CJ Caraang | SL

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Thu, Jan 21, 2016 @ Radford

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Leilehua

25

Radford

42

Final	1	2	3	4
Leilehua (12-2, 16-6)	6	12	3	4	25
Radford (12-1, 14-7)	12	9	8	13	42

J. Johnson 10 pts  1 3pm  3/4 FTs

T. Abbott 7 pts  1 3pm  2/5 FTs

HALAWA – Playing perhaps its best game of the season, No. 9 Radford dominated both sides of the court in a 42-25 win against Leilehua Thursday at the Jim Alegre Gymnasium.

The Rams (9-0) clinched the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I West top seed for the 12-team OIA tournament. The top six teams from each division advances.

"I thought this was our best game of the season, as far as putting a complete game together, offensively and defensively," Radford coach Charles Chong said. "We had some turnovers but most of them were in the first half; they took really good care of the ball in the second half when we needed to, so I'm proud of the girls. I think tonight they went out as a team. They took a game from a really good Leilehua program."

The Mules (7-2) desperately needed to win to force a three-way tie for first along with Mililani (8-1). Instead, Leilehua falls to third. The top two teams from each division draws first-round byes for the tournament. (Leilehua's other loss was to Mililani.)

"It could've been a three-way with Mililani, so (the Rams) got that and we end up third now," Leilehua coach Elroy Dumlao said. "We'll see who we got from there, but we still got Aiea (1-8) and we're taking nobody lightly."

In the low-scoring defensive game, Kyle Johnson and Jayda Johnson (no relation) led the Rams with 10 points each. But their scoring wasn't the only damage they inflicted on the Mules. Kyle had eight rebounds and scored off her only steal and Jayda had three steals (scoring off one) and a rebound.

Dumlao is very familiar with Kyle Johnson because she played for him during a travel team that played in Las Vegas.

"We played in the championship game and she hit some money shots," Dumlao said of Kyle Johnson. "She's a hell of a player. For a post player, she can play any position. She's got my vote for Player of the Year."

Kyle had the duty of defending Leilehua's top scorer, Tywanna Abbott (10.8 points per game). Abbott was contained to seven points, which was the Mules' team high.

Kyle, a transfer from Aiea, not only played for Dumlao, she played with most of the Mules' players.

"I think it did (help)," Kyle said of her familiarity of the Mules. "I know them well. We play against each other all the time and with each other, so it definitely was good. It was good going against my friends, I guess."

The Rams owned an 18-8 lead at one juncture in the second period before the Mules used an 8-0 run on the strength of back-to-back 3-pointers by Abbott and Tianna Hanohano to pull to within 2. The Rams made it 21-16 before Saramasina Docktor's putback made it 21-18 at the half. That was 1 of 5 offensive rebounds for the Mules.

Radford opened the second half with an 8-0 run to begin its run away. Leilehua did not score until 27 seconds left in the third period when reserve Megan Ayala converted a three-point play. The Mules would score only two more field goals in the fourth period before the game ended.

"We just went flat," Dumlao said of his team's second-half performance. "We just forgot how to play as a team. Hat's off to Radford because they got into our passing lanes and we couldn't execute our offense. Even when we tried to bring it high and try some back door stuff, they were just playing. We couldn't get our entries to the wing. That's a great Radford team over there."

The Rams were disciplined on offense, passing the ball around methodically with guards Natalie Jackson, Jazmyn Peralta and Jayda Johnson, as well as with Kyle Johnson.

"They handled our pressure well; we didn't handle theirs," Dumlao said. "We missed a lot of shots, but that's them (the Rams' defense). We just have to go back and work on getting better."