the Rams will enjoy the view from the top. “We’re gonna enjoy the win and get ready for Waipahu Friday,” Lane said. “We want to keep it going.”

Defense isn’t exactly glamorous work, but the Rams embrace it fully. It’s not just the guards who shuffle across the floor; Moore, their best rebounder and shot blocker, moves laterally as quickly as most guards.

“They’ve taken their game to the next level,” Lane said. “They work really hard at practice, and they’re so coachable.”