---

In a landmark victory for Hawai'i girls basketball, Dawnyelle Awa scored a game-high 21 points and Konawaena overcame an 11-point halftime deficit yesterday to stun Incarnate Word (St. Louis, Mo.), 52-45, in the opening round of the 'Iolani Prep Classic.

Incarnate Word won Missouri's state championship last season and was ranked No. 10 in the nation by ESPN Rise after finishing the season at 30-1.

Konawaena, Hawai'i's defending state runner-up, faces an even bigger challenge in tonight's semifinals when it takes on No. 2 Brea (Calif.) Olinda at 6:30.

"At halftime, I told our girls we didn't come here just to have fun, we came to play our best basketball and win," Wildcats coach Bobbie Awa said. "We picked up our defensive intensity -- we went to a trapping zone -- and we focused on finishing our layups."

Konawaena missed several inside opportunities in the final minutes of the first half, and the Red Knights capitalized with an 11-0 run to end the second period and take a 27-16 lead into the locker room.

Brittany Carter opened the second half with a jumper to make it 29-16, but Awa answered with a 17-foot swish and then followed with a 3-pointer from the right wing to spark a 12-0 run. She later scored on a layup and then hit two free throws to put the Wildcats up, 32-30, with 1:53 remaining in the third quarter.

"Our defensive intensity was higher (after halftime)," said Awa, a 5-foot-8 junior All-State point guard. "(The Red Knights) were taller, but they weren't as fast."

Sam Savio scored on a putback with four seconds left to give Incarnate Word a 35-34 lead heading into the fourth period, but Awa scored on a fast-break layup to ignite Konawaena's 9-0 run to start the fourth.

After Illinois State-bound center Brianna Puni's putback closed it to 43-39 with 3:45 remaining, Misilosa U'ulopa answered with her own putback and then hit a short bank shot to start the Wildcats on an 8-0 surge to effectively seal the game.

"I thought we didn't take care of the ball well enough in the second half, we didn't adjust to their defensive pressure," Red Knights coach Dan Rolfes said. "(Dawnyelle Awa) had a good first half, and yet we'd still leave her open and she hit some shots that really changed the momentum."

Rolfes said Konawaena "definitely would be one of the better teams in our conference" back in Missouri.

Lia Galdeira added 10 points for the Wildcats. Rita Flynn led Incarnate Word with 15 points and Carter, who has made a commitment to play for Ball State, added 10 points.

> Konawaena-Incarnate Word game summary and stats


Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) 50, 'Iolani 41

The Monarchs jumped out to an 11-0 lead and then held off the Raiders in the second half to advance to tonight's 8 o'clock semifinal vs. Memphis (Tenn.) Central.

Archbishop Mitty, coming off a 26-6 season, will face No. 6-ranked Memphis (Tenn.) Central in tonight's 8 o'clock semifinal.

'Iolani will face Tsinghua (Beijing) in a 5 p.m. consolation bracket game.

Kylie Maeda's 3-pointer helped the Raiders close it to 16-9 at the end of the first period, and her three-point play tied it at 20-20 midway through the second quarter.

'Iolani later took a 26-25 lead after Saphyre Rezentes' layup early in the third period, but the Monarchs closed out the quarter with a 9-2 run and extended the lead to 43-30 midway through the fourth.

The Raiders rallied back and closed it to 45-41 on a 3-pointer by Rezentes with 1:23 remaining, but Archbishop Mitty sank 5 of 10 free throws in the final 1:15 to seal the victory.

Ashley Watson scored 12 points and Desiree Sanchez added 10 points for the Monarchs. Rezentes finished with a game-high 13 points and Maeda added 12 points for 'Iolani.

> 'Iolani-Archbishop Mitty game summary and stats


Brea (Calif.) Olinda 72, Farrington 24

The Ladycats opened up with a 17-2 first quarter lead and never looked back.

Brea Olinda was led by Justine Hartman (14 points) and Keitra Wallace (13 points).

Brydgette Tatupu-Leopoldo led the Govs with 14 points.
Farrington faces Incarnate Word in today's 3:30 p.m. consolation bracket opener.

> Brea Olinda-Farrington game summary and stats


Memphis (Tenn.) Central 65, Tsinghua (Beijing) 30

Danielle Ballard scored 20 points and Aaliyah Whiteside added 14 for the Lady Warriors, who are ranked No. 6 in ESPN Rise.

Rong Wang led Tsinghua with 12 points.

> Memphis Central-Tsinghua game summary and stats