Nanakuli's Ciera O'Brien puts up the game-winning shot in the dying seconds to beat Farrington. Steve Erler | Special to SL

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Sat, Jan 31, 2015 @ Nanakuli

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Farrington

55

Nanakuli

57

Final	1	2	3	4
Farrington (10-4, 10-5)	18	11	11	15	55
Nanakuli (10-3, 10-5)	12	17	8	20	57

• Points
• Rebounds
• Assists

C. O'Brien 24 pts  2 3pm  4/6 FTs

M. Heimuli 12 pts  2/5 FTs

J. Marfil 12 tot

M. Heimuli 13 tot

C. O'Brien 1 ast

M. Heimuli 1 ast

NANAKULI — Ciera O'Brien hit a running banker in the lane as time expired to lift Nanakuli to a 57-55 win over visiting Farrington at Hugh Taufaasau Court Saturday night.

The win improved the Golden Hawks to 9-2 on the season and puts them into the semifinals of the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I Girls Basketball Tournament. It also secured a spot in the 12-team state tournament, which gets underway next week.

O'Brien's game-winner completed a unlikely comeback for Nanakuli, who trailed Farrington throughout the game and by as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter.

"They can handle the pressure," Golden Hawks' coach Randy Kauhane said of his team. "They've been in a couple of close games that they pulled off and they can handle the pressure. They played team ball tonight that we're trying to teach."

Kauhane called a timeout with 11.6 seconds left on the clock with his team holding possession. He said there was little hesitation to put the ball in O'Brien's hands for the final shot.

"Got to. She's money," Kauhane said. "(O'Brien) is money in the clutch. We could have gone to any of the girls on the court, we believed, and we chose to go to her."

O'Brien received the entry pass near mid court and dribbled off a few seconds before attacking the paint and throwing up a 12-footer that banked in just before the final buzzer.

"We just wanted to run the time down and get a lucky shot, push everybody down so that I'm isolated and then just go in and try and score," said O'Brien, who finished with a season-high 24 points.

Nanakuli chipped away at the Farrington lead over the last few minutes of the game. They trailed 53-42 following a Lokelani Pacheco basket with 3:22 to play, but got back-to-back 3-pointers from Jahnna Kahele-Madali and O'Brien to a five-point game.

O'Brien hit a jumper to cut the Govs' lead to just three, but Jazmayne Williams sank a pair of free throws to put Farrington back up by five at 55-50.

However, Farrington's standout post, Molimau Heimuli, fouled out shortly thereafter and left the game with 1:11 to play. She finished with 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Williams added 12 points with nine rebounds, Allani Talapu had 11 points and Pacheco 10.

"Luckily the big girl fouled out," O'Brien said of Heimuli. "It would have been a different story if she was still in, so we just got lucky with that."

Nanakuli's Jade Marfil drew the foul against Heimuli on a made basket, but missed the ensuing free throw. O'Brien hit the back of two free throws to pull the Golden Hawks within 55-53 and Marfil tied it with a layup on their next possession.

Farrington had a chance to reclaim the lead with Williams at the line, but she missed the front end of a 1-and-1 and O'Brien pulled down the rebound before Kauhane called for a timeout to set-up the winning play.

"That's how we play almost every game," Kauhane said. "We're a disciplined, hard-working team; that's what we pride ourselves on and hard work is in the fourth quarter. We say we like to beat everybody in the fourth quarter. We don't want it that close, but a win is a win and I'll take it any way that I can."

The game was tied at 29 at halftime.

O'Brien scored 12 of Nanakuli's 20 fourth-quarter points. Marfil pulled down seven of her team-high 12 boards in the final period.

Tianna Hanohano finished with 16 points, including 11 in the second quarter, for the Golden Hawks, who had a first-round bye after finishing second in the Western Division. They have now won four straight games and eight of their last nine.

Farrington, the East third seed, saw their five-game winning streak snapped to fall to 10-3 and will play Leilehua in a consolation semifinal Tuesday.

Govs' coach Steven Leopoldo spoke candidly about the officiating after the game.

"The refs killed us tonight. Simple. I don't know why, but every game is like this," said Leopoldo, who was unhappy with the foul call that sent ended Heimuli's night. "That was real tough. She never even touch them. I cannot believe that call. All night had girls going over our backs and no fouls, nothing."

Nanakuli will face East champion Roosevelt in a 5:30 p.m. semifinal Tuesday at McKinley's Student Council Gymnasium.