Lady Lunas dominate Warriors in girls basketball
Photo by Ashley Morishita
Megan Miguel falls short on a jump shot as Fiemea Hafoka of Lāhainaluna blocks at Ka’ulaheanuiokamoku, January 22, 2014. The Lunas dominated the short-handed Warriors and won, 76-19.
The Warriors took on the Lady Lunas in girls basketball, playing a tough four quarters, in Kaʻulaheanuiokamoku gym last night, January 22. The Warriors stayed strong and never gave up, but fell and lost, 19-76.
While the score is nearly identical to their first-round game, this meet was different in several ways.
Hoping to improve from the last time, Kamehameha entered the game with lots of energy and determination.
“Every time we play Lāhaina, we get better, so I’m happy,” Coach Matthew Weeks said.
Given that three starters — Jayden Almeida, Kimani Fernandez-Roy, and Ashley Peralta — were benched, the rest of the team performed well by scoring almost as much as when the team was at full potential.
In the first quarter, the Warriors accumulated six points, which were scored by junior Rebeka Revelle, with two 1-point free throws, and freshman Kaylee Cambra, with two 2-point shots. Cambra was the leading scorer in last night’s game with eight points total throughout the night.
The home-team fans, accompanied by the school’s cheerleaders, kept up the Warrior spirit last night, and the girls responded by playing with energy throughout the game, but the Luna’s were too quick on steals and forced many turnovers.
Struggling to stay in possession of the ball, the Warriors added four points to their score in the second quarter at the four-minute mark. Making those points were junior Megan Miguel, with a 2-pointer, and Revelle, with two good free throws.
At halftime, the Lady Lunas led the Warriors, 61-10.
With nearly a quarter of the team out for injuries and going up against the Maui Interscholastic League champions, Coach Weeks recognized that it was going to be a tough game.
He said, “The [usual] bench players got a lot of playing time, so they know now what the starters go through, but I like what I saw from them.”
Coach Weeks said he wasn’t worried because he would rather save the injured players for the upcoming game against Baldwin High School on Saturday, January 24, at 6:00 p.m. at KS Maui.
Hopefully, the team will be fully staffed, with the exception of Peralta, who is out for the season with a collarbone injury.
Wrapping up the third and fourth quarter, the Warriors played their best until the very last of the game. Freshman Shaylisse Gregory scored the Warriors’ first 3-pointer of the night, with Cambra adding another 2-pointer in the third quarter.
And in the last period of the game, Revelle and Cambra made a final four points, which totaled their score at 19 to the Lunas’ score of 76.
Coach Todd Rickard of Lāhainaluna said that when it comes to playing, his team should never be focused on the score. “Just play the game,” he said.
