Honolulu Advertiser: Nation’s No.1 edges Punahou
December 12, 2008Punahou girls basketball coach Mike Taylor wanted a chance to play the top teams in the country early in the season to see where his team stood.
If the Buffanblu’s performance last night against San Francisco’s Sacred Heart Cathedral, ranked No. 1 in the USA Today Girls’ Super 25, is any indication, his team is in fantastic shape.
Sacred Heart got everything it could handle and had to sweat out a couple of Punahou misses in the final seconds to pull out a 44-43 victory in the ‘Iolani Prep Girls Classic at ‘Iolani School.
“I like it that we gave ourselves a chance,” Taylor said. “We had the ball with one possession left and we came up empty. If you told me that before the game I would have taken it.”
Earlier, Farrington did pull off a major upset, stunning No. 4 Westlake of Atlanta, 54-53.
Punahou led Sacred Heart 43-42 with 1:46 to play after a free throw by Janelle Nomura.
The Fightin’ Irish’s Ki-shawna Moore hit the go-ahead basket from the right wing with 1:05 remaining.
On Punahou’s final possession, the Buffanblu missed a 3-pointer from the left wing and a base-line runner from the right side as time expired.
“That was a very good team we played. We just gutted it out and pulled it out,” said Sacred Heart coach Brian Harrigan.
Of the final play, Taylor said, “We were trying to get a high screen and roll, and they did a great job sagging off.”
Sacred Heart’s Tierra Rogers, a 5-foot-11 senior who will play for the University of California next season, scored 19 points with many of them coming in spectacular fashion.
“She’s an All-American, going on to play in college,” Harrigan said. “She’s a senior, she’s been here a lot. Big players make big plays and she made big plays.”
Punahou, the defending state Division I champion, led 18-14 early in the second period, but trailed by as many as six with 6:10 left in the game.
Punahou spent most of the game in a 1-2-2 zone and even went to four corners late in the game with the score 42-42.
“I give credit to our defense,” Taylor said.
Sacred Hearts made just 1 of 15 3-point attempts as the Buffanblu packed in on defense.
“What we wanted to do was play with courage, play with creativity, and just work hard, and I think we did that,” said Nomura, who scored 21 points.
FARRINGTON 54, WESTLAKE 53
It’s still early in the season, but beating the No. 4-ranked team in the nation on a last-second shot felt like “winning a state championship,” according to Farrington’s Valerie Lesu.
Brydgette Tatupu-Leopoldo hit a layup as time expired off an assist from Lesu as the Govs beat Westlake of Atlanta.
“It’s like winning a state championship,” Lesu said. “Not to take anything away from them. They’re a great team.”
Farrington, which trailed by nine early in the fourth period, had possession with 2.6 seconds left nearly 70 feet from its basket.
Lesu broke free, received the inbounds pass and had Tatupu-Leopoldo with her on a 2-on-1. Lesu dribbled to the left side of the lane and fed Tatupu-Leopoldo, who laid it in while falling to the ground with no time on the clock.
Tatupu-Leopoldo scored 14 points and Lesu 10 for the Governors.
Tamika Willis scored 18 points, Dalila Robinson 14 and Sharnea Boykin 10 for Westlake, which is ranked No. 4 in the country by ESPN’s hoopgirls Web site.
LONG BEACH POLY 56, ‘IOLANI 32
Thaddesia Southall scored 17 points as Long Beach (Calif.) Poly, ranked No. 2 in the USA Today Super 25, beat host Iolani, which got eight points from Lori Yamashita.
OREGON CITY 71, KONAWAENA 50
Melair Holterhoff scored 14 points as Oregon City beat Konawaena, which got 15 points from Makayla Awa.