Pinch me! Varsity Girls Over Punahou, 42-38
January 6, 2009
by Al Linsky
Actually, don't pinch me. I don't want to wake up from this dream.
A few nights ago this team beat the Warriors in overtime with gutsy play and timely shooting.
But, this was Punahou. Number 1 in the polls and deservedly so. Defending champions and lots of talent. I had them as favorites for the State Championship.
The cliches fit:
1. That's why you play the game.
2. Someone different steps up every night.
Probably a whole bunch more.
What I saw last night at 'Iolani gym was two evenly matched teams going at each other. Yes, evenly matched and evenly talented. This was no fluke win. It was close all the way, and the Raiders found a way to pull it out at the end.
Yes, freshman Kylie Maeda was hot, hitting three three-pointers and lots of free throws for 19 points. But I never felt she was playing above her ability or out of her comfort zone. She looked comfortable as she led the team. Lori Yamashita added 9, Georgette Lopes-Liutolo had 6, Lahela Usui had 4, and Brittany Barnes and Mahina Haina had 2.
The non-scorers also got into the action with timely steals and rebounds as pretty much everyone got meaningful playing time.
I'm not looking ahead, though. This season has already been a success from my perspective, and I'm just going to enjoy what's happened and root for this team to keep playing hard and smart and see what happens.
To see more photos, please visit iolani-events.org.
