Kaiser's Roselynn Shimaura puts up a shot against Moanalua. Tyler Kanoa | University High

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1230122227__MG_8187.jpg - Tyler Kanoa | University High

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Kaiser jumped out to an early lead against Moanalua, then survived a barrage from three-point land in the middle stages to come away with a 42-38 victory at home to keep pace in the OIA Red East.

Chantelle Arce's 8 first-quarter points set the tone for the Cougars (6-1), who led 17-9 heading in to the second period. Arce hit on 2-of-3 attempts from beyond the arc in the period, and the attention she commanded from Moanalua early on certainly helped to create some space on both the perimeter and in the post for her teammates, and in particular forward Micaela Bitanga, who added 6 paint points in the first for the Cougars.

"We have to all play as a team, screen each other so we're all open. I want to get my other teammates involved too." said Arce.

Na Menehune (5-2) countered from the outside midway through the second, as Ciera O'Brien assisted on a trio of triples, with guard Jasmine Sagaysay hitting the first and Ahi Roy swishing through the other two, as Moanalua rallied back to trail by just 4 points heading into the half.

Coming out of the intermission, Moanalua continued to chip away at the margin, led by post Lachae McColor, who hit 3-of-4 field goals in the third quarter good for 8 points, and suddenly the margin was just a single point with one quarter to play.

A low-scoring fourth looked to be equal parts of defense and nerves, with neither team could get going offensively. Kaiser was just 2-of-8 from the field and Moanalua 2-of-7.

McColor pulled Na Menehune to within a point at 39-38, banking home a beautiful jumper off the left block with 1:19 to play, and after Bitanga made just one of two from the line with 31.2 seconds left to extend the lead to just two, Moanalua called timeout to set up a play.

On the ensuing possession, McColor got a pass from the wing and drove baseline before getting cut off with what appeared to be some body contact in the painted area, forcing an errant pass that sailed out of bounds for a turnover.

Kaiser took advantage on the out-of-bounds play that followed, finding Bitanga on a leak-out pass that she took the length of the court, putting up a layup attempt that would find its way down for a basket plus the foul with just 14.2 ticks left in regulation to extend the lead to four.

"We had three options, and we wanted to get it to Micaela. We knew she (McColor) was going to stay on her tight, so we knew if we could clip a screen, it would be an easy basket." said Kaiser head coach Simon Bitanga. "Luckily, we had the first option."

Bitanga scored a team-high 12 points, and added 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and a block on the evening. Arce added 10 points for the Cougars, who improved to 6-1 in the OIA Red East with a showdown for second place against Kahuku (6-1) looming on January 4.

McColor led all scorers with 14 points, and also pulled down 6 rebounds. Roy added 12 points, including 4 three-pointers.