There was Jerri Maluyo, a blur in white scoring 27 points, mostly on fastbreak layups.
She was actually not very far from a quadruple double, adding eight rebounds, six assists and seven steals — with just three turnovers.
There was Tywanna Abbott with 20 points and eight boards, deflecting three passes for steals during a huge first-half run.
But there was no question about Leilehua’s 72-41 blowout win over Moanalua before about 300 fans at the Mules’ gym. The visiting Na Menehune were just not themselves, at least in the first 8 minutes when they fell behind 27-8.
“I think there were some nerves,” Na Menehune coach Tani Almont-Done said. “As a whole, we’re not experienced here. You can’t prepare for that. A 27-point first quarter (by Leilehua) is hard to dig out of.”
Na Menehune got within 11 points before the end of the quarter, but the rest of the game was a runaway as Leilehua’s halfcourt traps led to 22 first-half turnovers by Moanalua. Maluyo had 12 points by the end of the first quarter.
“She’s legit. We knew that if there was anybody we had to stop, it was her,” Almont-Done said.
It was the transition game that Maluyo thrived on, and it was that unique halfcourt press that Moanalua struggled with most.
“We threw the halfcourt trap in yesterday,” Mules coach Elroy Dumlao said. “We wanted to put some pressure on their small guards and get some easy baskets. We put Tywanna up there to get some tips.”
Abbott had all three of her steals in the first half. Dumlao called off the press after halftime.
“The kids coming off the bench, our starters, everybody played with energy and stayed focused,” he said. “Hopefully, we can carry that on.”
Maluyo and Lafitaga played nearly to the very end even as the the margin opened up to 30 points. When the Mules meet the speedy Rough Riders of Roosevelt tonight, those tired legs will be tested.
“I think, guard-wise, we match up pretty good. We have to protect that 3-point line, but we also have to cover Keala (Quinlan) on the post,” Dumlao said. “If we do that, it’ll be an exciting game.”
Leilehua shot 47 percent from the field (30-for-64) and outrebounded Moanalua 30-28. The visitors shot 27 percent from the field (13-for-48) and committed 32 turnovers. They also shot 14-for-33 from the free-throw line. Leilehua shot 10-for-19 at the charity stripe.
After the first quarter, the Mules struggled to stop Moanalua’s penetration, which is why the visitors took 33 free-throw attempts. Roosevelt has a surplus of long-range shooters who can attack the rim.
“To me, honestly, it’s a perfect matchup. I’ve seen them (at the Kaiser tournament),” said Maluyo, who said the last time Leilehua played Roosevelt was four years ago, when she was an eighth grader.
“Tywanna matches up with Keala. I guess I got Starr. Mina with Sharice. Ahi (Keahi-lele Roy) with Starr. Defense. We have to slow them down. They run more than me.”
COMMENTS