All-State point guard Keisha Kanekoa scored 31 points, grabbed nine rebounds, dished three assists and made two steals yesterday to lead Honoka'a to a 53-45 upset of No. 1-seeded Roosevelt in the Hawaiian Airlines/Hawai'i High School Athletic Association quarterfinals.

The Big Island Interscholastic Federation runner-up Dragons improved to 14-3 in the regular and postseason and will face Interscholastic League of Honolulu runner-up Punahou (11-5) in tonight's 8 o'clock semifinal at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Roosevelt, the O'ahu Interscholastic Association champion and defending state runner-up, fell to 14-2.

Kanekoa, a 5-foot-6 senior who has signed with the University of Hawai'i, struggled to a 4-for-25 shooting night against the Rough Riders in last year's semifinals. But yesterday, she swished her first two shots early in the first period and had eight points by the time the quarter was over. She added five more points in the second period and had 14 in the final quarter, including 10 of 12 free throws.

"It feels good to hit the first couple shots, it builds confidence," said Kanekoa, who was 2 for 10 from the field in Tuesday's first-round victory over Moanalua. "It was there, so I had to keep shooting. I just had to forget about last night."

Kanekoa's three-point play with 2:08 remaining in the first quarter ignited an 18-0 run that spanned until the 2:45 mark in the half, with Honoka'a up, 25-11.

Iwalani Rodrigues finally broke the spell with a layup, and her 3-pointer at the halftime horn cut it to 25-16.

The Rough Riders clawed their way back in the fourth period, closing to 33-29 on Tasia Kamakawiwo'ole's layup with 5:04 left. But Kanekoa made four straight free throws and then hit a short baseline jumper to push the lead back to 39-31, and then Jamaika Lorenzo scored on a layup to make it 42-31 with 3:17 remaining.

Rodrigues' putback with 1:58 left cut it to 46-41, but Kanekoa and Jessika Lorenzo combined to sink 7 of 8 free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.

Kanekoa finished 9 of 15 (60 percent) from the field and 12 of 15 (80 percent) from the line.

"She nailed everything, even her free throws," Roosevelt coach Bobby Keanini said. "We were expecting a big game out of her, and she earned that. We missed so many 'chippies' on our end, even down the stretch when we were down only five or seven. But (the Dragons) played great, and they finished."

Rodrigues ended up with 17 points and 10 rebounds, but the Rough Riders made just 14 of 48 field goals (29.2 percent) overall.

They could not capitalize even after Kanekoa picked up her fourth foul with 5:48 remaining.

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com.