Olena Umetsu scored 14 points and Jirah Villanueva tallied 11 as Radford pulled away for a 48-39 win over Kailua on Friday night.
Radford (16-2 overall), the OIA West runner-up, advanced to the semifinals of the Division I playoffs and will meet Kahuku on Monday night at Pearl City gym. The Lady Rams also sealed a berth in the state championships.
Umetsu connected on three of her four 3-pointers in the first half to counter Kailua’s persistent zone defense.
“When I first came here (to Radford), I was nervous with the ball. I could dribble. I had skills, but I didn’t have the confidence. Now, I feel I can shoot the ball with confidence now,” the senior guard said.
The Surfriders stayed close to Radford’s leading scorers, Villanueva and Julissa Bollinger, who combined for six points in the first half. Radford’s crisp ball movement led to open looks for Umetsu, who averages 5 points per game.
“I always knew she had it in her. Olena’s not the same player as when she first got to Radford. She’s a tough cookie now. She’s got ice-cold veins,” Rams coach Charles Chong said. “Her problem was she would take too long to shoot. She was thinking about it too much. I said, get your balance and let it fly. You’re a good shooter. Rely on that. She hit some big shots for us tonight.”
Bollinger’s court vision and playmaking emerged in the second half, when she scored 11 points, She finished with a team-high 15 points, adding seven rebounds for the Lady Rams. Villanueva had four rebounds, three assists and three steals. Shanntay Stroman added nine rebounds.
Radford shot 0-for-10 from the foul line in the first three quarters, then closed 5-for-8 in the final quarter.
Kiani Ho‘olulu led Kailua (15-9 overall) with 15 points. Radford’s matchup defense stayed on the sharpshooter, but she still managed to connect for two treys in the first half. Sarai Maiava chipped in eight points and Myah Galdeira hustled for seven points, 10 rebounds and four steals.
“I feel good about the effort we put in. The girls worked really hard,” Surfriders coach Mandy Llamedo said. “We knew coming in that (Villanueva and Bollinger) have been the leaders of their team. (Umetsu) made some big shots early for them. We have girls who are never satisfied with where they’re at and that’s one of my favorite things about them. Win or lose, they’re always looking at what they could’ve done better.”
Kailua will meet Leilehua on Monday in consolation play. The winner will earn a state-tournament berth.
The road to an OIA championship is rugged with Kahuku awaiting. Radford has put in the work. Twice a week, they’re in the gym with the shooting machine at 5 a.m.
“I think if we just keep on working 100% energy and effort, we can go pretty far,” Villanueva said. “We just got to believe.”
Using a sticky matchup zone, the Surfriders led 9-7 after one quarter and clung to a tiny lead through part of the second quarter. Umetsu splashed back-to-back 3-pointers from the right corner and right wing as the Lady Rams opened a 17-14 lead.
Radford led 19-18 at halftime, a lead that would’ve been larger if not for the struggles of hustling post player Shanntay Stroman at the foul line. Stroman was 0-for-6 from the charity stripe in the first half, but still played a key role with four points on two buckets, grabbing three rebounds.
Villanueva had just two points at the break on 1-for-5 shooting from the field.
Radford opened the lead to six points after another corner 3 by Umetsu and a Euro-step fast-break layup by Bollinger.
Kailua chipped away with three free throws by Ho‘olulu, and after Myah Galdeira went coast-to-coast for a layup in traffic, it was tied at 36 with 3:58 remaining.
The Surfriders then went cold, missing their next three shots and turning the ball over once while Radford went on a 6-0 run. Villanueva splashed a mid-range jumper on a pass from Bollinger, Bollinger scooped up a loose ball and went the distance for another bucket, and Villanueva went coast-to-coast for a layup.
Radford led 42-36 with 41 seconds left.
Kailua got no closer than five points the rest of the way.
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OIA GIRLS
Moanalua 49, Mililani 24
Leading Scorers—Moa: Akaecia Mateo
18, Shailoh Liilii 13. Mil: Brooke Kurasaki 11.
Campbell 50, Pearl City 15
Leading Scorers—Camp: Aliyah Bantolina 13, Tehani Docktor 12.
Also:
McKinley 40, Kapolei 37
Farrington 47, Kalaheo 36
