Speed met speed on the hardwood Thursday. 

The speedsters from Konawaena prevailed, pulling away for a 54-33 win over OIA champion Roosevelt in the semifinal round of the New City Nissan/HHSAA Girls Basketball Division I State Championships. 

A crowd of about 1,000 looked on at humid McKinley Student Council Gymnasium. Top-seeded Konawaena (29-1) got a near triple-double from junior guard Chanelle Molina, who had 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in addition to five steals. 

Keala Quinlan paced Roosevelt (21-3) with 19 points on 8-for-11 shooting, plus eight rebounds. 

"I feel for the girls. They really wanted it," Roosevelt coach Hinano Higa said. "But our shots weren’t falling tonight. We turned the ball over a lot and gave them a little more momentum each time. We wish Konawaena the best tomorrow." 

The Wildcats will meet second-seeded Lahainaluna, which eliminated Maryknoll in the other semifinal. The two teams met in Konawaena’s preseason tournament, a 61-52 win by the home team. 

"They’re big and fast," Molina said. 

First, the nationally-ranked Wildcats had to deal with a hot Roosevelt squad that was similar to Konawaena in many ways: tough man defense and a relentless fastbreak. 

"We practice running the floor, so to see us do it in the game, we just do what we have to do," Molina said. "I was surprised Ihi (Victor) was running. She was being aggressive, and that’s what we need from her." 

The Wildcats were almost clinical in their ability to take Roosevelt out of its comfort zone. It was the first loss to a local team this season for the Rough Riders. 

"The girls followed directions and we got a lot of rotation with our guards because one of our other assistant coaches was here," coach Bobbie Awa said, referring to her husband, Donald. "I like riding my horses, but he likes getting fresh legs in there." 

Roosevelt, unbeaten in league play, entered the tourney ranked No. 2 in the Star-Advertiser Top 10, but was seeded fourth by the HHSAA seeding committee. For one quarter, the Rough Riders stayed close. Sharice Kawakami’s two free throws tied it at 6-all moments after a TV time out. 

Konawaena then went on a 20-7 run. Taylor Bates hit the first of her two 3-pointers, and after Molina hit two foul shots, the Wildcats had an 11-7 lead entering the second quarter. She hit an elbow jumper to start the second quarter and then fed her sister, Celena Jane Molina, who swished a trey from the left wing for a 16-9 lead. 

The Wildcats did the running against the normally unmatchable Rough Riders. Ihi Victor scored in the post, and then hit a 16-footer from the left elbow to open the lead to nine points. Molina then posted up for another basket, and after Victor scored on a fastbreak dish from Aloha Salem, the Wildcats had a 26-13 lead going into the half. 

Konawaena opened the lead to 34-18. A steal by Molina led to two foul shots as she scored six of their first eight points of the second half. Roosevelt chipped into the lead a bit, getting a steal for a layup by Ashley Kiko to cut it to 36-25. 

After Quinlan scored on back-to-back buckets in the low post, the Rough Riders were within 39-29 late in the third quarter. 

"We actually went with a zone at the end. Maybe that shocked them," Awa said. "We had to try something. Keala was killing us." 

Awa switched her defense up, Molina answered with another pull-up jumper in the paint, sparking an 11-0 run that put the game out of reach. 

Victor, who shot 5-for-7 from the field, finished with 12 points and four rebounds. 

Konawaena outrebounded Roosevelt 28-16. The Rough Riders had 14 turnovers and shot 30 percent from the field (12-for-40) against Konawaena’s man and zone defenses. 

The ‘Cats shot 47 percent from the field (21-for-45) and 75 percent from the foul line (9-for-12). 

As for the Lunas, it’ll be a potentially epic battle. Three former Lunas — Lindsay Bates, Taylor Bates and Salem — transferred to Konawaena before the season. 

"It is what it is," Taylor Bates said. 

"We’re just playing to win," Lindsay Bates said. "We’re not going to listen to the crowd. We’re just focusing on our team." 

Awa expects a full-throttle pace from the Lunas. 

"They always run the floor and their bigs run hard," she said. "We’ve got to defend our house again." 

ROOSEVELT–Keala Quinlan 19, Sharice Kawakami 6, Starr Rivera 2, Kaohi Kapiko 0, Ashley-Alohi Kiko 2, Destiny Holani 0, Kaonohi Quinlan 4, Alliya Gabriel 0.

KONA–Chanelle Molina 19, Celena Molina 7, Aloha Salem 0, Cherilyn Molina 6, Lindsay Bates 0, Taylor Bates 6, Victoria Victor 0, Mercedes Victor 12, Mahiehie Kaawa 0, Mikayla Talit 4.

3-point goals–Roosevelt 2 (Kawakami, Ka. Quinlan). Kona 3 (T. Bates 2, Ce. Molina).