Omori leads Maryknoll to second straight ILH title

Following Friday’s loss to Punahou, Maryknoll coach Chico Furtado issued a challenge to his young point guard, Rhianne Omori.

“I told her that in every big game I’ve coached in, the best players take over,” Furtado said. “If you want to be one of those great players, then you’ve gotta take over.”

The 5-foot-2 sophomore answered the call, leading the Spartans (21-2, 13-2 ILH) to a 61-59 win in double overtime in the championship game over the Buffanblu (20-3, 12-3 ILH) at Hawaii Baptist Academy.

Omori exploded for a game-high 28 points, with 17 coming in the fourth quarter and overtime periods.

“I knew what he (Furtado) wanted from me,” Omori said. “We knew this win was ours, because we worked hard for it all year, so now was the time to show up.”

Trailing 38-33 entering the fourth quarter, Omori ignited the Maryknoll faithful with a 3-pointer and layup that pulled the Spartans within two with 4:46 left in regulation. From there, the two teams battled down to the final minute, where Maryknoll held a 44-42 lead with 52 seconds left.

But Punahou senior center Tyra Moe came to the Buffanblu’s rescue, dropping in a game-tying layup, then swatting away Maryknoll’s attempted game-winning shot to force overtime.

“She (Moe) is huge for us,” said Buffanblu coach Liz Kam. “She kept coming through for us, and she’s always trying. There’s nothing more we could have asked from her.”

In the first overtime period, Punahou was able to take control, staking out a 50-46 advantage with a minute left to play. Once again, Omori bailed out Maryknoll, scoring the final seven points for the Spartans to force the game into a second overtime.

Maryknoll took a 59-57 lead in the second overtime with 58 seconds to go, but Moe sank a layup to tie the game with 41 seconds left in the game. That was more than enough time for Omori, who penetrated the lane and dropped in the go-ahead layup with eight seconds remaining.

“Man, that Rhianne Omori just stepped up and took the game over,” Furtado said about his point guard. “She’s just a sophomore, but this is going to be the catapult game for her, there’s no doubt in my mind. Dynamite comes in small packages.”

Moe had one last chance to save Punahou again, but was called for a travel as she made her move to the basket.

Moe finished with 20 points for the Buffanblu, and guard Kamaile Kandiah added 18.