Brandon Ching | ScoringLive
November 15, 2019, 9:32pm
Kamehameha rallies to roll Lahainaluna
Noelle Sua-Godinet puts up a shot in the paint against the Lunas. Brandon Ching | ScoringLiveKAKAAKO—Kamehameha trailed most of the first half but turned it on in the second to defeat Lahainaluna, 44-27 in the Matsumoto Law Group McKinley Black & Gold Classic Friday.
It was a rematch of the state tournament quarterfinals on the same floor and the Warriors prevailed again with a 17 point victory.
Camille Feary led all scorers with 13 points, Haley Masaki added11 and Noelle Sua-Godinet with 10 for the Warriors. The three players plus Malie Marfil (five points) and Esther Naum look to provide leadership presence after losing All-Hawaii Division I Player of the Year Kalina Obrey to graduation.
"They're coming along really well. It's all because of the leadership. We lost a big piece in Kalina but we have four very experienced seniors. They're really good leaders," Kamehameha coach Pua Straight said.
Lahainaluna opens their 2019 campaign without Susi Namoa, who graduated last year. Abigail Akamine hit two 3-pointers to lead the Lunas with eight and Piper Pascua added seven and Kiera Kaniho with five to round out the top scorers.
The Lunas led by as much as nine in the second quarter and Kamehameha could not get a basket to fall. Masaki made two free throws at the 2:45 mark for the Warriors' first points and scored the next 10 to trail, 20-18 at halftime.
"I think it gave us a little bit of momentum," Straight said of the late run. "It's the first time we've been tested. We're down in terms of girls so scrimmaging in practice has been hard to accomplish so it was the first time we were tested. It took us a couple punches before we can punch back."
Kamehameha took the lead on Marfil's 3-pointer, 21-20 and never looked back.
"After we said Imua going into the second half, I heard Haley (Masaki) say, ‘The second half is our half.' I see a lot of good leadership and that's going to be the key on how they will perform. We can only tell them to do so much. They're the ones playing and they're stepping up to fill those roles," Straight said.
The Lunas were scoreless from the field until Kaniho split a pair of free throws for their first points in the quarter, but Kamehameha outscored Lahainaluna, 17 to 4 in the third.
Kamehameha outscored the Lunas, 26 to 7 in the second half.
"They (Lahainaluna) run a lot of off ball screens. In the first half we were getting mixed up if we were switching or staying. They were able to communicate and rotate better on defense," Straight said of the second half adjustments.
The Warriors take on Konawaena (2-1) at 5:30 p.m. while the Lunas face Maryknoll at 1 p.m. on the final day of the Classic.
