When the ‘Iolani Raiders sense opportunity, they always go for the jugular.
Closing in on a first-place finish in the regular season — and a potential, automatic state-tournament berth — the Raiders got 21 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals from senior Jovi Lefotu in a 53-37 runaway win over No. 3-ranked Punahou.
Top-ranked ‘Iolani improved to 6-0 in ILH play (9-2 overall) and clinched that state berth. Sophomore Jaety Mandaquit added nine points and four steals, sparking a pesky, persistent Raiders defense. The home team used a three-quarter press and tough halfcourt man-to-man to wear down the visitors.
Lefotu, who signed with Hawaii before the season, was very assertive on both ends of the floor.
“I asked her to be aggressive not just offensively, but vocally,” Raiders coach Dean Young said. “She did that by attacking and sharing the ball, and on defense, too. This was possibly our best effort on defense. I liked our commitment to the press when we ran it.”
Laynee Torres-Kahapea led Punahou with 18 points, three rebounds and three steals. The Buffanblu have lost two in a row since guard Shania Moananu suffered a season-ending knee injury. Punahou is now 4-4 in league play (6-4 overall).
“We have to reestablish our character every day. The final score doesn’t reflect the energy our team played with today,” Buffanblu coach Gary Pacarro said.
Punahou didn’t go with its usual high-energy full-court press.
“ ‘Iolani is not the kind of team you can press. They’re so talented, so unselfish. It’s a testament to Coach Dean and his crew,” Pacarro added. “Our girls keep battling. Now we have a big one on Saturday.”
Punahou visits Kamehameha on Saturday afternoon.
The Raiders raced to a 5-0 lead behind their press, forcing nine turnovers by Punahou in the opening quarter.
After two treys by Mandaquit, ‘Iolani led 17-5.
By the end of the first half, ‘Iolani had a 27-15 lead, and then extended it to 43-19 after a fast-break layup by Callie Pieper late in the third quarter.
Punahou chipped away and reduced the margin in the fourth quarter behind Torres-Kahapea, who scored nine points in the final eight minutes.
