ILH Girls Basketball
No. 2 Kamehameha outlasts No. 4 Maryknoll in OT


  



Wed, Dec 12, 2018 @ Kamehameha


F/OT 1 2 3 4 OT  
Maryknoll (8-5, 19-5) 16 71717764
Kamehameha (9-4, 18-7) 16 8 15 181168
M. Marfil 20 pts  4 3pm  6/8 FTs
J. Tanuvasa 28 pts  12/18 FTs

KAPALAMA HEIGHTS — Malie Marfil scored 20 points and her assist led to a go-ahead basket in overtime to help No. 2 Kamehameha fend off pesky No. 4 Maryknoll, 68-64, in a girls basketball thriller Wednesday night at Kekuhaupio Gym.

The Warriors (8-2 overall) remain the only unbeaten team in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu Division I at 3-0, while the Spartans (11-2) fell to 1-2.

After scoring seven points in the first half, Maryknoll's Jalen Tanuvasa finished with a game-high 28.

There were 21 lead changes in regulation that ended with Maryknoll freshman Lilly Koki draining a 3-pointer from the right wing just before the buzzer to tie the game at 57.

Kamehameha entered the fourth period trailing, 40-39, and took the lead, 41-40, early on a basket from Noelle Sua-Godinet. The Warriors held that lead and cushioned it with seven seconds left when Marfil sank two free throws to make it 57-54. Koki's 3 at the end forced overtime.

But the Warriors, who made nine 3-pointers — four by Marfil — in regulation, returned to their strength with the inside game in OT. With the game tied at 60 with 2:23 left in OT, the Warriors scored when Marfil fed an open Kaylee-Brooke Manuel, whose easy layup with 1:59 left gave her team a lead it would not relinquish.

"We talked about it in the overtime," Warriors' coach Pua Straight said. "We still have to play our game. The thing we try to tell them is we cannot lose our identity along the way. We're really strong at getting the ball into the paint, whether it be post-ups, layups."

Maryknoll pulled to within one twice but had to foul to get the ball back. The Warriors made 5 of their last 6 free throws to secure their lead.

With Kamehameha leading 66-63 after Marfil's two free throws with 21 seconds left, the Spartans rushed the ball down court. The hot-shooting Tanuvasa tried to drive to the hoop but slipped and turned over the ball to the Warriors, who fouled Kalina Obrey, who sank both free throws with 13 seconds left to open her team's lead to 68-63. On Maryknoll's last possession, Tanuvasa was fouled from beyond the three-point line but made only one of the free throws with less than a second left to secure the win for Kamehameha.

Both teams had to deal with a slippery floor. The Warriors had their share of slip-ups in the game.

"We haven't been able to figure out why it's so slippery," Straight said. "But it's been like this at a lot of our practices. I think it's due to the gym is really open on both sides and the condensation just comes in and it's hard. Hard to play in those conditions, but we came out with no injuries, which I'm very happy about."

Maryknoll's Jalen Tanuvasa puts up a runner from the baseline in the second half. Michael Lasquero | SL    Purchase image

For the Spartans, it seems like four years ago all over again when coach Chico Furtado nurtured a team where the majority of players played for four years. But all graduated last year. The only returnee who started, Kamalu Kamakawiwoole, transferred to Kalani. The Spartans have one junior, eight sophomores and five freshmen.

"Very young, very young," Furtado said. "Make mistakes, but they battle. They're talented. We just have to make sure we stay together and play together. We have to weather these storms. That's all."

Considering the Spartans' inexperience and playing away, they gave the Warriors a run most of the game.

"We can't get down," Furtado said. "We're losing to good teams. We'll try to get better. This whole team is a work in progress. We're expecting so much out of young players that lacks this level experience. Our JV, we brought them up, but we brought them up on a team with 11 seniors; they couldn't get in games, so it's tough. But tonight, they grew up a little bit. They understand. We left some free throws out on the court in overtime."



Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at [email protected].




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