Iolani Alumni

The Iolani Girls Basketball team came out in the first half “with a purpose” dominating Punahou in nearly every aspect of the game, shutting the Buffanblu out 13-0 in the first quarter and continuing their efforts throughout the second quarter to lead 18-5 at the half. After two periods of play, Punahou had converted on only one field goal, a bank shot in the lane by Janelle Nomura with 4:40 to go in the second quarter, and gave up several second chance points to the Raiders on the defensive end to further hurt their chances.

The second half, however, was a different story for both teams. Punahou turned up the pressure on defense, sending aggressive traps and forcing several turnovers which they then converted into easy points. On the offensive end, the Buffanblu executed their offense with more efficiency, picking up a couple quick buckets to start the half, but could not find their way in the closing minutes as the Raiders were able to get key stops and finish the game with freethrows.

The Raiders were led by junior forward Jamie Smith who scored a game high 15 points, nine coming on freethows (9-11). Senior Alana Matayoshi (shown) pitched in 7 points, 3 coming on an “and 1″ after the Buffanblu had just closed the lead to 5 with under a minute remaining.

After completing one round of play, Iolani is 4-0 and first in the ILH Division I Standings. They will have a one week break and the return next Tuesday, April 10 to face the Kamehameha Warriors.

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[Photo: Honolulu Advertiser]