Moanalua trips up Lahainaluna

By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer

Moanalua's Marleen Leautu puts up a shot over Lahainaluna's Fatai Halaapiapi. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

Leautu scored a career-high 21 points and grabbed 17 rebounds to lead Moanalua past Lahainaluna, 52-40, in a quarterfinal game of the Hawaiian Airlines State Girls Basketball Championship.

"I think it was my best game both offensively and defensively," Leautu said. "Usually, I'm not much of an offensive player. I usually play defense. But our coaches always tell us that if you play defense really well, offense comes later on."

Moanalua (14-0), the O'ahu Interscholastic Association champion, advanced to the semifinals against Kahuku tonight at 8. Lahainaluna (13-4), the Maui Interscholastic League runner-up, will play Konawaena at 5.

Leautu scored 16 points on a variety of layups and medium-range jump shots in the first half and helped stake the Menehunes to a 36-25 lead at intermission. She finished the game 10-of-16 from the field with four blocks and one steal.

"We're glad that she came out and she stepped it up tonight," Moanalua coach Roy Dias said. "Our girls did distribute the ball and she finished."

Leautu credited her teammates for finding her underneath the basket. Moanalua finished with nine assists, including four by point guard Amy Kotani.

"Tonight was just one of those nights," Leautu said. "I'm just glad that my teammates got me the ball. Our team is really unselfish. We always make that extra pass."

Lahainaluna coach Todd Rickard said his team chose to concentrate defensively on Moanalua's guards — Kotani, Patti Hardimon and Kepuanani Lee — and did not anticipate the offensive performance of Leautu.

"Basically, the girl just got hot," Rickard said. "She hit every shot that she took. Even when we challenged her, she hit her shots. She did an excellent job."

Moanalua led by as many as 14 points in the third quarter but saw its lead shrink to 45-39 with 7:29 to play.

But the Menehunes responded with a game-ending 7-1 run on baskets from Leautu, Hardimon and Lee and a free throw by Kotani.

Moanalua played tough defense throughout the game and locked down on Lahainaluna's best player, Fatai Halaapiapi, a 6-foot-2 senior center. She finished with nine points and 10 rebounds.