Kanekoa hit the go-ahead free throws and added another on the following possession as Honoka'a held off Kaiser, 42-39, in the first round of the HHSAA/

Hawaiian Airlines Girls Basketball State Championships at the Stan Sheriff Center last night.

"If I was to pick somebody it would probably come down to her," Honma said of Kanekoa.

Kaiser, which trailed by 12 in the first half, tied the score at 39 with 19 seconds remaining on two free throws by junior forward Sharde Pratt.

On the Dragons' ensuing possession, Kanekoa was fouled near halfcourt.

Kaiser, the O'ahu Interscholastic Association's runner-up, had used its final timeout with 47 seconds remaining and in the huddle coach Lisa Mann talked about "playing good defense, and not foul."

"But we had a letdown there."

After Kanekoa hit the free throws to put Honoka'a up 41-39, Kaiser threw the ball away with 2.4 seconds left. The Cougars (11-6) fouled Kanekoa again and she hit 1 of 2 free throws with 1.2 seconds to play.

Honoka'a, the Big Island Interscholastic Federation runner-up, will play Maui Interscholastic League champion Lahainaluna in a quarterfinal today at 2:30 p.m.

"We just have to play confident and we can't be satisfied with how we played tonight," Kanekoa said.

Kaiser took a 3-0 lead, but Honoka'a (12-2) went on a 17-2 run to go up by 12 with 2:55 left in the first half. Kanekoa scored 10 points, including two 3-pointers, and senior guard/forward Kari Heers added five during the surge.

"Kaiser came out a little bit tight and our defense did a good job against them in the first half," Honma said.

Kaiser, which trailed 17-8 at halftime, extended its man-to-man defense full court to start the second half and closed to 19-17 midway through the third quarter.

"I thought maybe we weren't ready to play, and at halftime we got on them and talked about who wanted it more," Mann said. "In the second half we were a much better team out there."

Junior forward/center Wila Lavea scored 14 points, and Heers and Kanekoa each added 13 for Honoka'a, which held a 36-23 rebounding advantage. Kanekoa also had nine rebounds and four assists.

"Give her some time and she'll be a great basketball player," Honma said of Kanekoa. "She wasn't used to playing the 1 (point guard) and we were forced to have her run the 1. And she's coming into her own now and coming into a little niche where she kind of finds her place in the game."

The teams combined for only five field goals in the fourth quarter, with Kaiser going 16 of 20 from the line and Honoka'a converting 9 of 13.

"The kids showed they have something inside of them today," Honma said. "They gutted it out."