Leilehua outlasts Mililani in 2 OTs

The mighty Mules almost buckled, but in the end, they brought home something no other Leilehua girls basketball team ever has.

Carissa McBride had 21 points and 14 rebounds, including the go-ahead free throw with 14.4 seconds left, as No. 7 Leilehua shocked No. 3 Mililani 58-55 in double overtime to capture the Oahu Interscholastic Association Red Conference championship for the first time since the league began playing girls hoops in 1977.

Jerrilyn Maluyo hit two foul shots with 5.7 seconds left for Leilehua for a three-point lead. The Mules rushed the ball upcourt, looking for a potential game-tying 3-pointer, but the ball ended up in Nayla Long’s hands. She was straight away from the rim, just above the free-throw line, and never found an open teammate behind the arc. Her 2-point shot missed anyway as time expired as the Mules stormed the court in glee.

"I’m surprised," said McBride, a 6-foot-1 senior post with great court vision. "Not that we won, but our team played their hearts out. When ‘E’ (Elyshia Bowden) fouled out, I was, ‘Oh, my gosh.’ But our team pulled it out."

A raucous crowd of about 700 watched at Waipahu High School’s gym as Leilehua (22-3) won its first league crown. Mililani (16-2) placed first in the West and beat Leilehua in preseason and regular season, but saw its hopes for a first OIA title dissipate with a string of mishaps in the second extra period.

"We had a rough stretch, but we told the girls to just calm down. We persevered," Mules coach Elroy Dumlao said. "Carissa, a four-year starter, this is for her, to come out on top, this is icing on the cake for her.

Leilehua will have an opening-round bye at the state tournament, which begins on Tuesday. Six OIA Red teams, including Mililani, have qualified.

The Trojans led 55-53 after Kira Arruda drove for a layup, but Long (17 points) missed back-to-back layups in front of the rim. The Mules got a tough, running bank shot from about 12 feet out by Tiffany Reyher (eight points, five steals, four assists) to tie the game at 55.

"I’ve practiced that shot every day for two years," said Reyher, a junior guard.

"We had an off game (offensively), but our defense made up for it. We just played with all our heart," Maluyo said.

With point guard Kapili Amamalin on the bench — she picked up her fifth foul in the fourth quarter — the Trojans were disjointed at times. But McBride was clutch. She hit a free throw to give the Mules a 56-55 lead with 14.4 ticks to go, and after Long was whistled for traveling on the right wing, Maluyo (eight points, four assists) knocked down the clutch foul shots with 5.7 seconds to go.

Bowden, who fouled out in the first overtime, hustled for 13 points and five rebounds just days after aggravating a knee injury in the semifinal round last week.

The Mules shot 43 percent from the field (25-for-58), including a paltry 1-for-13 from the arc against a tough Mililani man-to-man defense. They also shot just 7-for-15 at the foul line, but got the edge on the boards with a 34-26 advantage.

Mikaela Limper scored 12 points, Kaylee Torres added 11 points and Amamalin finished with nine points and five assists for Mililani.

The Trojans struggled from the field, shooting 35 percent (18-for-52) against the taller Mules, who sat in a 2-3 zone for much of regulation. They shot 4-for-17 from the arc and 15-for-25 from the foul line.

Both teams committed 21 turnovers.