The aftermath was lovely — lei and hugs for everyone, especially lone senior Jovi Lefotu.
The battle itself was completely merciless as No. 1 ‘Iolani overwhelmed No. 6 Maryknoll 61-39 on Saturday afternoon. ‘Iolani, the top seed, eliminated fourth-place Maryknoll from the playoff tournament, ending the Lady Spartans’ bittersweet season.
Lefotu led the charge with defense and rebounding, leading the fast break, dishing to open teammates and scoring when the opportunities were there. The senior finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, five assists, four steals and one block. She was covered in dozens of lei, including one made of Snickers bars, as ‘Iolani had a special senior night ceremony for their lone 12th grader.
“I’m just overwhelmed by everybody coming out to support. I love it,” Lefotu said. “I love Snickers. That’s my favorite. Thank you everyone that came out today. I’m excited for our games ahead and I’m happy that we got this dub today.”
‘Iolani (13-2 overall) remained unbeaten in league play and will host Punahou on Monday for the tournament title.
“The girls worked hard to prepare and they executed really well today,” Raiders coach Dean Young said. “Sometimes you shoot well and sometimes you don’t. Today, we played well, so I’m proud of them.”
Sophomore Jaety Mandaquit also pumped in 14 points as ‘Iolani’s constant defensive pressure — a press utilized in recent weeks — and perpetual motion offense dominated from the start.
Seniors Taimane Faleafine-Auwae and Lilly Koki led the Spartans. Faleafine-Auwae had 15 points and six rebounds, while Koki tallied 12 points and six boards. The visitors had 13 turnovers.
“We got off to a slow start. We were unable to use our length, not able to use our zone,” Maryknoll coach Tony Ho‘olulu said. “ ‘Iolani is a good team. What they do is they play each game like it’s their last. Dean and Cy (Ohta, assistant coach) did a great job. Their players, families and supporters are all in.”
The Raiders had one of their most efficient shooting performances of the season, hitting 10 of their 20 attempts from the 3-point arc.
Mele Sake opened the game with a post bucket on a pass from Lefotu, who had all five of her assists in the first quarter to set the tone.
“We’re used to playing them. We’ve played them three times already. We knew how they played and we capitalized on what they like to do, get into the post. We came out with a lot of energy, and with a lot of support that we had with the sixth man, the crowd, so it was helpful,” said Lefotu, who signed with Hawaii recently.
After Abby Tanaka scored on the fast break on a pass from Lefotu, Lefotu found Mandaquit in the lefty corner for a 3, and Maryknoll called time out, already down 7-0.
Faleafine-Auwae broke the ice for the visiting Spartans with a three-point play in the lane, cutting the lead to 11-3.
‘Iolani then went on a 25-8 run. Maryknoll, using a 2-3 matchup zone in recent weeks with success, had no choice but to go man to man.
With Tanaka, Paige Oh and Haylie-Anne Ohta splashing 3s, the lead grew to as large as 59-24 on a 3 by reserve Kanoe Hanohano early in the fourth quarter.
Devastated by injuries and protocols earlier in the season, Maryknoll was 0-5 at one point before bouncing back to beat Kamehameha and Punahou in the latter part of the regular season. It was too late, however, to avoid a playoff matchup with the Raiders. When the teams met last week during the regular season, Maryknoll kept it close until the final minutes in a 51-42 home loss. Two days later, on Monday, they met again at Maryknoll, and the Raiders won 48-33.
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Other scores
ILH
Varsity Girls
‘Iolani 61, Maryknoll 39
Mid-Pacific 38, ‘Iolani II 20
Punahou 38, Kamehameha 29
Damien 54, Hanalani 48
Sacred Hearts 45, Hawaii Baptist 23
Varsity Boys
Saint Louis 51, Kamehameha 42
Maryknoll 43, Mid-Pacific 27
BIIF
Varsity Boys
Keaau 47, Kekaulike 18
