BY BOB HOGUE
DIGITAL SPORTS HAWAII
SENIOR CORRESPONDENT
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It took until midway into the fourth quarter for ILH champion Punahou to take
the lead, but once they did, they finished strong as arch-rival Iolani to win
the HHSAA girls basketball Division I state championship, 46-41, Friday night at
the Stan Sheriff Center.
"The girls stepped it up in the third quarter and turned it around, and
sometimes you get a couple of lucky breaks along the way," said victorious
Buffanblu coach Mike Taylor. "Give Iolani credit, too, because they played a
great game."
The difference came from all-state forward Shawna-Lei Kuehu, who scored
16 of her game high 20 points in the second half, including the go-ahead bucket
with just over five minutes left in the contest. Until that point, Punahou
trailed Iolani almost the entire game.
"She's the most competitive player I've ever seen," Taylor said.
For the first two quarters, it looked like it was going to be
Iolani's night to shine. The Raiders came
out on fire behind sharpshooting guard Chanel Hirata,
who nailed two three-pointers from about 25-feet range and Iolani 16-8 after the
first quarter. Hirata finished the night with a team high 18 points.
With both Kuehu and high-scoring Iolani center Jamie Smith in foul
trouble, the Raiders were able to hold onto that lead and were up 23-16 at the
half. Smith finished with just eight points on the night, less than half her
average.
Meanwhile, Kuehu really stepped up her game. Despite a knee injury
that kept her out all of last year and made her play this season at about
70-percent of her incredible skill level, Kuehu ranged both inside and outside,
hitting short jumpers that helped Punahou come back strong. When she hit a
fastbreak layup early in the fourth quarter, Iolani's lead had been cut to just
two at 37-35.
"We believed in ourselves and we believed in each other," Kuehu said
afterwards.
That confidence showed, and when Kuehu hit a 15-foot jumper from the
foul-line with just over five minutes left, she pumped her fist skyward and let
out an awesome yell. That bucket put Punahou on top for the first time since
the opening minutes at 39-37.
After that, the Buffanblu played conservatively on offense and made
Iolani foul. Janelle Nomura hit key free throws to give Punahou a 42-39 lead
with under a minute left.
Iolani had a chance to tie, but a three-pointer from the wing was off
the mark, and Kuehu added four straight free throws in the final seconds to give
the Buffablu their final five point margin of victory and their third title in
the last four years.
"This is the culmination of a lot of hard work," said Taylor.
Shawna-Lei Kuehu finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Her twin
sister, Shaena-Lyn had seven points and 10 rebounds, and Becca Lau finished with
12 points on the night. Shawna-Lei was named the tournament's Most Outstanding
Player.
Congratulations to the Punahou Buffanblu, the 2008 Girls Basketball
Division I State Champions!