Big first quarter helps Kaiser rout Castle, improve to 5-0 in league play

Greg Yamamoto | SL

Kaiser jumped out to double digit lead in the opening quarter and never looked back in a 49-22 home victory over Castle, improving to 5-0 in East play and keeping pace with Moanalua (6-0) as the only two unbeaten teams in the division.

"It's good for us because we only got so much of us, so we just got to stay confident and positive," said Kaiser's Alexus Maae of the win.

The Cougars pressed the Knights for much of the first period, forcing turnovers and converting them in transition, racing out to a 22-7 advantage.

"We always start like that," said Maae of the full court pressure applied. "We always start with a press, just get the adrenaline going and try and build a lead."

Maae outscored the Knights single-handedly, leading all scorers with 23 points. She added seven rebounds and nine steals to her tally as well.

The second quarter slowed after Kaiser dialed back much of the pressure applied in the first eight minutes, but Castle clearly adjusted defensively as well, with only eight points scored in total between the two teams in the period.

Castle scored first to open the third as well, as Kaiser ran nearly 2 minutes of clock trying to initate in the offensive half without Maae, then saw the Knights race the other way and get a bucket from Kaila Chun-Carvalho plus the foul. Whether by design or because of the momentum swing, Maae checked in right then and there.

Maae vouched for the former.

"It just happened that way," she said.

Kaiser didn't necessarily let off the gas, but the pace of the game definitely swung more Castle's way in the final two periods, and in particular the fourth period, when the Knights were outscored on the scoreboard 10-7, but the spark and effort on court was evident, in particular the play of Malia Tini and Chun-Carvalho, who had seven points in the contest, all in the second half.

"She's only a freshman," said Castle head coach Wendell Domingo of Tini, who finished with six points and a game-high 16 rebounds. "We actually have a young team and for her, I think she's finally coming out of her shell."

Senior guard Jamie Kimura aadded 11 points, four assists and six steals for the Cougars, Tendee Kahunahana added five points, four rebounds, four steals and three assists and Kealisha Kalni five points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Kaiser collected a total of 24 steals in the game to just six for the Knights.