Punahou's Vae Malufau scored 17 points and pulled down 9 rebounds in a win over Kamehameha. Greg Yamamoto | SL

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Tue, Jan 5, 2016 @ Punahou

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Kamehameha

42

Punahou

54

Final	1	2	3	4
Kamehameha (3-11, 10-12)	9	7	15	11	42
Punahou (12-3, 19-10)	11	14	19	10	54

• Points
• Rebounds
• Assists

V. Malufau 17 pts  3/3 FTs

M. Maio 11 pts  1 3pm  0/0 FTs

V. Malufau 9 tot  5 off  4 def

M. Maio 4 tot  4 def

K. Kandiah 3 ast

M. Maio 3 ast

MAKIKI — Punahou's twin towers were too much for Kamehameha to overcome Tuesday night.

Senior posts Vae Malufau and Tyra Moe combined for 27 points and each had nine rebounds apiece to help Punahou hammer seventh-ranked Kamehameha, 54-42 at the Hemmeter Fieldhouse.

The Buffanblu, ranked third in the ScoringLive/Hawaiian Electric Girls Basketball Power Rankings, improved to 4-0 atop the Interscholastic League of Honolulu Division I standings after the first round of league play.

"They're buying into what we're asking," said first-year Punahou coach Liz Kam. "It feels really good and I'm proud of the girls. They're working hard everyday and putting in the effort."

The inside presence of Malufau and Moe helped Punahou outrebound Kamehameha, 33 to 18. The Buffanblu had 17 total offensive boards in the contest, which allowed them to attempt 55 field goals, 17 more than the Warriors.

"That killed us, no physicality on our part," added Kamehameha coach Joe Cho, whose team dropped to 1-3 in league play. "They're going to play inside out with their two bigs. That's their game."

Malufau had a big second half to finish with a game-high 17 points, her largest scoring output this season. The 6-foot senior was 6 of 9 shooting after halftime after going 1-for-7 from the field before the break. Moe scored seven of her 10 points in the first half and had two blocked shots.

"They're very hungry so they're going to do what it takes to be successful," said Kam. "They're seniors this year. They know what's at stake and there's a sense of urgency."

Kam believes that her team's appearance in the Nike Tournament of Champions in Arizona over the winter played a factor in Malufau and Moe's performance against Kamehameha. 

"That was very physical for them so it's a different style of play because the refs over here in the ILH call every single thing while up there it's very physical," said Kam. "They let a lot of things go so our girls had to push through that adversity and attack aggressively and not expect to get calls. It was good because it brought a different dimension to their game."

Punahou's drive was evident throughout the game as they never trailed and led by as many as 19 points in the fourth quarter. Whenever Kamehameha would make a push, the Buffanblu would respond with a barrage of their own to regain control. 

"We just talked to them about creating tempo on our own," said Kam. "Whether it's on defense or offense, we want to dictate and not be passive. Let's definitely dictate and show the other team what we want. That's something we told the girls and they definitely bought in."

The Buffanblu held a slim 11-9 lead after the opening period and led by just one point, 15-14 early in the second quarter before they took control of the game with an 8-0 run. Moe ignited the run with a putback that drew a foul. She completed the three-point play and later kicked out to Kamaile Kandiah for a corner triple after drawing the double team in the post. Lexie Taylor capped the run after receiving a half court pass on a fast break.

"There were a lot of misses early, but we couldn't let that affect our game so we had to stick it out with each other and pick each other up," said Malufau.

Mikialo Maio led Kamehameha with 11 points and four rebounds. Jewel Paaluhi-Caulk, who did not play in the first quarter, added 10 points to help pace the Warriors.