Hilo's Aaliyah Pana puts up a shot against Leilehua. Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 1 of 3

Hilo's Faith Loeak and Leilehua's Victoria Wright battle for a rebound. Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 2 of 3

Hilo's Alexis Pana puts up a shot in the paint against Leilehua. Greg Yamamoto | SL

Purchase image 3 of 3

Fri, Feb 7, 2014 @ McKinley

---

Leilehua

34

Hilo

62

Final	1	2	3	4
Leilehua (11-2, 14-6)	9	12	2	11	34
Hilo (11-2, 19-7)	26	11	17	8	62

Ali. Pana 16 pts  1 3pm

T. Reyher 9 pts  3 3pm

After seeing an eight-game win streak snapped Saturday, Hilo was determined to rebound with a strong showing in Friday's opening round of states.

Led by the sister act of Aaliyah and Alexis Pana, who combined for 30 points, Hilo dominated Leilehua, 62-34, in a first-round game of the Hawaiian Airlines/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division I Girls Basketball State Championships at McKinley's Student Council Gymnasium.

The Vikings, who are ranked seventh in the ScoringLive/OC16 Power Rankings, shot better than 52 percent from the field and improved to 12-2 on the year. They rebounded from a one-point loss to Konawaena in the Big Island Interscholastic Federation title game last Saturday and will play fourth-seed Roosevelt in a quarterfinal Saturday.

"This was a good game for us tonight," Hilo coach Ben Pana said. "Leilehua had a great season from what I understand. Our girls came out to play, which was nice to see after we lost to Konawaena on Saturday. It was real nice to see their attitude that they're still hungry to keep playing in the state tournament."

The sisters — who are the coach's daughters — made 10 of the Vikings' 23 field goals, including all four of 3-pointers. Aaliyah, a sophomore forward, scored 12 of her 16 points in the first half and Alexis, a sophomore guard, added 12 points. Sophomore guard Sharlei Graham-Bernisto chipped in 10 points.

"She played exactly how we wanted her to play," Ben Pana said of Aaliyah. "She was a leader on the floor and when she's composed, the rest of the team usually follows suit so that was nice to see."

Hilo jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead to start the game and closed out the first quarter on an 11-3 run to start the second quarter with a 26-9 advantage. Leilehua used an 8-0 run in the final 65 seconds of the second quarter and trailed by 16 at halftime.

"In the second quarter, because of that big lead that we had, we tried to get everybody some experience of playing in a state tournament against some really good competition, so our freshmen and sophomores we brought up from JV got some quality time in the game tonight," said Ben Pana, who used all 14 of his available players in the game. 

The Vikings opened the third quarter with a 10-0 run and didn't allow the Mules to score until there was just 1:15 left in the period. It was the only points scored by Leilehua in the quarter.

"They're going to shoot that 3, they're going to penetrate on you and if you stop the gaps — which is what we were trying to do — they're kicking it out and hitting the outside shots," Mules' coach Elroy Dumlao said. "I mean, that's a well-oiled machine right there in all aspects. Great job by that side."

Hilo led by as many as 26 points following a 3-pointer by Alexis Pana with 2:22 left in the third quarter and was up 54-23 after three quarters.

"We wanted to start the third quarter how we started the game," Aaliyah Pana said. "We were just trying to work on our weaknesses and get back on track."

The Vikings won the turnover battle, 29 to 15, and held the Mules to just 35.4 percent (11 of 31) shooting from the field.

Leilehua played without starters Tywanna Abbott and Je'Kethia Brown for undisclosed reasons. Neither player was suited up.

Tiffany Reyher had a team-high nine points — all coming on first-half 3-pointers — to lead Leilehua, which ends its season at 11-3.

Hilo and Roosevelt will play in at 5 p.m. in the middle game of a tripleheader at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center Saturday.

"I expect that to be a good game," Ben Pana said of the matchup with the Oahu Interscholastic Association-champion Rough Riders. "I got to see the game against Mililani and from watching that game, they kind of have that same style that we do with aggressive, athletic kids that just come out to play. We're just going to have to play a complete, perfect game."

That game will follow a 3 p.m. quarterfinal between third-seeded Punahou and King Kekaulike, which beat Moanalua 54-51 in a first-round game Friday. The nightcap will be the Division II state final between Honokaa and Kamehameha-Hawaii.