The nationally ranked Mater Dei Monarchs couldn’t beat ‘Iolani at its game.
So the Monarchs stuck with theirs. The towering team from Santa Ana, Calif., got the go-ahead bucket on a back-door pass from Meaali‘i Amosa to Ayana Johnson with 2:26 left and hung on for a 60-57 win over Hawaii’s top-ranked team in the semifinal round of the ‘Iolani Classic on Friday night.
“We basically outscored them. We couldn’t stop them,” Mater Dei coach Kevin Kiernan said. “If we played five more minutes, we might not have won. They do a great job of running their offense. We really never could get in a rhythm defensively. I give the credit all to them. They’re a very good team. We knew that coming in. We knew it would be a tough game.”
Down 58-57, the Raiders had their chances, but missed on a long 3 and turned the ball over on a drive-and-kick. Stanford commit Brooke Demetre then hit a tough turnaround jumper in the paint, the only second-half points for the talented 6-foot-3 sharpshooter.
Instead of fouling, ‘Iolani played the shot clock down three points in the final minute. Alexis Huntimer blocked a layup try by Mater Dei point guard Caia Elisandez. The Raiders opted to play in transition rather than call timeout in the final 15 seconds, and Lily Wahinekapu (14 points) lost the ball on a drive to the basket. Mater Dei got the ball back with 2.1 seconds left and ran out the clock on the ensuing inbounds pass to Demetre.
It would have been ‘Iolani’s first trip to the championship game since the girls tourney began in 2007.
“Outstanding. The effort, the teamwork, outstanding. The girls played their hearts out. That’s all you can ask for,” Raiders coach Dean Young said.
His team trailed 41-33 in the third quarter.
“They’re so big, it’s hard for us to get to the rim, but we were able to break some of their girls down and get some open looks,” Young said. “They got girls that we just can’t physically stop.”
Ayana Johnson added 13 points and nine rebounds for Mater Dei, which will face St. Mary’s (Stockton, Calif.) in the final. Demetre, who is only a junior, finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. Anna Bradley scored all nine of her points on 3-pointers in the opening quarter.
It was a wild shootout in the first eight minutes as Bradley and ‘Iolani’s Jovi Lefotu took turns hitting treys from long distance. Lefotu made three from long range in the opening quarter and finished with 17 points. Huntimer added nine.
St. Mary’s (Calif.) 62, South Medford (Ore.) 45
In the other semifinal, Amaya Oliver did it again, scoring 23 points as the Rams played tough defense to slow the speedy Panthers. Freshman Nia Anderson added 12 points, including three 3-pointers, and senior Monique Vasquez added 11 points. Kaili Chamberlin led the cold-shooting Panthers with 11 points.
Oliver, whose offers include Fresno State and St. John’s, was electric, crashing the boards and using her athleticism to make plays on both ends. She is averaging 22 points per game in the Classic.
The Rams were ice-cold early on and relied on their 2-2-1 press to slow down the Panthers.
After freshman Nia Anderson sank back-to-back treys, including one off the glass, St. Mary’s led 21-12 with 6 minutes to go in the first half. They opened the lead to 13 points before intermission.
Consolation
No. 2 Konawaena 66, No. 8 Kahuku 40
Kaliana Salazar-Harrell poured in 28 points, including 7-for-9 from 3-point range, and five steals for the Wildcats. Freshman Braelyn Kauhi added 19 points, including 5-for-8 from the arc. Kauhi also dished four assists, all in the first half.
The Wildcats shot lights-out from the start, opening a 10-0 lead and a 26-point margin (46-20) by halftime. They shot 9-for-12 from the arc in the first 16 minutes. In the opening period, they were 4-for-7 with two treys by Salazar-Harrell and one each by Grace Hing and Braelyn Kauhi. In the second quarter, Kauhi got hot and hit all three of her long-range shots, and Salazar-Harrell hit two more. Konawaena was 5-for-5 from the arc in the second quarter.
Konawaena cooled off in the second half but led 55-29 after three stanzas. The Wildcats finished the game 12-for-20 from the arc.
Caiyle Kaupu finished with seven points and seven rebounds, plus three blocks and three assists.
Maya Claytor led the Lady Raiders with 12 points, shooting 3-for-8 from the 3-point line. Leiah Naeata added seven points and seven boards, and Trisha Faumina had seven and four.
No. 3 Kamehameha 63, Radford 27
Camille Feary splashed six 3-pointers and led the Warriors (6-3 overall) with 23 points. Maddison Mangalao added nine. Kailani Tenorio paced Radford with eight points. The Lady Rams currently share first place in the OIA West at 2-0 (5-4 overall).
Kamehameha led 32-13 at the half.
