Chyel Palmer puts up a shot in the post. Palmer contributed in all facets of the game to help the Mules win their OIA West season opener. Steve Erler | SL

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Chyel Palmer puts up a shot in the post. Palmer contributed in all facets of the game to help the Mules win their OIA West season opener. Steve Erler | SL

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AIEA – Defense set the tone in Leilehua's convincing 60-10 win against host Aiea in Tuesday night's Oahu Interscholastic Association Western Division girls' basketball season opener.

This was an inter-divisional match. Leilehua is in Division I and Aiea is in Division II.

Leilehua's defense held Aiea to two field goals each coming 17:30 apart and scored off of eight steals. Shaylee Todani and Kaylen Kamelamela each scored four points off two steals each.

Senior Chyel Palmer led the Mules with a game-high 16 points, six of which came off her six offensive boards. She also had two blocks and a steal.

"She's an all-around players," Leilehua coach Elroy Dumlao said. "She's been with me since her freshman year. She knows the system and she knows what I expect out of her. We like to run. It was nice of her to play the other parts of the game, the rebounding part, assisting with a little dribble here, the defensive stance. She an all-around game and I'm happy for that."

Like the rest of the team, Palmer got off to a slow start, but eventually picked up the pace.

"It was the first game, a little nervous," she said. "It was good game, I think, for everyone."

Chantelle Shimabukuro accounted for half of Na Alii's scoring on 5-of-6 free-throw shooting.

Aiea, trailing 7-2 in the first period, did not get its first field goal until the 1:40 mark in the first when Ufi Afe scored on a putback on one of her team-leading seven rebounds. Na Alii's next field goal came with 10 seconds left in the third period by Kailly Paulo. At one stretch, the Mules went on a 38-0 run, including a holding Na Alii scoreless in the second period.

The Mules came out in a zone to start the game and that seemed to slow them down mentally. When they went into full-court pressure, the pace picked up and so did the Mules' scoring.

"They found their rhythm on the defensive side," Dumlao said, "and it kind of carried over to the offensive side and transition into easy baskets."

The Mules pretty much cleared their bench. Reserves almost had as many minutes as starters. That meant fresh players through most of the game against the struggling Na Alii leading to scoring off of numerous turnovers.

Na Alii did have four early steals, but were unable to convert those into points. The Mules do need to work on securing the ball.

"The beginning part of the game, we kind of rushed, kind of played too fast and not taking care of the rock," Dumlao said. "That kind of stuff against a better team is going to kill you. Possession is a big thing in the game of basketball.