Shaylen Tatupu-Timu scored 16 points while Jorga Williams and MJ Peralta hauled in nine rebounds each as Farrington overpowered Campbell 41-28 for the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division II girls basketball championship on Wednesday at James Alegre Gymnasium.
Farrington (6-6 overall) will play in the Snapple/HHSAA D-II State Championships in Hilo. The big dance begins next Wednesday. Campbell (5-11) will also be in the Hilo Civic when the tourney tips off.
Tatupu-Timu splashed four of her team’s six 3-pointers against a pesky Sabers man-to-man defense. Farrington used a mix of box-and-one and triangle-and-two defenses on Campbell sharpshooters Lauren Poniatowski and Julien Parado. The two combined for nine points on 2-for-12 shooting as Hikilani Molitau, Alyssa Kamealoha and Teizya Telefoni were among the Governors who defended tenaciously. Thelma Agae led Campbell with six points.
Longtime Farrington coach Caroline Tatupu was beaming after the win.
>> Photo Gallery: Girls basketball: Campbell vs. Farrington
“The last few weeks, our team has been resilient. They know they have to work harder than other teams,” Tatupu said.
Telefoni, a freshman, added seven points and three steals. Tatupu-Timu has been on fire recently, hitting for 23 points in a game last week.
“We just have to want it more than anybody on the court and today, we wanted it more,” Tatupu-Timu said. “I love my teammates. I wouldn’t trade them for the world.”
The Sabers had their chances, searching for gaps and open perimeter shots against Farrington’s specialized defenses. They shot just 1-for-9 from 3-point range, however.
“Lauren is a big part of our offense. It was strategic and we prepared for it,” Sabers coach Jazmine Corpuz said. “We needed to step up. We can’t wait that long to turn our jets on.”
Farrington led 12-3 after one quarter and 20-9 by halftime. Their biggest lead of the first half was 15-3 after a corner 3 by Charmmaine Balala.
Neither team scored for nearly three minutes into the second half. Farrington extended the lead on a free throw by Peralta, a layup by Peralta on a pass from Williams, and a corner 3 by Tatupu-Timu. After Telefoni hustled for a putback, it was 28-9, and Peralta fed Telefoni for another bucket for the Govs’ largest lead, 30-10, with 15 seconds left in the third.
Campbell finished with 25 turnovers. Farrington had 17 giveaways, but only five were in the second half.
Farrington last won a league title in 2017 when Tatupu led the Govs to a D-I crown. The program won a D-II title in ’14 under then-coach Steven Leopoldo.
