Jirah Villanueva scored 19 points, and Mailana Mattos tallied seven points and seven rebounds as Radford survived with a 33-25 quarterfinal win over Kahuku on Friday night at Moanalua gym.
“We just had to step up. We’re tired, but we had to push through,” said Villanueva, who shot 9-for-10 from the free-throw line. “Since we’re smaller, we had to try and box out.”
The Lady Rams advanced to the semifinal round of the OIA girls basketball playoffs — and earned a state-tournament berth — despite suiting up only seven players. Two starters were among those who sat out with illnesses and injuries.
“I’m always telling our girls, you can’t control what you can’t control. Just focus on what you can control and you go from there. Stay within your roles. We have a game plan, stick with it and see what happens at the end,” Radford coach Charles Chong said.
Kahuku chopped a nine-point deficit down to 26-23 in the fourth quarter after a follow shot by Leila Hannemann. Villanueva then scored six of her team’s final seven points in the final 2:35 on a drive for a layup and 4-for-4 shooting at the free-throw line.
OIA West runner-up Radford (12-6 overall) will play Moanalua on Monday at Moanalua gym. Na Menehune beat Leilehua 44-28 Friday night to advance.
The game was originally set at Radford’s gym, but was moved to accommodate an OIA wrestling tournament. The Rams junked their usual man-to-man defense and stuck with zone all game long.
“I thought it worked pretty well. We knew their advantage on us was their size. They’re going to go inside,” Chong said. “We still got tired and stopped blocking out, and that led to easy baskets (for Kahuku). Not taking care of the basketball made the game a lot more difficult. Kahuku takes advantage of your mistakes.”
Kahuku was ice cold. Despite Radford’s limited depth, the Lady Raiders shot 20 percent from the field (11-for-55), including 0-for-17 on 3s against Radford’s 2-3 matchup zone.
“Tonight was about survival and Kahuku gave us a tough game,” Chong said.
Hannemann hustled for eight points and seven rebounds to lead Kahuku (10-6 overall), the third-place team from the OIA East.
Kahuku routed Nanakuli 81-35 in the opening round on Monday. Posia Wily (four points) shot 2-for-16 from the field, adding five rebounds and four steals. Tuisila Wily-Ava had two points (1-for-14 from the field) and added four rebounds. Mele Taumoepeau tallied four points and a team-high nine boards.
Now, Kahuku will need a beat Leilehua on Monday to qualify for the state tournament.
“It could’ve been a better game,” Kahuku coach Artevia Wily said. “I’m so proud of the girls. We’re not a pure basketball team. We have some really good athletes, including four volleyball players. That’s been a big help. We had an off night and kept playing through everything. We could’ve gotten more of the calls.”
Kahuku used a mix of man and zone defense, mostly man, and forced Radford into 20 turnovers. The Lady Raiders also had a major advantage on the glass with a 35-22 edge in rebounds. Twenty of Kahuku’s boards were on the offensive glass. Moanalua had only four offensive rebounds.
Olena Umetsu (six points), Aniya Clark (six rebounds) and Ka‘ali Aviles (three boards) came up with timely plays to help offset foul trouble for teammate McKenzie McCormick.
“Our role players, we challenged them. We said we have to step up. You have to play defense, some tough athletes. I told Olena, you’ve got to be more productive. You’ve got to look for your shot and she hit some key momentum shifters for us,” Chong said. “That was really nice to see. It was nice to see Aniya and Ka‘ali hustling their hearts out.”
No. 10 Moanalua 44, Leilehua 28
Braylee Riturban scored 14 points and Shailoh Liilii and Akaecia Mateo chipped in 10 each as Moanalua advanced to the semifinals while claiming a state berth. Moanalua (18-6 overall) remained unbeaten in league play. Na Menehune were 11-0 in the OIA East coming into the playoffs and last won the OIA title in 2003.
Anniversary Filisi led Leilehua with 13 points.
Leilehua (11-8 overall), the fourth-place team from the OIA West, will need a win over Kahuku on Monday to qualify for the state tournament. The Mules reached the quarterfinals with a 42-36 overtime win over Kalani on Thursday.
Liilii’s bucket in the lane beat the halftime buzzer for a 25-15 cushion. Moanalua’s fullcourt press and halfcourt defense kept a lid on the visiting Mules. Na Menehune opened the lead to 31-17 in the third quarter.
Leilehua got no closer than 10 points in the final stanza.
