Kaimuki won’t intimidate many opponents with its size.

So the Bulldogs are proving speed and hustle can be awfully disruptive as well.

Embracing the slogan on the backs of their warmup shirts, the fifth-ranked Bulldogs’ swarming defense and quickness to the basket spurred them to a 55-39 home win over Kapolei in an OIA Red girls basketball playoff game Friday night.

“Speed is what we’ve got,” Kaimuki head coach Mona Faasoa said. “We have absolutely no height, so we have to utilize our speed.”

With Kapolei focused on limiting Kaimuki’s outside shooting, senior Ashley Savusa — one of Kaimuki’s tallest players at 5-foot-8 — scored most of her game-high 21 points on drives to the basket and the Bulldogs clinched one of the OIA’s six berths in next month’s Division I state tournament.

“That’s big, especially because we have a target on our back,” Faasoa said of securing a spot in the state tournament.

The Bulldogs went through the OIA East schedule undefeated and drew a bye in the first round of the OIA Red tournament. They turned up the pace against Kapolei, which eliminated three-time defending champion Farrington on Thursday night, and led by as many as 15 in the first half on their way to the win.

Kaimuki’s run in the double-elimination portion of the OIA tournament continues Tuesday in a winner’s bracket game against Pearl City, the second seed from the OIA West.

Kapolei (9-4) fell into the losers bracket and faces Kahuku in an elimination game on Tuesday.

“These girls understand we’re out of the title race, but we can still play to get into the states,” Kapolei coach Jesse Baugh said. “That’s what they have to fight for next week.”

Savusa led three Bulldogs in double figures, with guard Canny Aikau finishing with 11 points and Keana Paez contributing 10.

Dejah Faasoa scored just two points but set her teammates up for scores with nifty passes off drives into the paint.

Aikau, a sub-5-foot junior, provided the inspiration for the theme of the Bulldogs’ season — “It is not how big you are. It is how big you play” — when she matched up with a 6-5 post player from a team from China during the ‘Iolani Classic in December.

“She doesn’t look at anyone’s height, she thinks she’s just as tall as them,” Mona Faasoa said.

The height differential factored into Kapolei’s rebounding advantage on Friday, but the Hurricanes struggled to get into an offensive flow with Kaimuki contesting nearly every pass.

After surviving the first-round game on Thursday, Baugh said the Hurricanes had their lunch period on Friday to go over the game plan for Kaimuki. But “30 minutes is not enough to prepare for a team like this,” he said.

After Kapolei scored the game’s opening bucket, Kaimuki reeled off the next 11 points, with Savusa starting the run with a jumper in the lane and capping it with a 3-pointer from the wing.

The Bulldogs’ lead grew to 28-13 late in the second quarter with a 10-2 run. Kapolei closed to seven early in the third quarter, but Savusa scored the next five points to push the lead back to double-figures.

“We try to pressure everyone, and just keep the pace going,” Savusa said. “We don’t have many subs, but we know what we have to do.”

Micaela Bitanga scored a game-high 15 points as the Cougars defeated the Mules.
Maria Ross led Leilehua with 11 points.

Tiari Walker scored 14 and Shawna Angle added 10 as the Chargers defeated the Red Raiders.
Pearl City held off Kahuku despite the Red Raiders’ 21-point fourth-quarter effort.

Imani Wimbush scored 10 points to lead the Rams, who outscored the Falcons 9-0 in the opening quarter and never trailed.
Haley Omiya led Kalani with 10 points, and Carly Kakuda scored nine.

Sybil Coryell was hot from the field, scoring 26 points and nailing six 3-pointers as the Tigers dominated the Seariders.
Gina Atiga led Waianae with 11 points.