Kahuku retains OIA Division I girls basketball title

CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM
Kahuku’s Maya Claytor drained one of her five 3-pointers during Wednesday’s win over Moanalua.

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CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM

Kahuku’s Maya Claytor drained one of her five 3-pointers during Wednesday’s win over Moanalua.

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CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM

Kahuku’s Leiah Naeata, left, and Moanalua’s Tiare Quijano went to the floor in a scramble for a loose ball during the OIA Division I girls basketball championship game on Wednesday at Radford.

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A little bumping, a little bruising and a lot of splashing.

Kahuku put its rock-solid rebounding force to work again, and Maya Claytor connected on five 3-pointers as the Lady Raiders dominated Moanalua 47-27 on Wednesday to capture the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I championship.

A raucous crowd at James Alegre Gymnasium saw Kahuku (17-7) go unbeaten through league play, using a 26-0 run from the late first quarter to late third quarter. That turned a three-point lead into a 36-7 cushion against Moanalua’s sticky 2-3 zone. Kahuku repeated as league champion after going without a title since 2005 when Wendy Anae was coach.

Claytor finished with 18 points, hitting five of 10 from beyond the arc. Leiah Naeata was everywhere with nine points, nine rebounds, three steals and two assists. Coach Latoya Wily deferred to her leaders, Naeata and Claytor, on this question: Did Kahuku execute perfectly?

>> Photo Gallery: Girls basketball: Kahuku vs. Moanalua

“No,” they said in unison.

“But we’re grateful. It’s always going to be like that,” Wily said. “We had a lot of missed layups. As long as we’re not trailing, we’ll take it.”

Kahuku had a bull’s-eye target when preseason began, struggled through tough matchups, and caught its stride in league play.

“I think for us, last year we felt like we had nothing to lose, and it was all-out hard play,” Naeata said. “This year, we had to prove something to the state.”

Claytor proved to be the zone-buster.

“I didn’t care who scored the points. As long as we’re ahead at the end of the game, it doesn’t matter,” she said.

Tati Kamae was a difference maker, too, with nine rebounds, five assists and four points. In all, five Lady Raiders had at least five rebounds, including Kalamela Liua, Mary Fonoimoana and Trisha Faumuina. As they did in a semifinal win over Mililani, Kahuku amassed more than double its opponent’s rebound total. This time, it was 43-20, and the Lady Raiders hustled for 19 offensive rebounds.

Moanalua shot 5-for-32 from the field, including 3-for-13 from the arc.

“It’s back to the drawing board tomorrow,” Na Menehune coach Kirk Ronolo said. “We’ve got to reassess. We got outcompeted tonight.”

Moanalua will begin play in the state tourney on Monday.