Kahuku knew the danger associated with Mililani marksman Trey Lieb.
The Trojan still had the game of his life on Tuesday, raining in six 3-pointers and finishing with 27 points as No. 6 Mililani raced to a 66-56 semifinal win at Moanalua gym.
Mililani (13-1 overall), the top seed from the OIA West, will battle No. 4 Kailua, the top seed from the East, for the league’s Division I championship tonight at Moanalua. No. 7 Kahuku (11-2) will play Roosevelt for third place.
Mililani was at a slower pace during a quarterfinal win against Campbell’s zone defense on Monday, but on Tuesday, before a crowd of about 500, it was full-tilt uptempo basketball.
“We struggled at points rebounding because they’re tough and solid with that, but we played one of our better games,” Mililani coach Garrett Gabriel said. “We got to the basket, hit some big 3s, Trey was hot in the first half, so that kind of carried us. Late in the game, we’ve got to be able to finish our free throws. We missed too many 1-and-1s, but overall I’m just glad we pulled it out.”
Lieb and Kahuku’s leading scorer, Amari Westmoreland-Vendiola, played together for a mainland club team in a California tournament last fall. It was Westmoreland-Vendiola who recommended Lieb to the club’s coach, but Mililani’s quick transition game and sharp ball movement put pressure on Kahuku’s man-to-man defense all night.
Lieb was on fire in the first half, connecting on five of his seven tries from the arc. His fifth trey, an NBA-distance bomb to beat the halftime buzzer, opened Mililani’s lead to 41-26.
“The first shot is a big key for me. If I make that, I’m feeling good,” said Lieb, a senior guard.
Kahuku, of course, did not surrender. Westmoreland-Vendiola (20 points, eight rebounds) splashed a 3 off a crossover to bring Big Red within 44-39. With Lieb picking up his third foul during the third quarter, the Trojans appeared to be in trouble.
Instead, they regrouped and went on an 11-4 run to close the third stanza. Lieb scored on a tough lefty layup and later sank two foul shots. After Creighton Ofsonka hustled for a putback with one second left, Mililani had a 55-43 lead.
The momentum carried into the final quarter. Lieb and Dylan Flanders hit back-to-back treys from the left corner, and after Lieb fed Ofsonka for a layup, the Trojans had their biggest lead, 63-44.
Kahuku made one final run, scoring the next 10 points. But after Westmoreland-Vendiola lost the ball on a drive and Ben Holakeituai missed two foul shots — the second was ruled a lane violation — their run was done.
Flanders made two of his four free-throw tries in the final 39.2 seconds, and elusive point guard Jayden Kipapa sank a foul shot for the final 10-point cushion.
Daniel Kaio scored 19 points for Kahuku.
