Shawna-Lei Kuehu, a 5-foot-9 post, scored a team-high 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds yesterday, with Shaena-Lyn, a 5-7 wing, adding nine points and six rebounds off the bench. It was the first state tournament and Stan Sheriff Center appearance for both.

"I was a little nervous, but my teammates just told me, 'Don't worry,' " said Shawna-Lei. "It's been a while since our last game, so we just had to get back in our groove."

It didn't take long.

After the Rough Riders took a 5-2 lead, the twins scored six points as Punahou finished the period with an 18-2 run. Roosevelt closed to 28-19 by halftime, but the Buffanblu stretched the lead to 40-27 after three quarters and the Rough Riders never got closer than 12 points the rest of the game.

"We just wanted to come out and compete on both ends of the floor, and get used to the surroundings," Punahou coach Mike Taylor said. "Roosevelt is a great team, but we just wanted to take care of our own offense and defense and concentrate on that."

Fifteen players got into the game for the Buffanblu, with nine contributing points. By contrast, only four players scored for the Rough Riders, led by Shannon Miyashiro's 18.

"Punahou's consistency — even all along the bench — that's what makes them so hard to beat," Roosevelt coach Bobby Keanini said. "They had role players come in and hit big shots, and they keep running at you. That was a key."