Don’t tell any up-and-coming, future ‘Iolani Raiders, but Emily Nomura doesn’t shoot a million free throws every day in the offseason.
The junior guard makes up for it with in-season effort, and that hard work paid off in No. 7 ‘Iolani’s 61-52 win over No. 10 Sacred Hearts on Tuesday night.
Nomura scored 16 points, going 6-for-6 at the charity stripe in the final 45 seconds, and Camy Aguinaldo chipped in 15 points and four steals for ‘Iolani. The Raiders overcame a 26-point, eight-rebound effort by Sacred Hearts senior Jessica Hanashiro.
“We’ve been practicing free throws a lot. We knew it would be close,” Nomura said. “They beat Kamehameha, so we knew they’d come out strong.”
It was a hair-raising win for coach Dean Young’s Raiders at Macy Nobriga Gymnasium. They led by 18 early in the third quarter before the Lancers made a huge run to pull within two midway through the fourth. The Lancers had nine turnovers in the first quarter against ‘Iolani’s press, then just six the rest of the way.
“It wasn’t necessarily the press. If we want to win the game, we have to change our effort, our focus. That’s it. When we’re dialed in, we’re a much better team,” Lancers coach Ryan Hogue said.
Hanashiro, a left-hander, scored 13 points in the third quarter and four more early in the fourth stanza as Sacred Hearts rallied with a 25-9 run. She kept the run alive with a dive for a loose ball to pull it away from Aguinaldo, then made a pass as she was on her back that led to a layup by Pakalana Kam.
Sacred Hearts got within 46-44 with 4:24 remaining after a post bucket by Hanashiro.
From there, it was ‘Iolani getting better shots. The Raiders, who switched to a 2-3 zone in the fourth quarter, were a magnificent 10-for-11 at the foul line in the final eight minutes. Freshman Taylor Wu sparked the Raiders’ run with a steal and layup, and Tori Maeda hit two foul shots. After Aguinaldo scored on a steal, the visitors led 52-44 with less than three minutes remaining.
The Lancers got within 52-48 after free throws by Dallas Martinez, but the Raiders were too clutch at the line. ‘Iolani finished the game 23-for-26 there (88 percent).
As a team, the Lancers were 16-for-28 at the foul line (57 percent). Hanashiro, who played nearly every minute, was 12-for-15 from the field and 2-for-8 from the free-throw line. Martinez added 13 points, including 9-for-10 at the line.
“It’s frustrating. We’re capable of beating any team if we play for 32 minutes,” said Hanashiro, a 5-foot-8 senior. “I give ‘Iolani credit for knowing what they run and they run it well. They knew that they didn’t match up well in the post. When I got the ball, sometimes they double-teamed me and I’d have to kick the ball out.”
The Lancers were 0-for-7 from 3-point range. Much of that was due to ‘Iolani’s air-tight man defense in the first three quarters.
It was a reunion of sorts for Nomura and Hanashiro.
“I played with her at Kailua (Basketball Association),” Nomura said. “She’s always been good.”
“She’s playing through some nagging injuries,” Hogue added. “I think she can play in college. She has a lot more basketball to learn.”
