Posted on: Saturday, May 1, 2004
Iolani edges Punahou to gain tie for ILH lead
| • | Baseball: Mid-Pacific edges Maryknoll |
By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer
On aptly named "Ginger Night," the Iolani School girls basketball team finally got to savor the sweet aroma of victory over longtime nemesis Punahou.
Ginger Gravelle — the Raiders' lone senior — scored a team-high nine points in her final home game to help Iolani hold off the Buffanblu, 32-30, before an enthusiastic crowd of about 800 last night.
The victory created a tie between the two rivals — each 9-2 — atop the Interscholastic League of Honolulu standings with one game remaining in the regular season.
If Iolani, which plays St. Francis, and Punahou, which faces Maryknoll, remain tied after the final games on Tuesday, they will meet in a playoff for the regular season championship at a time and place to be announced.
But at least for one night, fourth-year letterman Gravelle and her youthful teammates got to enjoy a rare win over the defending state champion and perennial powerhouse Buffanblu.
"We've never beaten Punahou, we always lost to them," Gravelle said through a stack of lei up to her ears. "I hate losing to the same team all the time. So this felt good."
The Raiders were only one basket away from losing again, but Buffanblu guard Shanna-Lei Dacanay's 25-foot heave at the buzzer fell way short.
Iolani jumped out to an 11-0 lead in the first four minutes, but Punahou answered with a 19-3 run to enter halftime up 19-14.
"We didn't really change anything; we just had to be more aggressive," Buffanblu coach Mike Taylor said. "We got better position inside and finally made some shots."
The Raiders closed the gap to 28-27 on Marci Kang's three-point play early the fourth period, then took the lead back at 29-28 on Hennasea Tokumura's layup with 5:40 left.
Christine Takara scored on a baseline layup to put Punahou back up, 30-29, with 3:17 remaining, but Tokumura swished a 3-pointer with three minutes left to give Iolani a 32-30 edge. After a Buffanblu miss 30 seconds later, the Raiders gained possession and proceeded to milk the clock.
Punahou forced a five-second violation with 51 ticks remaining, but the Buffanblu found little openings in Iolani's defense, and the Raiders had four fouls to give before the bonus and used them all.
After the final foul, Punahou was left with just two seconds on the clock and Dacanay was forced to launch it from well beyond the arc.
After the miss, Gravelle sprinted across the court in jubilation.
"We lost our momentum after the start, but we kept coming back," said Gravelle, a 5-foot-10 forward. "Every girl stepped it up and we came together at the end."
Iolani coach Glenn Takara said his team — with one junior, six sophomores and four freshmen plus Gravelle — has come together surprisingly well despite its youth.
"This team is very close, so the chemistry is very good," Takara said. "They play more as a team."
PUNAHOU—Shanna-Lei Dacanay 5, Chelsea Deptula 4, Makena Hunt 2, Mahina Macfarlane 4, Gail Matsushima 0, Sophie Merrifield 2, Tessa Sonobe 4, Christine Takara 9. Totals 10 8-8 30.
IOLANI—Kaz Masutani 1, Hennasea Tokumura 7, Alana Matayoshi 0, Ginger Gravelle 9, Marci Kang 3, Alana Wall 4, Meilin Akamu 4, Keilyn Fujioka 4, Chelsea Wong 0. Totals 13 4-5 32. 3-point goals—Punahou 2 (Dacanay, Takara). Iolani 2 (Tokumura, Gravelle).
Division II
La Pietra 64, Hanalani 38. LaP — Elizia McGuire 15, Jenny Kim 13, Courtney Gaddis 11. Hana —Jasmine Yoshimoto 12.
Kamehameha 29, Word of Life 22. WoL — Careena Onosai 11.
St. Andrew's 69, Punahou 48. StA—Caasie Naksone 16, Holly Saito 13, Louis Ornellas 11. Pun—Lori Miyabara 11.
Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2456.
