Kahuku overwhelms Kaiser to remain lone OIA East unbeaten

Leiah Naeata poured in 15 points and seven rebounds to lead the Red Raiders. Greg Yamamoto | SL

Leiah Naeata scored a team-high 15 points and added seven rebounds, two assists and three steals as the Red Raiders rolled to a 52-33 win over Kaiser.

The Cougars kept things close early on, trailing by just three at the end of the first quarter, but the Red Raiders asserted their physical advantage in the second, as pressure on the defensive end resulted in either turnovers into points on going the other way, or contested shots that never let Kaiser get into any kind of rhythm offensively.

Mary Fonoimoana's shot at the halftime buzzer extended the margin to 17, capping a 21-6 scoring advantage enjoyed by the Red Raiders in the second stanza.

The third quarter saw much of the same from Kahuku, as a suffocating defense continued to stifle the home team, holding the Cougars to just five points in the third while adding 17 to their own tally.

Kaiser outscored Kahuku in the final frame, 14-3, with Taeya Blakeney dropping seven of her team-high 12 in the fourth.

Tatianna Kamae had nine points and Serina Aumua-Tuisavura added eight more to go along with eight rebounds for the Red Raiders, who saw 12 players enter the game compared to just seven for the Cougars.

Red Raiders' starting post, Trisha Faumuina finished with four points and eight boards, but spent much of the first half on the bench saddled with four early fouls.

With the win. Kahuku assured itself the top seed out of the East with Roosevelt and Moanalua sporting 8-2 records in league play with just one game remaining.