For more than 31 minutes, Joselle Ferrer was another McKinley grinder.
The tough-nosed guard scrapped against bigger opponents for every loose ball and rebound. But with 13 seconds left and her team down by two points against Moanalua the 5-foot junior came up with the biggest shot of her life. Ferrer’s 3-pointer from the right corner was all net, lifting visiting McKinley to a 32-31 lead.
She also came up with the rebound when Moanalua’s Sienna Ho missed an open 3 from the left corner moments later. Ferrer dribbled the clock out as the Lady Tigers picked up a road win in their OIA East regular-season opener.
“I didn’t think my shot was going in at all. I took a chance. I didn’t know it was going in,” Ferrer said.
McKinley had an up-and-down game, leading 9-0 at the start, and then trailing 23-16 late in the third quarter.
Center Ve‘e Ve‘e Li played big in the final quarter with three rebounds and two blocks as the visiting Tigers rallied. They scored 10 points in a row to take a 26-23 lead. Suzie Park’s 3-pointer sparked the run, while Teane Sofa dished a pass to Li for a layup.
Moanalua rallied behind its fullcourt press and took a 29-28 lead with 50 seconds remaining on Ho’s steal and layup. Kelcie Leong’s free throw pushed the lead to 30-28 with 32.8 seconds left.
After Coach Donald Kamai called time out, the Lady Tigers set up with Sofa running the offense at mid-court and Ferrer, who had made just one of her four shots, in the right corner. The play wasn’t specifically called for her.
“It’s just the play. It goes to the wing,” she said.
McKinley also had strong efforts from Ferrer (seven points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals) in the front court, and Li and Kayla Rasavanh in the front court. Li finished with a team-high eight points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. Rasavanh hustled for 11 rebounds. Kloe Lum added seven points, all in the first quarter. Sofa finished with four points, six rebounds and three assists.
Lei-Helani Talaro led Moanalua with eight points, all in the first half. Leong tallied five points and seven boards. Center Delylah Sanerivi pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds.
Moanalua’s defensive pressure had a big effect, forcing McKinley into 28 turnovers. However, Na Menehune struggled from the field (11-for-54) and the free-throw line (6-for-21).
“Right now, I think it’s mental. They’re all good shooters,” Moanalua coach Tani Almont-Doñe said. “We’re trying to figure it out.”
Moanalua had open looks often enough, but shot just 2-for-24 from the 3-point arc. McKinley was 3-for-18 from the arc and 11-for-39 overall from the field. The battle on the boards was even at 34 caroms for each team.
| At Moanalua |
| MCKINLEY (1-0) |
9 |
2 |
7 |
13 |
— |
31 |
| MOANALUA (0-1) |
6 |
7 |
10 |
7 |
— |
30 |
MCKINLEY—Kayla Rasavanh 2, Dezlyn Naval 0, Kloe Lum 7, Suzie Park 3, Joselle Ferrer 7, Teane Sofa 4, Cheenie Melgazo 0, Ve’e Ve’e Li 8.
MOANALUA—Lei-Helani Talaro 8, Sienna Ho 6, Kelcie Leong 5, Raven Rosa-Lasco 4, Kyra Oda 4, Delylah Sanerivi 3, Brittany Passi 0, Tasi Peters 0. 3-point goals—McKinley 3 (Lum, Park, Ferrer). Moanalua 2 (Talaro, Ho). JV—McKinley 33, Moanalua 31
