Kalaheo basketball girls clobber Leilehua
By Kyle Sakamoto
Advertiser Staff Writer
Come playoff time, games are supposed to be close, competitive, highly contested.
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
That's not the case with games involving Kalaheo's girls basketball team this postseason.
Kalaheo's Brandy Richardson slices through Leilehua for two of her 23 points. Kalaheo advances to the OIA final against 'Aiea.
Brandy Richardson scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as Kalaheo routed Leilehua, 69-43, in a semifinal of the O'ahu Interscholastic Association Championship Tournament last night at Kalaheo.
Kalaheo (12-0) routed Radford, 68-28, in a quarterfinal game Saturday night.
Richardson made 8-of-11 field-goal attempts, with virtually all of her shots coming in the paint. She also did a good job handling the ball in the backcourt against Leilehua's pressure defense.
"That's expected of her," Kalaheo coach Chico Furtado said. "That's what she's been doing the last couple of years."
Kalaheo, the three-time defending OIA champion, will play 'Aiea in the championship today at the Stan Sheriff Center. Na Ali'i defeated Roosevelt, 55-44, in last night's other semifinal.
Leilehua (9-2) made 17-of-50 field-goal attempts and committed 25 turnovers.
"Because of the wide-open style we play that's going to happen," Leilehua coach Buzz Vasper said of his team's turnover total.
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
"We just didn't make our shots. We didn't block out and get enough rebounds."
Leilehua's Karley Peterson tries to block out Kalaheo's Brandy Richardson as they battle for a rebound.
Kalaheo exploited the Mules' aggressive perimeter defense by getting the ball inside.
"I think we had more firepower than they did," Furtado said. "If they weren't going to change their style of play, we were going to have our way around the bucket. I thought we owned the paint offensively."
Kalaheo led 15-7 after one quarter and 35-17 at halftime.
"I wasn't happy offensively (in the first half), we had too many turnovers," Furtado said. "Defensively, we did a good job."
Richardson sat out the final 4:50 and the rest of Kalaheo's starters soon followed.
The Mustangs' largest lead was 68-36 on a basket by Stacy Wright with 2:32 remaining.
Leilehua (9-2)
7
10
12
14
—
43
Kalaheo (12-0)
15
20
23
11
—
69
Leilehua— Malia Chun-Llanos 1, Heidi Garcia 4, Liz Neishell 0, Nachell Scott 2, Karley Peterson 7, Pikaki Nutter-Gaudet 9, Maria Quidez 0, Heather Living-McDonald 0, JB Calbick 0, Precious Hall 2, Lez Bantolina 0, Charlotte Garcia 10, Sara Smith 0, Inez Tauvela 2, Melody Hanson 6.
Kalaheo— Bre Carson 5, Stacy Wright 2, Kalena Hatori 6, Brandy Richardson 23, Brandi Benson 9, Natasha Lagapa 5, Dawnelle Nahinu 2, Heather Gonsalves 11, Nicole Furtado 2, Kira Withy-Allen 0, Brina Fritzsche 4.
3-point goals— Kalaheo 2 (Lagapa, Carson). Leilehua 1 (C. Garcia).
