"I think we all look to each other for support and leadership," junior guard/forward Leilani Galdones said. "Everyone leads in their own way and that's what makes us such a great team."

Teammate Jamie Mattos, a junior guard/forward said, "We just go and we work together. We're just a team, there are no (class levels)."

Galdones scored 15 points and Mattos added 12 and a team-high seven rebounds for the Warriors in a game that featured six ties and nine lead changes.

Kamehameha-Hawai'i coach Kimo Miller said he noticed that some of his players' hands "were shaking. It was the first time for them."

Kamehameha-Hawai'i started on a 7-2 run, led by four points by Mattos. St. Francis responded with help from junior center Siutiti Takai and sophomore guard Danielle Tanaka, who scored four points each, to give it a 13-11 advantage.

The combination of a full-court press and a defense that collapsed on Takai every time an entry pass was sent her way forced nine straight turnovers by the Troubadours, as the Warriors went on a 9-0 run for a 20-13 lead. A surprising turnaround 3-point shot by Takai at the buzzer ended the first quarter and closed Kamehameha-Hawai'i's lead to 20-16.

"We tried to make (Takai) dribble the ball so we could make turnovers," Galdones said.

St. Francis outscored Kamehameha-Hawai'i 15-8 in the third quarter to take a 41-38 lead entering the fourth.

With about five minutes remaining in the game, and Kamehameha-Hawai'i leading 46-45, appeared to go into a stall offense, taking about a minute and a half off the clock. The strategy resulted in a foul, and junior guard Amber Spencer made both of her free throws.

Kamehameha-Hawai'i coach Miller said "it looks like a stall, but it is only a stall if they don't defend. They were packing the inside. We wanted them to come out and play us one on one."

On their remaining trips down the court the Warriors did the same on offense, but the Troubadours put pressure on immediately. The Warriors hit their free throws in the final minutes and forced five St. Francis turnovers to clinch the win.

"That was our plan, it was to attack them on defense and press them," Mattos said. "We depended on our defense. We realized going into this tournament we would need it."

The Warriors, who made nine 3-pointers in their semifinal win over Kalani, shot 0 for 12 from beyond the arc last night.

"We saw that they get a lot of energy when they hit their 3s," St. Francis coach Paul Tanaka said.

"Since we couldn't hit from the outside, we tried to get the ball inside and tried not to force it," Galdones said.

St. Francis' Takai scored 22 points and grabbed 15 rebounds.