Tamamoko Green puts up a shot as Kahuku passes Moanalua Wednesday night on Moanalua's home court. Greg Yamamoto | SL

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012115_KahuMoa1621.jpg - Greg Yamamoto | SL

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SALT LAKE— Three players score in double figures as Kahuku powered past Moanalua, 56-44 at Moanalua's gymnasium on Wednesday night. Denhym Brooke scored a team-high 17 points, Samuta Avea scored 14 points, blocked three shots, and Hyrum Harris added 11 points and 16 rebounds.

The Red Raiders improve to 5-1 in the Oahu Interscholastic Association East standings, while the Na Menehune drop to 4-2. Moanalua, Kailua, and Kaiser are currently tied for third in the standings.

"It was a big win," said Harris. "It was an away game at their home gym with a loud crowd, so it was good to get the win."

"We're close, the last three or four practices, we've been getting better. We're almost there but we almost let down, but we're getting there. We need a couple more weeks of practice, we only had two practices with our entire squad this whole year," said fist-year Kahuku coach Alan Akina.

Kahuku took a 10-0 lead after Brooke's reverse layup. The Na Menehune responded and went on a 9-2 run after the timeout, Kyrie McRaven's field goal in the paint made it 10-9. The Red Raiders then went on a 6-0 run and Brooke drove through the middle and flushed a two-handed jam before the buzzer.

"We got out to a 10-0 lead and this was a new lineup for us the first time we had Tama Green start. What that does is allows us to get in a normal rotation— we can put Keanu at the two, Samuta at the three, it allows us to spread the floor and we got the two bigs inside," said Akina.

The Red Raiders extended the lead to double-digits, 25-15 after a layup from Brooke. Brooke threw down his second dunk of the game and Avea's steal and layup gave Kahuku a 31-18 lead going into halftime.

"We played hard and hustled, we tried to get steals and tips so other guys can get the loose ball. We just run and when we get that fast break and just run it," said Brooke.

The Red Raiders defense forced about 17 Moanalua turnovers for the game and they turned defense into offense in transition.

"My expectation was we would be able to wear them down a bit, but that wasn't the case at all. They are terrific in transition and on a score, they would get it out quick and push it. When they get a head of steam, they're tough to stop," said Moanalua coach Byron Mello.

Kahuku opened the third on a 7-2 run after Keanu Akina hit a 3-pointer, to make it 38-21. The Red Raiders took eventually took a 44-30 lead going into the fourth.

"We were told to go hard and if we don't, we don't play," said Harris. "We have been working on our defense at practice and we're glad it's improving throughout the season."

The Red Raiders led by as much as 22 points in the fourth, but Moanalua battled back as McRaven scored 8 of his 23 points in the quarter. A 3-pointer from James Wilkins made it 54-44 with 42.7 seconds remaining, prompting Kahuku to put their starters back in to finish the game.

"That big guy (McRaven) was a beast and they had some good, nice guards and coach Mello is doing a good job with them. When you come in here, it's not a cake walk, you have to come here and battle to get that win," said Akina.

"He did, he didn't shy away from that kind of stuff," said Mello, on McRaven. "He plays better when there's a little better when there's contact around the rim. We need to get more productivity from our perimeter guys and I think if they can hit some shots. We need to be more balanced offensively, I think this was the first game we struggled offensively and that was due in part to Kahuku's length, athleticism and size.

Eric Miyauchi scored 10 points and Wilkins added nine for the Na Menehune.

Kahuku plays at Kailua (4-2) on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. while Moanalua plays at Roosevelt (3-3) on the same night and same time.