Freshman twins make Punahou doubly tough
By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer
With first place in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu on the line and unbeaten Punahou trailing upstart Maryknoll 45-38 in the fourth period on April 21, Buffanblu freshman Shawna-Lei Kuehu took over the game and may have invented a new basketball position in the process: "point center."
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Grabbing rebounds and making steals from her post position and then swiftly dribbling coast-to-coast down the court, the 5-foot-9 Kuehu single-handedly tied the score at 45-45 by making a layup, three-point play and another layup in a span of 2 1/2 minutes.
Punahou twins, Shaena-Lyn, left, and Shawna-Lei Kuehu, have helped Punahou reach this week's girls basketball state tournament as the Interscholastic League of Honolulu champion and top seed.
Kuehu then scored four more points down the stretch and finished with a game-high 22. She also grabbed 11 rebounds to help Punahou win, 56-49.
"All I told her was, 'Just do your thing,' " Buffanblu coach Mike Taylor said after the game. "She was able to just go on instinct, and she converted some hard layups in transition."
It was a jaw-dropping performance, especially for a freshman, but not a total shock to those who have been watching Kuehu and her twin sister, Shaena-Lyn, "do their thing" since becoming hoops phenoms in the fourth grade.
Shaena-Lyn, a 5-7 wing, contributed six points and one rebound in the Maryknoll victory.
By the time the sisters were 12 years old, observers from around the island were raving about the twins from 'Aiea.
"They were always very athletic, but now they're more refined," said Dennis Agena, who has coached the twins on his Kalakaua Foundation Clinic teams the past three years. "They both can play in the post, handle the ball and run the floor. And they're only going to get better."
That's a scary thought down the line, but an immediate concern for opponents facing No. 1 seed Punahou (10-0) in this week's Hawaiian Airlines/Hawai'i High School Athletic Association tournament, which begins today with four first-round games.
Shawna-Lei is averaging 13.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.5 steals per game, and her field goal percentage is an astounding .551.
Shaena-Lyn, meanwhile, is averaging 3.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.8 blocks per game, and is shooting .417 from the field.
Shaena-Lyn
"Even though they're freshmen, they're very competitive and they don't back down from any challenge," Taylor said. "They're always looking for the opportunity to grow and learn. Shawna just has a lot of energy, and she's all over the court. And Shaena really helps us on the boards and has made a lot of key plays on defense.
"Plus, they both handle the ball really well and are very unselfish."
Despite making the leap from recreation leagues to ILH varsity Division I, the twins rarely make the so-called "freshman mistakes." Perhaps that's because of the countless hours of practice they've put in since first playing in their grandma's backyard court in the fourth grade.
Their father, Kaeo, and uncle, David Kuehu, would join in and develop their skills, which were further honed by coaches Eric and Deena Adams at 'Aiea Recreation Center.
The twins later enrolled in Agena's clinic, and soon were playing with and against players as much as five years older.
"When we were 12, were playing with the 17s," Shaena-Lyn said. "It gave us a feel of how older kids play."
Already blessed with height and talent, the twins added the classic dribbling and footwork skills taught at Agena's clinic.
"Coach Agena said a good player can play all positions," Shawna-Lei said. "That was our main focus there: fundamentals."
In just her second varsity game, against perennial power Kalaheo in the Punahou Wahine Spring Classic, Shawna-Lei scored a game-high 23 points in a 61-48 win. The next night, she scored another 23 points to help the Buffanblu defeat defending state champion Konawaena, 52-38.
Early in the ILH season, Shawna-Lei had a combined 36 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists, six steals and two blocks in victories over Maryknoll and Kamehameha.
Along with veteran seniors Shanna-Lei Dacanay (12.1 ppg, 3.6 apg., 2.6 spg), Sophie Merrifield (6.0 ppg, 4 rpg, 1.6 spg), Christine Takara and Tessa Sonobe, plus a full cast of role players off the bench, the Kuehu twins helped Punahou capture its third straight ILH title and the No. 1 seed in this week's tournament.
"We've watched the state tournament before, so we're really excited," Shawna-Lei said.
As for adjustments off the court after transferring from 'Aiea Intermediate, the twins say things have gone equally smooth. They got accustomed to the new academic and social atmosphere while attending summer school, and both participated in Punahou's traditional Holoku Pageant last Saturday.
"We have good coaches and teachers, and the people here are really nice," Shaena-Lyn said.
Taylor said the twins' talent is equaled only by their humility.
"They're very humble and get along with everybody," he said. "They're respectful kids."
And, like Agena said, they're only going to get better.
Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2456.
