No. 4-ranked Maryknoll pulled off the improbable, rallying from a 15-point deficit to stun No. 2 ‘Iolani, 53-52, on Wednesday night at Father Bray Athletic Center.
Perhaps more improbable, the Spartans went scoreless in the final four minutes and still found a win to beat the powerhouse Raiders.
Rebekah Lum Kee’s second 3-pointer opened the Spartans’ lead to 53-48, but the visitors closed out the game by missing their next eight free-throw attempts. Meanwhile, ‘Iolani’s Hailey Fernandez cut the lead to 53-51 on an and-1 drive to the bucket with 2:21 left.
With 1:13 left, Maryknoll point guard Haylie Perez missed two free throws and point forward Zoe Silva, a key ballhandler against ‘Iolani’s fullcourt press, committed her fifth foul after the rebound.
“She hyped us up. She talked to us. ‘You’ve got this. We’re going to win,’” said Maryknoll guard Pua‘ena Herrington, who led her team with 17 points.
On the next ‘Iolani possession, Maryknoll center Talitha Tupola committed her fifth foul. Mia Frye missed both foul shots, however.
Herrington had a chance to make it a two-possession game, but missed two free throws with 31 seconds left.
‘Iolani sophomore Justice Kekauoha (16 points, eight rebounds) had two shots with 25.9 seconds to go and made the second to cut the lead to 53-52.
Perez went to the foul line with 24.4 seconds left and missed both. Kekauoha rebounded and went coast to coast, missing a tough 10-foot runner off the glass. Herrington rebounded and was fouled with 14.4 seconds remaining. Again, she missed both.
With no timeouts, the Raiders played through and Kekauoha was whistled for traveling on a spin move to the bucket.
It came down to the last shot. Leading by one point, Maryknoll sharpshooter Skylynn Moore was fouled but missed both shots and Frye rebounded for ‘Iolani. Frye went the length of the court and missed a 9-foot runner as time expired.
Maryknoll (7-3 overall) appreciated its ugly, well-earned win. The Spartans missed eight free throws in a row down the stretch, every shot going long off the back iron — and still beat the powerhouse Raiders.
“I feel great. I feel happy even though I missed those free throws,” Herrington said. “Our defense. We practice defense, an hour every day.”
Herrington was scoreless in the final quarter against persistent, tight defense by the Raiders. Rebekah Lum Kee stepped up with two clutch 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, and Silva hit a key corner 3 before fouling out.
Perez added 14 points for Maryknoll, which was the Division II state champion last season. The addition of Herrington, a transfer from Waiakea, was the main reason for the Spartans’ return to D-I.
“In the first half, we were going on what our own personal strengths are, but when we really came together and helped each other out, we made it work,” Lum Kee said.
Five-time defending state champion ‘Iolani (9-2) had already lost senior Kylie Chong Kee to a season-ending injury early in preseason. Frye hurt her ankle, as well, and then the Raiders lost high-scoring guard Dylan Neves to a knee injury early in Wednesday’s game.
“Typical ILH season. It’s a gauntlet. Every team is good and will give you their best game,” ‘Iolani coach Dean Young said. “With a starting guard (Neves) going down early with an injury, that shook us. Mia really not really being able to play. There’s no push because of her (ankle) injury. We’ve got to deal with injuries and regroup. We missed a lot of shots and Maryknoll made some shots. Credit to them.”
“The ILH is a grind. This a marathon, not a sprint,” Maryknoll coach Chico Furtado said. “I told them, you’re not going to win a championship by winning tonight, and you’re not going to lose a championship by winning tonight. I’m so proud that (‘Iolani) did everything to stop Pua, and my other players made plays.”
Perez came through with four free throws in a row during a pivotal swing in the second quarter when ‘Iolani committed a foul, then was whistled for a technical foul. That allowed Maryknoll to cut a 15-point lead to 11.
“We had our moments where it was messy. It wasn’t really us, but we picked it up when we needed to except our free throws,” Perez said.
Kekauoha led ‘Iolani with 16 points. Fernandez added 11 and Rayna Soriano chipped in 10.
‘Iolani will open play in the ‘Iolani Prep Classic today, 6:30 p.m., against No. 8 Hawaii Baptist. Maryknoll will host No. 6 Punahou Saturday in a noon showdown.
Like Frye, Perez started, making an early return from ankle injury. The Raiders got a solid boost from center Kina Sake, who had four points, three rebounds, a block and an assist in the first eight minutes.
Neves’ first shot of the game was all net from the left wing, giving ‘Iolani a 9-6 lead with less than 4 minutes left in the first quarter. Moments later, she went down on the defensive end while covering Perez, unable to put any weight on her left leg.
Neves had just had a 25-point performance against Clovis East (Calif.) in the Raiders’ previous game.
The Raiders’ man-to-man defense remained stifling. Herrington was scoreless on 0-for-3 shooting in the opening quarter. Soriano’s wing 3 opened ‘Iolani’s lead to 16-9 entering the second quarter.
Herrington posted up on the block once in the first half, delivering a bounce pass to Tupola, who was fouled. Other than that, she drifted around the perimeter as ‘Iolani junior Chelsea Lee blanketed and leaned on Herrington as any proud defender would.
The Spartans stayed within range with the help of two 3-point bombs by Perez, but ‘Iolani’s defense was vigilant.
Tupola drew a technical foul after being called for an illegal screen.
‘Iolani’s lead was 15 points when Perez drove to the bucket and drew a blocking foul from Tupola, who nearly got the charging call. A few seconds later, ‘Iolani’s Elle Arceneaux pounded the ball just high enough to rise over her head and was whistled for a technical foul. Perez sank four free throws in a row to cut the lead to 35-24 with less than 2 minutes left in the first half.
Kekauoha took command with nine points in the second quarter. The Raiders took a 37–26 lead into the half. After a slow start, Herrington had eight points by the break, shooting 4-for-6 from the charity stripe.
Herrington opened the second half with a turnaround jumper on the block, setting the tone for the visitors. After Lum Kee fed Perez for a straightaway 3, Maryknoll was within 43-39 within 1:34 left in the third quarter.
Silva’s drive from the top of the key cut it to 43-41. Herrington’s transition 3 gave Maryknoll its first lead, 44-43, with 1:06 to go in the third.
Lum Kee fed Silva in the corner for a 3, and Silva returned the favor as Lum Kee, who had missed four free throws in the third stanza, splashed her first trey from NBA range. That opened Maryknoll’s lead to 50-43 with 7:05 remaining.
“It was the support from my teammates. I know I can do better, so getting that support helps,” Lum Kee said.
