After watching three of the best guards in the state do their thing, Kahuku point guard Fiatagata Tailele-Latu did hers.

Tailele-Latu drew a defender and dished off to an open Ulukimata Tonga with 5.1 seconds left to beat Oahu Interscholastic Association champion Pearl City 42-41 and send Kahuku to a semifinal date with top seed Konawaena in the HHSAA Hawaiian Airlines Girls Basketball Championships.

“(Tailele-Latu) made another great play at the end,” Kahuku coach Scott DeSilva said. “She pushed the ball through, was able to see that and (Tonga) made the shot. Nothing more you can ask.”

Latu had only four points, while Pearl City’s stellar guards, Sabrina Marie Angle (13 points), Shawna Marie Angle (10) and Adrienne Jean Sylva (6) drove Pearl City.

The Chargers took a 41-40 lead with 25 seconds left when Sabrina Marie Angle buried an open 3-pointer to give them their first lead since early in the fourth quarter.

Kahuku led by eight points with 2 minutes left, but allowed the Chargers back in it by missing four free throws and letting the Chargers outhustle them after spending all of their energy beating Kamehameha the night before.

“That last 3-pointer, we just let them go,” Kahuku coach Scott DeSilva said. “We didn’t mean to, but our girls ran out of legs after last night. These are the kinds of things we have got to overcome.”

Pearl City went the length of the floor in the final 5.1 seconds but did not get a shot off. The Chargers might have drawn a foul, but the whistle would have come just after the final buzzer.

The Red Raiders refused to run with the Chargers, and got every one of their field goals from inside the paint. Pearl City, on the other hand, came out firing from beyond the arc, but stopped after being instructed to attack the basket at halftime. Its three starting guards had all but 10 of Pearl City’s points in the game and hit seven 3-pointers, but made only one in the second and third quarters.

Kahuku got all but 12 of its points from its mass of post players, 14 from Leighlani Paselio and eight from Tonga. Tara Tailele and Pati Anae ruled the paint during their shifts. They may not do so tonight.

“Our goal is to keep moving on,” DeSilva said. “I told the girls if we can get to Konawaena, let’s take that opportunity and savor the moment. Anything can happen, we may make every single shot we throw up. The stars may be aligned.”

Both teams walked out of McKinley’s Student Council Gymnasium winners on Wednesday night, but only one of them will return to compete for the state title.

Defending state champion Konawaena blew out Kaiser 62-42 in the quarterfinals, running out to a 20-point halftime lead and holding it. But Kaiser left the gym feeling like it had accomplished something.

“World champs, that’s what those guys are,” Kaiser coach Simon Bitanga said. “They’re tough. But it could have been worse, at least we scored in the first quarter.”

Konawaena shut out Kaiser in the first quarter of last year’s quarterfinal game on its way to a 57-32 win, and led 15-7 after 8 minutes in this one. The Cougars nervously committed turnovers on their first three possessions on Wednesday night, and seven in the first quarter. They finished the game with 23 turnovers to Kona’s 10, but half of the Wildcats’ miscues came in a stretch in the fourth quarter when the game was long decided. Not that the Cougars just threw the ball away.

“I like to think we play good defense and work hard on defense and create turnovers,” Konawaena head coach Bobbie Awa said. “Kaiser’s a good team, it’s tough when you get down and have to fight to come back.”

Kaiser played even with Konawaena in the second half, thanks in part to fearless backup point guard Kelii Sakai. Sakai led Kaiser with 15 points, putting on a show while doing so.

“She’s feisty,” Bitanga said. “She’s all heart, banging with the big girls all the time. Sometimes I wish my bigs were like that.”

While Sakai provided entertainment value, Konawaena’s Lia Galdeira put on a show of quiet efficiency. Galdeira led the Wildcats with 18 points after being held to two in the first quarter. Courtney Kuapu was next with 13 and Makani Wall was deadly from beyond the arc, hitting three 3-pointers and scoring 11 points.

Alohi Robins-Hardy fired in a game-high 14 points and the Warriors raced to a 17-2 first-quarter lead in doubling up the Sabers.