Na Menehune outlasts Radford in back-and-forth affair

Moanalua's Manu Itula puts up a shot attempt in the second half against Radford. Michael Lasquero | SL

In a battle between boulevard rivals, it was the visiting team from the lake that won the day.

Moanalua took down Radford, the top seed from the West, with a 42-37 win in a seesaw matchup Saturday night on the Rams' home court.

Na Menehune (12-6 overall, 10-3 OIA) moves on to face reigning league champion Kahuku next Wednesday night for the OIA Division I title.

The Red Raiders won the regular season meeting between the two teams, 60-37, back on Dec. 10 of last year.

Mercedes Smith scored 12 points and Manu Itula added 10 more to lead Moanalua over the Rams, who lost leading scorer Angel Asaah (10 points) to an injury midway early in the third quarter.