Kamaile Kandiah drives to the basket putting up 9 points pushing Punahou ahead of Kamehemeha in an ILH girls basketball matchup. Peter Caldwell | SL

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Sat, Jan 3, 2015 @ Punahou

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Kamehameha

39

Punahou

59

Final	1	2	3	4
Kamehameha (7-5, 12-6)	21	2	4	12	39
Punahou (9-4, 13-7)	19	18	14	8	59

V. Malufau 16 pts  4/5 FTs

S. Aleki 8 pts  1 3pm  1/2 FTs

No. 4 Punahou used a big second quarter to pull away from No. 8 Kamehameha, 59-39 in an Interscholastic League of Honolulu Division I matchup at Punahou's Hemmeter Fieldhouse on Saturday evening. The Buffanblu improve to 4-0 in the ILH, 5-2 overall, while the Warriors drop to 1-3 in the ILH, 3-3 overall.

Vae Malufau led Punahou with 16 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out three assists, Tyra Moe added 15 points and three blocked shots, and Elle Uyeda scored 11 points and a 3-pointer.

The Buffanblu took an early 7-2 lead after Malufau converted a 3-point play. However, the Warriors went on a 5-0 run to tie the game at 7 after Mikiala Maio sank two free throws and later took the lead after Shantel Aleki hit an elbow jumper prompting Punahou to call a 30 second timeout. Maio nailed another jumper to put Kamehameha ahead, 21-13, but the Buffanblu went on a 6-0 run after Kamaile Kandiah hit a pull up jumper as they trailed 21-19, at the end of the first quarter.

"We have been trying to get our kids to start quicker, but it happens. The second quarter we started to play more aggressive and that helped us and we caught up and took the lead," said Punahou coach Kevin Velasco.

Punahou outscored Kamehameha, 18 to 2 in the second quarter. Aleki scored Kamehameha's only field goal. Moe made a field goal in the paint to tie the game at 23 and from there the Buffanblu scored 16 straight points. She scored 7 of her 15 points in the quarter.

The Buffanblu led 37-23 at halftime.

"They do a good job with their post-to-post, from high to low," said Kamehameha coach Joseph Cho, on Punahou's post play. "We have to pressure the ball and do a whole lot of things, but to me it's confidence and we were confident in the first quarter and that helped. Once you lose the confidence in the offense, you lose the confidence in the defense and obviously that killed us when we lost that confidence."

"The kids understand now and showed them a shot chart where all the shots were made inside and I think they understand when the ball goes in there, that's where it is, if it kicks back out, it gives an opportunity for our guards to shoot. With Tyra and Vae, you have to go inside and play that old-school basketball," said Velasco.

In the third, Punahou jumped out on a 7-0 run after Malufau made a coast-to-coast layup and Kamehameha called a full timeout. The Warriors didn't get their first points until 1:37 left in the quarter after Jewel Paaluhi-Caulk made both free throws. Kamehameha made their first field goal since the second quarter at a little over the 1 minute mark after Nalani-Tearsjah Aipolani-Tuaoi-Tootoo made a jumper. Punahou outscored Kamehameha, 14 to 4. 

"We had to," said Velasco, on turning up the defense. "They have good shooters— Mikiala, Bree Nueku can shoot the ball and we have to make sure we play D or else if we leave them alone, they will bury those shots. They had some great shots by their younger girls."

Aleki led Kamehameha with eight points and made a 3-pointer and Paaluhi-Caulk added seven points and a 3-pointer. The Warriors as a team shot 11 of 12 (91.6 percent) from the free throw line while the Buffanblu shot 15 of 21 (71.4 percent).

Kamehameha will play Punahou again in two weeks from now on Saturday, Jan. 17 at Kekuhaupio Gymnasium.

"Next adjustments, we have to be more physical on their post and hopefully try and have them beat us through the outside and hopefully we make more shots," said Cho.

The Warriors play at Sacred Hearts on Tuesday, Jan. 6 at 6:30 p.m. Punahou travels across the street to play No. 3 Maryknoll (3-0 ILH) in a battle of unbeaten teams on Thursday, Jan. 8 at 6 p.m.

"It's very big and Maryknoll is very tough. The ILH is so tough and you have to prepare and cannot look ahead, if you look ahead, you might get bitten right off the bat. We weren't looking at Maryknoll at all, we were concentrating on Kamehameha. Now we can take a couple days and prepare for them," said Velasco.