The Punahou Buffanblu picked the right time to get over their shooting woes.
Kamaile Kandiah and Tyra Moe certainly did. Kandiah scored six of her 11 points after regulation, and Moe scored 11 of her 17 points after halftime as No. 3 Punahou edged No. 4 ‘Iolani 51-47 in double overtime on Tuesday.
Coach Kevin Velasco’s Buffanblu (9-3) — the defending state champions — captured the ILH tournament title and secured the only remaining state-tourney berth. Vae Malufau’s double-double — 11 points and 11 rebounds — helped the home team overcome a tenacious comeback by ‘Iolani.
Kandiah scored on a 15-foot baseline shot on a pass from Elle Uyeda (10 points, three assists) to give Punahou the lead for good, 46-44, in the opening moments of the second OT.
Seconds later, ‘Iolani guard Emily Nomura caught an outlet pass in the corner and seemed to get run over by Malufau, but there was no call and officials gave the ball to Punahou.
Uyeda hit one of two charity shots for a 47-44 lead with 1:34 to go.
Sunshine Sarcedo, who had a solid game in the post (four points, five boards, one block), hit a layup to pull the Raiders within one point, but Punahou closed out the game at the foul line. Kandiah sank two free throws for a 49-46 lead with 42 seconds left.
After Cami Aguinaldo made one of two free throws with 19 ticks left, Uyeda knocked down two foul shots for a 51-47 lead with 17.8 seconds remaining.
Aguinaldo missed a layup attempt and Punahou dribbled off the remaining time.
After a slow start, Moe shot 5-for-12 from the field. The 6-foot-1 junior also had four rebounds and four assists as a valuable asset against ‘Iolani’s full-court pressure.
"We had to pass well and play our game. We had to step up and play together, play our best," she said.
Aguinaldo scored nine points, including a clutch 3 to force a second OT, to lead ‘Iolani (7-6). It was a bitter end to the season for one of the hottest teams in the state.
"I’m really proud of the way they fought back to tie it in regulation and overtime," Raiders coach Dean Young said. "They showed a lot of heart and teamwork."
Brooke Maeda added eight points and Sierra Buscher hauled in a team-high nine rebounds. The Raiders upset regular-season champion Maryknoll on Saturday, and after trailing 16-8 early in the second quarter, they mounted a furious rally in the third.
At Hemmeter Fieldhouse
| ‘Iolani |
8 |
8 |
16 |
6 |
6 |
3 |
— |
47 |
| Punahou |
11 |
9 |
6 |
12 |
6 |
7 |
— |
51 |
‘IOLANI–Sheyla Kahalehoe 5, Emily Nomura 7, Brooke Maeda 8, Sierra Buscher 4, Kelsi Ikeda 6, Lindsey Combs 0, Camy Aguinaldo 9, Sunshine Saucedo 4, Anis Augafa 4, Skylar Nakata 0.
PUNAHOU–Kamaile Kandiah 11, Lexie Taylor 0, Heaven Wong 2, Abigail Aplaca 0, Va’e Malufau 11, Elle Uyeda 10, Tyra Moe 17, Sunny Rosario 0.
3-point goals–‘Iolani 7 (Ikeda 2, Maeda 2, Aguinaldo, Kahalehoe, Nomura). Punahou 3 (Uyeda 2, Kandiah).
ILH DIV. II GIRLS TOURNEY
Damien 45, La Pietra 31
Kaylie Cruz and Melina Souza each scored 11 points as the Monarchs defeated the Panthers in the first semifinal of the league’s single-elimination tournament.
Damien raced out to a 26-6 lead at halftime and did not look back. La Pietra was led by Tia Thompson’s game-high 12 points.
With the win, Damien will host (by virtue of being the top seed in the elimination tournament) the championship game against Le Jardin on Thursday at 6 p.m. The winner of that game will join Hawaii Baptist, Saint Francis and University as the league’s representatives at next week’s Division II State Championships.
At Damien
| La Pietra |
6 |
0 |
14 |
11 |
— |
31 |
| Damien |
12 |
14 |
11 |
8 |
— |
45 |
LA PIETRA–Sachi Enseki-Tom 0, Brittany Lieu 0, Kristiana Petrie 0, Heather Gallacher 0, Gabrielle Mark 7, Jaresha Gladney 0, Nikki Nguyen 8, Jasmine Schuman 0, Tia Thompson 12, Pumehana Uslan 0, Samaya Gorham 4.
DAMIEN–Kamaile Lebanon 8, Kelsey Perreria 7, Kaylie Cruz 11, Ethel Suniga 0, Karly Navas 0, Montana Carter 0, Chantelle Agag 0, Kilinoe Gora 0, Catherine Votovich 8, Melina Souza 11.
3-point goals–La Pietra 1 (Mark). Damien 1 (Perreira).
Le Jardin 46, Hanalani 43
Sarah Wong scored 13 points and Kacey Kuchenbecker added 11 as the Bulldogs held off the Royals in the second semifinal of the league’s single elimination tournament.
Kiara Peterson led Hanalani with 15 points.
At Hanalani
| Le Jardin |
9 |
11 |
12 |
14 |
— |
46 |
| Hanalani |
4 |
13 |
7 |
19 |
— |
43 |
LE JARDIN–Naya Tadaki 0, Sarah Wong 13, Renee Van Bergeijk 9, Morgan Pelkey 9, Katherine Awana 0, Kacey Kuchenbecker 11, Mia Barrett 4, Michelle Takenaka 0.
HANALANI–Rebekah Yamada 6, Isabelle Aki 0, Alexa Nava 3, Kacy Shimabukuro 0, Jonnisty Monalim 5, Shanel Taparra 14, Kiara Peterson 15, Kelsy Chong 0, Alexis Nihipali 0.
3-point goals–Hanalani 2 (Nava, Taparra). Le Jardin 1 (Pelkey).
ILH DIVISION I BOYS
No. 3 Punahou 40, No. 4 ‘Iolani 32
Justin "JB" Kam led all scorers with 18 points as the Buffanblu beat the Raiders. With the win, Punahou claims the league’s regular-season title and a state berth.
At Pearl City
| ‘Iolani (6-3) |
5 |
9 |
6 |
12 |
— |
32 |
| Punahou (8-1) |
8 |
10 |
11 |
11 |
— |
40 |
‘IOLANI–Robby Mann 7, Zack Gelacio 3, Bryson Hamada 4, Shane Lay 0, Erik Yamada 14, John Lee 0, Pikai Wichester 2, Kamu Borden 2, Hugh Hogland 0
PUNAHOU–Randon Oda 1, Jordan Tanuvasa 6, Christopher Kobayashi 6, Micah Ma’a 0, Justin "JB" Kam 18, Dayson Watanabe 6, Kanawai Noa 1, ‘Akahi Troske 2.
3-point goals–‘Iolani none. Punahou 5 (Kobayashi 2, Tanuvasa 2, Kam).
ALSO
Saint Louis 48, Mid-Pacific 39
ILH DIVISION I-AA
Saint Louis 53, Punahou 48
High scorers–StL: Toa Augafa 16, Andrew Wong 16. Pun: Alex Henderson 8, Todd Gruebner 8.
