Kamehameha had the will.
Sidwell Friends had everything else. The Quakers used their height, length and aggressive man-to-man defense to stifle Kamehameha 70-40 in the opening round of the ‘Iolani Prep Classic girls tournament on Thursday afternoon.
Sophomore Jordyn Jackson, a 6-foot-1 guard, was fantastic on both ends of the floor. She finished with 18 points while playing stellar defense.
“We’ve been working hard on defense and it’s coming along,” Quakers coach Tamika Dudley said. “I’m actually happy about that.”
It was already a 30-point game in the third quarter when Jackson dove for a loose ball in traffic on Kamehameha’s side of the court. Her steal lead to a transition bucket for Sidwell Friends. The team from Maryland landed in Honolulu the day before the tournament.
“I’m actually really tired. It was a long flight and a long two days. We had a layover,” Jackson said.
Kendall Dudley added 17 points and Zania Socka chipped in 10 for the Quakers.
Sophomore center Nihoa Dunn paced Kamehameha with 11 points. Reserve guard Leia Mata scored all eight of her points in the fourth quarter.
The visitors are ranked No. 5 nationally by MaxPreps. It begins with coach Dudley — tough-nosed man defense, patient motion offense, high-quality shot selection. There was no way they would overlook the Warriors.
“We treat every opponent like a quality opponent. We don’t take anybody lightly,” Coach Dudley said. “We’re here to compete.”
Kamehameha came into the Classic 6-0 after a stunning 57-50 win over Arizona powerhouse Hamilton over the weekend.
“We’re disciplined and our work ethic doesn’t vary on whether a team is up to our standard or not. I’m going to work hard,” Jackson said.
Unlike other mainland teams that have played on Oahu and the Big Island in preseason, Sidwell Friends doesn’t rely on zone defense.
“We want to win games, but also we have to prepare our players for the next level,” Dudley said. “It’s really important to me that they understand that. We do play some zone, but not often.”
Clovis West (Calif.) 75, Kahuku 46
Athena Tomlinson drilled three treys and finished with 20 points to lead the Golden Eagles. Keegan Medeiros added 12 points.
Clovis West will play Sidwell Friends (Md.) today in a 6:30 p.m. semifinal.
Tu’ua Cravens and Makana Kamakeeaina scored 12 points each for the Lady Raiders (2-5), ranked seventh in the Star-Advertiser Top 10.
No. 1 ‘Iolani 72, Kailua 15
Kanoe Hanohano scored 11 points to lead a balanced Raiders attack.
Mia Frye added nine points, while Justice Kekauoha and Mele Sake chipped in eight apiece for the No. 1 team in Hawaii.
Kiani Ho‘olulu led the Surfriders with eight points.
Sierra Canyon (Calif.) 70, No. 6 Campbell 21
Izela Arenas pumped in 22 points, Jerzy Robinson scored 21 and Mac Rudolph tallied 18 as the nationally ranked Trailblazers advanced to the semifinal round, where they will meet host ‘Iolani at 8 tonight.
Tehani Doctor led the Lady Sabers (3-3) with 10 points.
