Mariano drives Roosevelt to victory

For a month, red jersey No. 41 lay there waiting for a chance to be worn on the hardwood again.

Tatiana Mariano wore it well Friday night. The versatile freshman scored all 16 of her points in the final quarter as Roosevelt stunned No. 8 Mililani 49-44 on Friday night.

Mariano had been out since December with a separated shoulder, but she came through while her team went 1-for-7 at the foul line to start the fourth quarter. Mariano hit nine of her 10 free-throw attempts in the final stanza as the Rough Riders turned a tie into an 11-point lead.

“We have some people who can hit free throws,” Roosevelt coach Hinano Higa said. “Tonight, Tati was hot for us. We wanted the ball in her hands, for her to get fouled and get to the line.”

The win advanced Roosevelt (13-6) to the next round of the Oahu Interscholastic Association Red Conference’s double-elimination tournament and earned the Rough Riders a spot in the state tournament.

They will visit rival Kaiser on Tuesday.

Kira Arruda and Shanice Kawakami had eight points and two 3-pointers each, and Chelsea Wong hauled in a team-high 12 rebounds for Roosevelt, which had traveled a bumpy road in the past two weeks.

Senior guard Shana Kawakami suffered a torn Achilles’, and the Rough Riders lost three of their last four regular-season games.

Then came a narrow win over Aiea on Thursday to avoid elimination.

“It’s exciting. We played together. It’s good to win together as a team,” Higa said. “Mililani’s a great team, a very athletic team.

“We just came out with great energy. I hadn’t seen that in a while.”

The Rough Riders had a rough road in the OIA East, but their patience and execution in the fourth quarter were at an elite level.

“I was nervous at the beginning, to be honest, but my team held me up and we did a good job,” Mariano said.

Mililani (13-6) will host Leilehua in an elimination game, also on Tuesday.

Roosevelt’s 13-2 run at the start of the fourth quarter broke open a close game.

“We’ve been in some tight games. I think we’re battle-tested,” Mililani coach Patrick Basilio said.

Mililani was 10-0 in OIA West play before the playoffs. After earning a first-round bye, the Lady Trojans were frazzled at times against Roosevelt, particularly at the start of the fourth quarter with the game still close.

“That’s why you play all year, to get that buffer,” Basilio said.

“Credit to Hinano and her team. We’ll gain more from this one loss than from the 10 (OIA) wins. This gives us more focus. We’ll recalibrate.”

With the score tied at 28, Breyana Dutro-Solomua drove for a tough layup in traffic to give Roosevelt the lead for good.

After Mariano scored the next four points, Roosevelt had a 34-28 lead.

Basilio called timeout, but the Lady Trojans struggled defensively as Roosevelt spread the floor and ran plenty of motion. Mariano drilled an open 3-pointer in transition and Kira Arruda scored on a fast break off a feed from Starr Rivera, giving the visitors a 41-30 lead with 2:38 remaining.

From there, it was a free-throw contest for the Rough Riders. Every time Mililani threatened, Mariano answered with clutch shooting at the line.

Mililani regained composure and cut the lead to 43-38 on a free throw by Nayla Long with 54 seconds remaining, but got no closer the rest of the way. Mariano, who plays the post, became Roosevelt’s go-to target in the backcourt as Mililani looked to foul.

Taylor Babbitt led Mililani with 10 points. Long had nine points and seven boards, and Kapili Amamalin and Kayla Wright chipped in eight points each. Kaylee Torres added seven points and eight rebounds.

Mililani stayed in a 2-3 zone in the second and third quarters, but still forced Roosevelt into 15 turnovers. Wright, a senior guard, had a game-high five steals.

Roosevelt shot 37 percent from the field (17-for-46), but was efficient from 3-point range (5-for-12). Mililani had the edge in rebounding (33-32) and limited the Rough Riders to just four offensive boards.

Both teams shot 10-for-19 from the foul line.

Mililani shot 33 percent from the field (16-for-48) and committed 19 turnovers. The Trojans were 2-for-12 from long range against Roosevelt’s 2-3 zone.

The league’s double-elimination format is a saving grace for quarterfinal losers. The winner of the Leilehua-Mililani game will qualify for one of the OIA’s six berths in the Division I state tourney. Basilio expects a strong comeback.

“This is one of the most mentally strong teams I’ve had,” said Basilio, now in his fifth season as varsity coach.