Freshman Makalah Richardson scored 10 of her game-high 14 points in a big third-quarter run as Roosevelt ran away for a 44-22 win over Farrington on Wednesday night.
Roosevelt improved to 4-0 in OIA East play, through two of the wins were by forfeit. The Rough Riders are 7-0 overall.
“It wasn’t pretty, but I like the hustle. We pressured the ball. At times in the third quarter, we looked pretty good, but then after that we looked OK and we were struggling,” Roosevelt coach Joe Ho said. “Our defense always picked it up and our pressure is what I liked.”
Farrington took its first loss in OIA East play after three consecutive wins.
With no spectators permitted at OIA sporting events, the Rough Riders gym was silent with the exception of spirited cheering by both teams.
Roosevelt was energized after entering intermission with a 15-8 lead. Ho’s team used fullcourt pressure to go on a 9-0 run. With Richardson using her 5-foot-9 frame and athleticism to steal Farrington’s backcourt passes at midcourt, she scored 10 of her team’s 20 points during the third stanza.
“When she does what she’s capable of doing, she’s tough to handle,” Cho said. “She looked like a defensive back.”
Richardson is a natural wing who can run the point if necessary. Her drives off steals, off the dribble, were difficult to stop.
“I like a faster game with a lot of pressing. During a fast game, it’s more fun. Going slow, it’s like you’re not doing anything. You’re not moving the ball,” she said.
Tanya Paia added eight points for Roosevelt. Alyssa Kamealoha paced the Governors with 11 points.
Richardson’s older sister, senior Shania Molitau, suited up for Farrington.
“I came to Roosevelt because my father and my mother came here,” she said. “It’s good.”
The Governors gave Kapolei, one of the top teams in the OIA West, a good battle in a 46-33 loss before Christmas. Farrington then posted wins over Kailua (39-31), Anuenue (forfeit) and McKinley (40-14) before traveling to Roosevelt.
“I think Roosevelt is a real good team. They’re very good on defense,” Farrington coach Michael Quartero said. “What I like about today is I like how we reacted to getting bus’ up. They really surprised me. They took it as a good learning experience. They didn’t give up. They stayed on it and just tried to do the best they could.”
Farrington visits Moanalua on Friday. Roosevelt will host McKinley. Because Roosevelt doesn’t have a junior varsity team, McKinley and Kahuku will match up in a JV game prior to the Roosevelt-McKinley varsity game. The future looks bright for the Rough Riders, maybe even with a run to the OIA Division I title.
“I say we can. We just have to work on a couple things like communication and teamwork,” Richardson said. “And when we’re going crazy, to relax a little.”
