HondaReport.com - Girls' Basketball: No. 7 Kamehameha stuns No. 2 Punahou, 51-35

As if the ILH girls' basketball race weren't tough enough, the Kamehameha Warriors rose to the challenge Tuesday night with an astounding 51-35 win at Punahou. Here is the longer, unedited version of the game story that ran in Wednesday's Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

HONOLULU—This time around, the Kamehameha Warriors weren’t quite so generous.

India Soo scored 10 of her team-high 14 points in a key third-quarter run as Kamehameha upset No. 2-ranked Punahou, 51-35, last night at Hemmeter Fieldhouse.

The loss ended Punahou’s unbeaten run in Interscholastic League of Honolulu play, but the Buff n’ Blue still have breathing room with a 9-1 mark (17-3 overall). Kamehameha, 6-4, knows it will have to earn a state berth the hard way—through the Survival-tough gauntlet known as the third-place tournament.

“We’re playing for the third spot,” veteran Kamehameha coach Clay Cockett conceded. “We’ve had good practices. Each player has worked hard and sacrificed a lot. Each understands her role now.”

The Warriors, arguably the most erratic state title contender in the islands, looked like a champion. “They hit shots, and we didn’t,” Punahou coach Mike Taylor said. “But we kept fighting and persevering.”

After a roller-coaster two weeks of ILH battles, the Warriors can feel good about yesterday’s win. On April 3, Kamehameha was in position to defeat Punahou, but key turnovers allowed the Buff n’ Blue to pull out a 37-33 win at Kekuhaupio Gym.

This time, Kamehameha’s defense and rebounding had plenty to do with an off-shooting night by the host Buffs. Senior center Mounia Nihipali scored 10 points and pulled down 20 rebounds, and guard Tatriana Lorenzo added nine points for Kamehameha, ranked No. 7 in the HondaReport.com Top Ten.

“Team-wise, it was important,” said Lorenzo, a sophomore who had a solid all-around game. “We had two losses recently. I think we shouldn’t have lost those games.”

The Warriors didn’t use full-court pressure once. Instead, they unveiled a 3-2 zone that smothered Punahou’s shooters. Christine Takara, with 13 points and five rebounds, was the only Buff n’ Blue scorer in double figures. Freshman Chelsea Deptula scored eight points and guard Shanna-Lei Dacanay finished with just seven. Sophie Merrifield led Punahou with 10 rebounds.

“It was the first time we used it that much,” Lorenzo noted. Kamehameha used a bit of the 3-2 in the late going against Iolani, she added.

“That was a good decision on the 3-2 zone,” Soo said. “We know we can do whatever we decide we want to do. We’re going to finish the season strong.”

Freshman Analee Viena-Lota came up with eight timely points off the bench in the second half. “She came out strong,” Soo said. “It’ll build up her confidence.”

Punahou managed just two points in the opening quarter as it tried to figure out the zone. Eventually, the Buff n’ Blue got open looks, but their offense was out of rhythm. They were fortunate to be only down 15-13 at intermission.

The World of Golf: Leading authorized online retailer of top name Golf equipment

Dacanay, Punahou’s key outside shooter, was 0-of-6 in the first half and did not score. Still, her ballhandling and composure helped the Buff n’ Blue stay close.

Kamehameha exploded with a 16-2 run against Punahou’s man defense to open the third quarter. Soo drilled a 3-pointer from the right wing, turned a steal into a free throw, sank another trey, and then a 16-foot jumper. The senior guard, who did not score in the first half, suddenly had 10 points in a span of less than six minutes. Kamehameha led 31-15 when Punahou called its second time out of the quarter with 2:21 to go in the third.

“We talked about punching the bag,” Cockett said. “We can’t just have one person doing it. The other four have to punch, too.”

Punahou has made it a custom to absorb an opponent’s best shots only to counter with overwhelming firepower. “We had to just keep playing ball,” Taylor said.

The Buff n’ Blue answered with a 10-0 run, using its full-court press to force three Warrior turnovers. Deptula scored off a pass from Mahina Macfarlane and added a layup off a steal as Punahou pulled within 31-25 with 1:06 left in the third.

“We didn’t want to get caught up in a run-and-gun situation,” Cockett said. Soo, who had been en fuego with her shooting touch, rushed a couple of 3-point shots—with no teammates in rebounding position—as Punahou rallied. “We just have to get our shots within our offense, to get in our rhythm.”

That’s when Kamehameha’s sharpshooting freshman, Viena-Lota, stepped into the forefront. The lanky forward sank a 15-footer from the left wing to slow Punahou’s run. She sank a 3-pointer from the right wing to open the fourth quarter, and Kamehameha had a 35-25 lead.

Moments later, Viena-Lota’s extremely quick release netted a pull-up jumper from the foul line, and the lead was 39-27.

Punahou mounted one last run. Dacanay, with just two points entering the final quarter, came up with a 22-foot trey and a steal for a tough left-handed layup to bring the Buff n’ Blue within 40-34 with 3:44 remaining.

However, Viena-Lota answered again. Soo found her open on a fastbreak, and Viena-Lota’s perfect 10-foot shot from the right baseline hit all net. That was the spark the Warriors needed, and they finished off the game with an 11-0 run.

“Ana can shoot. We knew that from the summer,” Taylor said. “Those were killer shots.”

Soo scored her final four points during that mini-blitz, knocking down a fadeaway bank shot and breaking away for an easy layup.

“We had the juices flowing, but we couldn’t get over the hump,” Taylor said.

Kamehameha finished with a 36-30 edge on the boards. Punahou grabbed 15 offensive rebounds, but struggled to finish inside. Post Makena Hunt, ailing with an ankle injury, played just a few minutes in the first half.

Defensive stopper Eryn Chun, the lone senior, played despite an ankle injury of her own. In the midst of aloha night for her and the Division II Buff n’ Blue’s seniors, Chun wasn’t worried about the loss. “Going undefeated was one of our goals, but maybe this was a reality check,” she said. “We already lost in preseason, and we bounced back from that.”

Punahou has a showdown with second-place Iolani Friday. “In a good way, this makes us want it more,” Dacanay added.

Punahou had seen zone defenses all season, but even the normally stoic Cockett was impressed.

“We’ve had our 3-2 zone for a long time, but it’s evolved from so-so to pretty good,” he said. “We had some breakdowns and didn’t play completely well on the defensive side, but fortunately, Punahou didn’t hurt us enough.”

The Buff n’ Blue face the prospect of a key matchup while two key contributors are hurt. “We weren’t even sure if Yoda could play tonight,” Taylor said of Chun. “We’re gonna need her big time Friday night.”