Otherwise, "Coach (Wendy Anae) said we did excellent," said senior point guard Karla Tailele, who helped lead the Red Raiders to a 66-40 win over Lahainaluna in the HHSAA/Hawaiian Airlines Girls State Basketball Championships at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Kahuku (14-1), the O'ahu Interscholastic Association champion and No. 2 seed in the tournament, advances to a semifinal game against Punahou tonight at 8.

"Our team was nervous; we had the jitters," said Kahuku senior center Latoya Wily. "We needed this so we could get used to the way (playing in the Stan Sheriff Center) felt."

It didn't take long, as the Red Raiders raced to a 17-7 lead in the first quarter. They then outscored the Lunas 21-12 in the second quarter for a 38-19 halftime lead. Wily scored 14 of her game-high 21 points in the first half.

Lahainaluna closed to 40-25 at the start of the third quarter, but couldn't get any closer.

"Just from defense, that's the main thing," Tailele said of the Red Raiders' large lead.

Rebounding also helped as the Red Raiders owned a 44-20 advantage, including 17-7 off the offensive glass.

But Tailele, who scored 16 points, said the team needed to take care of the ball better and commit fewer fouls.

Junior Aisha Ale also contributed 16 points as nine of the 14 Red Raiders scored.

"We always look forward to playing, but we're glad it's out of the way," said Anae, who said she didn't know how extensive the injury to Ale was or what her playing status would be for tonight's game.

Sophomore forward Alise Hatch scored 13 points for Lahainaluna (12-5) of the Maui Interscholastic League.