Kamehameha junior D'awncey Jones-Black works the ball against Punahou Monday afternoon. Michael Lasquero | SL

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Mon, Jan 29, 2018 @ Kamehameha

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Punahou

0

Kamehameha

2

Final	1st	2nd	OT	2OT	PK	Tot
Punahou (8-4-2)	0	0	-	-	-	0
Kamehameha (14-2-1)	0	2	-	-	-	2

S. Cain (56')   D. Jones-Black (42')

KAPALAMA HEIGHTS — Kamehameha put together its best performance of the season and the result was its first league crown in five seasons.

D'awncey Jones-Black scored one goal and assisted on another to lead top-ranked Kamehameha to its first Interscholastic League of Honolulu championship since 2012 with a 2-0 win over No. 4 Punahou at Kunuiakea Stadium Monday afternoon.

The Warriors improved to 12-1-1 with their sixth consecutive victory and their 12th shut out on the year. They will have a seeded berth and a first-round bye in next week's Queen's Medical Center/HHSAA Division I Girls Soccer State Championships at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Complex.

"It feels really good, I'm not going to lie," Kamehameha coach Melissa Moore said. "We really just didn't want to play another game before states, to be honest with you. We didn't want to risk getting injuries or anything like that, so to get a win here, especially at home where we haven't particularly played well the entire season, so to play today the way we did was very encouraging."

Jones-Black said the Warriors were dialed in from their pre-game preparations.

"I think it was our self discipline before the game started," Jones-Black said. "We warmed up pretty good. We were focused and we just carried on throughout the whole game."

Kamehameha knocked on the door for much of the first half and had seven shots on goal before halftime, but the teams remained scoreless at the intermission.

Just two minutes into the second half, however, Jones-Black got the Warriors on the board. The junior forward scored her team-leading ninth goal of the season on a combination play with teammate Kylie Minamishin.

"I was just thinking to drive toward the goal and maybe we can get an opportunity from going straight to the goal and it ricocheted back from Kylie and I knew I just had to place it in the upper corner because (Punahou goalkeeper) Hailey (Asato) is good, so I had to catch her off-guard," Jones-Black said.

The Warriors doubled up their lead in the 56th minute when Jones-Black served a cross from the left side in front of the goal, which was flicked in by senior forward Sharon Cain.

"I was at the end line and I knew that I had to drive the ball in to be a quick touch in because Hailey can react very quickly, so I knew I it had to be quick and sharp," Jones-Black said.

Late in the match, goalkeeper Chaylea Tome made a pair of pivotal saves on Buffanblu shots from point blank. She denied Kessinee Pi on a one-on-one look in the 71st minute and punched away a Allison Little shot on goal three minutes later.

Tome played the entire second half and finished with three saves after replacing starter Kendal Stoval, who made one save in the first half.

"She came up big. Those saves were huge," Moore said of Tome.

Moore also had high praise for her defense, which has not allowed a goal since Dec. 21 and has only been scored upon twice this season.

"They're solid," Moore said of the back line comprised of Carley Park, Tausani Tavale, Nicole Wong and Caly Ah Soon. "They work really hard and they work well off of each other. They're just a good group of kids, they just work really hard."

Asato posted nine saves in goal for the Buffanblu.

Kamehameha put 11 shots on goal to Punahou's five.

Moore agreed with Jones-Black's assessment that it was the best 80 minutes the Warriors have put together this season.

"I would say so, definitely," Moore said. "We've had some really good trainings, we've made some adjustments to our tactics and the girls, you know, we worked on it in training and they applied it in the game today. That's all you can ask as a coach."

Conversely, Punahou first-year coach Shelley Izuno said it was not her team's best effort.

"I guess it just really comes down to who wants it more and (Kamehameha) wanted it and the score reflected that, so they did a great job," Izuno said.

Izuno was quick to respond when asked what makes the Warriors' defense formidable.

"Fast. They're fast and athletic," Izuno said. "Speed alone, there's a lot you can do with speed, and they've got it. I mean, everybody on their team has speed, so that's hard to beat. You can have all the skill, you can play well, be a good technical player, but speed is a hard thing to beat."

It was the third meeting between the teams this season. They played to a 1-1 tie at Kamehameha on Dec. 13 and a 1-0 road win for the Warriors on Jan. 5.

The Buffanblu fell to 8-3-2 and will play at No. 5 Iolani at 3:45 p.m. Wednesday in a winner-take-all playoff for the second ILH state tournament berth.