Punahou's Keau Fey puts up a shot in between a pair of King Kekaulike defenders. Evan Asato | SL

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HONOLULU – Strong starts in both halves was the key in Punahou’s big quarterfinal win over King Kekaulike.

Punahou, the third-seeded team in the Hawaiian Airlines/HHSAA Division I Girls Basketball Championships, punched their ticket into the semifinal round with a 62-39 win over King Kekaulike at the Blaisdell Center Saturday afternoon. The Buffanblu move on to take on Mililani at McKinley High School's Student Council Gymnasium on Feb. 14.

“It’s big,” Punahou coach Kevin Velasco said on the win. “Majority of our kids have never been like this; they really don’t understand the magnitude of such a game. For them to get to understand what that’s all about is a huge step for us.”

The lopsided game over shadowed a monster game from King Kekaulike’s Daysa Tavares, who finished with a game-high 17 points. King Kekaulike made their way into the quarterfinal round with a comeback victory over No. 9 Moanalua the day before.

It was a balanced offensive effort as 10 different Punahou players finished in the scoring column. Keaupono Fey and Elle Uyeda led the effort with 10 points each. Fey also added five rebounds and three blocks while Uyeda was a perfect 4-for-4 (2-for-2 from 3-point land) from the field.

“They’re learning to distribute the ball to their teammates and trusting them to score,” Velasco said on their team’s balance. “They’re not selfish.”

Doing a little bit of everything for the Buffanblu was senior guard Hailey Motooka who finished with nine points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals.

“I just think when we’re not (doing well), she kick starts (us),” Velasco said on Motooka. “She comes up with a steal, she comes up with a good basket, she comes up with a good assist; people kind of pick up on that.

“She’s really quiet if you watch, but she does it on the court. That’s what her example is, (and) why I consider her the glue for the team. She just does it and starts a spark for us.”

Punahou also got a strong performance from Astra Kidani coming off the bench. Kidani finished with nine points and five steals.

“I think Astra is coming along,” Velasco said on Kidani. “Astra is learning her role now and I think now she’s feeling comfortable in her role. Defensively she’s all over the place.

“Right now she’s coming off the bench – that’s a plus for us; having somebody that can score and play defense to take some time off and give rest to our starters.”

The Buffanblu were red hot out of the gates early, taking a 31-10 lead after the first quarter. Na Ali’i was able gain some traction in the second quarter to win the period 10-7.

“Never take anyone lightly,” said Velasco. “When they came out in the second quarter and they started to push the game, we got a little rattled.”

Despite the momentum shift, Punahou was able to respond with a resounding third quarter, winning the period 18-4. That would be the knock out punch needed to finally put the game away for good. Punahou was able to play most of their reserves in the fourth quarter to coast to a 23-point victory.