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Kalina Obrey muscled in the paint for 16 points and 10 rebounds as unseeded Kamehameha overcame a slow start for a 41-17 rout of Mililani on Monday night in the Division I opening round of the Snapple/HHSAA Girls Basketball State Championships.
“It took us a little while to get going,” Warriors coach Pua Straight said of her team, which overcame 1-for-12 shooting in the first quarter.
Kamehameha (16-6 overall), runner-up from the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, will battle Maui Interscholastic League champion Lahainaluna on Thursday in the quarterfinal round.
“They definitely came out strong, I guess stronger than we expected, and we have a lot of players who are starting for the first time in states,” said Obrey, who was 8-for-8 from the free-throw line.
Kamehameha commanded the paint with a 47-24 edge in rebounding.
“It’s not our greatest game. Our whole emphasis is dominate the paint. Coach Pua makes sure we get that from the get-go. Our size helps us so much. We have to go inside-out and win the 50-50’s.”
Mililani, the third-place team from the Oahu Interscholastic Association, finished its season 17-5 overall.
“I feel bad for our seniors,” coach Michael Oyama said. “There was a lid on the basket and Obrey got going a little bit in the second quarter. They hurt us on the boards.”
Kamehameha kept constant pressure on Mililani’s standout guard Dahlis Sablay.
“We had to be aware of where she’s at, and help,” Straight said. “We stuck someone on her early, just wanted to tire her out. Not fullcourt, early in halfcourt. Once we went into man, we stayed disciplined and that gave them a bit of a hard time on offense in their five-out motion.”
A gathering of about 400 fans at Kekuhaupio Gym saw the visiting Lady Trojans stifle the home team in the first quarter. Kamehameha shot 1-for-12 from the field, but overcame an 8-4 deficit.
Obrey hustled for a follow shot to give the Warriors their first lead, 10-8, with 5:55 to go in the second quarter. From there, Kamehameha’s rugged man-to-man defense dominated the Trojans. Noelle Sua-Godinet, who was ill recently, came off the bench and gave the Warriors a spark in the second quarter with five points, a block and two rebounds.
Malie Marfil’s corner 3 opened the lead to five points, and after Sua-Godinet scored inside on a feed from Tehani Malterre, the Warriors’ run was on. Kamehameha led 16-9 at halftime and Mililani got no closer.
After Sua-Godinet entered the game, the Warriors pummeled the Trojans on the boards. Mililani had 11 total rebounds by intermission — Madison Ayers hustled for six of her eight caroms before halftime — but Kamehameha had 12 rebounds on the offensive glass alone.
The Warriors’s rebounding edge helped them overcome 11-for-54 shooting from the field. They hustled for 25 offensive rebounds.
Mililani’s hopes of staying close dissipated moments into the second half. Obrey drove hard for a left-handed layup, Marfil poked the ball away for a steal and swished two foul shots, and after Camille Feary splashed a 3 from the left corner, the Warriors had a decisive 29-13 lead late in the third quarter.
Mililani finished the game 7-for-47 from the field (15 percent) as Kamehameha’s defenders, including reserves who didn’t play until the fourth quarter, defended the Trojans’ motion offense almost perfectly.
Konawaena 61, Leilehua 41
Grace Lyn Hing led three Wildcats in double figures with 20 points on 7-for-8 shooting to extend Konawaena’s streak of state tournaments with at least one win in the winner’s bracket to 16.
Hing was 6-for-7 from 3-point range and Kaliana Salazar Harrell added 15 points and seven rebounds for the four-time defending state champion Wildcats (11-2), who will face OIA champion Kahuku on Thursday at Moanalua.
Kayla Pak added 11 points for Konawaena, while Asia Castillo and Victoria Canencia had 12 points apiece to lead the Mules (11-4).
Maui 55, Kaiser 44
Honey Let Padasdao poured in a team-high 20 points with three steals and the Sabers (9-7) outscored the Cougars (10-6) by nine points in the fourth quarter to pull out their first win in a state tournament game since 2013.
Padasdao made both of her 3-point attempts and Leiana Thornton added 12 points for Maui, which advances to play ILH champion and No. 1 seed ‘Iolani on Thursday at Moanalua.
Taeya Blakeney shot 8-for-10 from the field and finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead Kaiser.
Kalani 70, Radford 43
Falcons senior Kamalu Kamakawiwoole scored a game-high 21 points to lead four Kalani players in double figures in the win over the Rams.
Alayna Akiona added 18 points and Lile Oyama and Kalena Halunajan added 12 points for the Falcons, who will play BIIF champion Waiakea on Thursday at McKinley.
The Warriors beat the Falcons in the quarterfinals last year by a point.
Manutangi Seei scored 16 points to lead the Rams.
AT KEKUHAUPIO GYMNASIUM
Mililani (17-5) 8 1 4 4 — 17
Kamehameha (16-6) 6 10 15 10 — 41
Mililani: Kayla Tansiongco 2, Maxine Gelacio 0, Heidi Lagafuaina 0, Jaliah Bowen 3, Kylie Bagay 3, Dahlis Sablay 1, Kianna Ponce 4, Kalena Gibson 4, Madison Ayers 0.
Kamehameha: Maddison Mangalao 2, Malie Marfil 5, Esther Naum 0, Haley Masaki 2, Camille Feary 11, Tehani Malterre 0, Alize Pratt 0, Noelle Sua-Godinet 5, Kalina Obrey 16, Kaylee-Brooke Manuel 0, Kalista Kahoekapu 0
3-point goals: Mililani none, Kamehameha 2 (Marfil, Feary).
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