Kamehameha keeps on roll by defeating McKinley

By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer

A month ago, the Kamehameha Schools girls basketball team was 4-4 and not looking at all like a state championship contender after a first-ever loss to Mid-Pacific.

Four weeks and seven straight victories later, the Warriors are in tonight's HHSAA/Hawaiian Airlines quarterfinals against No. 1 seed Konawaena as perhaps Hawai'i's hottest team. Kamehameha advanced after rallying past McKinley, 52-42, in last night's first round at Stan Sheriff Center.

The Warriors are scheduled to tip off against Konawaena (14-0) at 6:15 p.m.

Last night's game was a tight one through the first three periods, until Kamehameha went on a 12-2 run to start the fourth. Keying the run was freshman guard Analee Viena-Lota, whose jumper with just under four minutes remaining put the Warriors up, 47-37.

Chantal Yadao answered with her fifth 3-pointer of the game to cut it to 47-40, but that was as close as the Tigers (10-5) would get.

Viena-Lota finished with a game-high 19 points off the bench, almost all from layups or short bankers.

"I was really nervous and I thought I was going to mess up," said Viena-Lota, whose father, Dino, played in the 1985 state tournament for Waipahu. "But once I start doing good, I feel better and my teammates were helping me out. They were telling me to keep shooting."

Also helping was the fact that Kamehameha dominated the boards, out-rebounding McKinley 49-27. Leading the charge were Mounia Nihipali (15 rebounds) and Lori Nakamura (12). Nihipali and Tatriana Lorenzo each added 13 points.

The all-around effort is a big change from a month ago, before the Warriors began their run that was highlighted by victories over Punahou and Iolani.

"It was mostly a matter of the girls understanding their roles better," Kamehameha coach Clay Cockett said. "They needed to put more trust into what we were doing."

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2456.