Megan Kamehiro scored 19 points and spearheaded a dominating defensive performance by the Kalani girls basketball team as the Falcons routed Moanalua, 78-41, last night in an O'ahu Interscholastic Association Red Tournament quarterfinal at Mililani

Courtney Gaddis added 16 points and Rhianna Farm 11 for the Falcons.

"I told them that if we won this game we'd qualify for states," Kalani head coach Darold Imanaka said. "They just did an excellent job of executing tonight."

Michelle Hardy led Moanalua with 10 points.

The Falcons used 11 players in the first half. To overmatched and under-oxygenated Moanalua, it might have seemed like all of them were on the floor at the same time.

Kalani showed its aggressiveness on both sides of the court from the opening buzzer as Kamehiro drove the baseline to draw a foul and converted both shots. Kamehiro then picked off the in-bounds pass, drove the baseline again and drew another foul. She converted both of those shots, too.

The taller, seemingly quicker Falcons hounded Na Menehune the entire length of the court, leading to turnovers and hurried shots throughout the opening quarter.

Tahirah Gibson's layup with less than two minutes to go in the quarter cut Kalani's lead to 16-9, but Kamehiro responded with back-to-back 3-pointers to help blow open the game. Kacie Gushiken's put-back jumper made it 24-9.

Dominant as the Falcons were in the first quarter, they were even scarier in the second, outscoring Moanalua 16-0 in the first 4 1/2 minutes.

Alama scored six of Kalani's last eight points in the run as the Falcons soared to a 40-9 advantage.

Moanalua made a mini-run in the closing minutes of the half — scoring all nine of its points in the quarter from the line in the last three minutes — to cut its deficit to 42-18 at the break.

Imanaka said it was his intention to maintain pressure on Moanalua by rotating in as many players as he could and to make sure Ronolo, Moanalua's top player, had a defender with her at all times.

"I thought (Ronolo) got a little frustrated as she got tired," Imanaka said.

Imanaka also exhorted his players to take command of the game at the beginning of each half.

They did.

With Kalani's long versatile players disrupting the passing lanes and sharing ball-handling duties, the Falcons outscored Moanalua 14-3 in the first five minutes of the third quarter.

Despite a relatively quiet scoring game, Gaddis proved effective in getting second-chance baskets and creating shots for her teammates with her penetration.

Kalani cleared its bench with two minutes remaining in the game, even finding time for two junior varsity players, but didn't let up the intensity.

MOANALUA (3-10) 9 9 11 12 — 41

KALANI (11-2) 24 18 18 18 — 78

MOANALUA — Brianna Lagat-Ramos 5, Deena Dela Cruz 5, Michelle Hardy 10, Janelle Uncango 6, Jamie Ronolo 7, Indah Widyakusuma 4, Britni Ronolo 4. Totals 11 16-33 41.

KALANI — Megan Kamehiro 19, Courtney Gaddis 16, Kim Cabuyadao 6, Violet Alama 3, Allison Neussl 4, Chloe Martin 2, Kim Balsai 3, Tia Kobayashi 3, Kacie Gushiken 2, Rhianna Farm 11, Ashlyn Onaga 1, Courtney Yamaguchi 4. Totals 29 17-27 78. 3-point goals: Moanalua 3 (Lagat-Ramos, Hardy, Uncango). Kalani 3 (Kamehiro 3).

Reported by Kalani Staff

RADFORD 43, KALAHEO 41

Ta Nitra Byrd scored 18 points and Marlena Malepeai chipped in 14 as the Rams edged the Mustangs.

Shanadee Canon led Kalaheo with 18 points.

The teams battled evenly through much of the first half.

In the second quarter, Malepeai found her groove, hitting three consecutive mid-range jumpers and a free throw as the teams tied three times in a span of two minutes.

With Radford leading 19-18 in the final minute of the half, Bui Baravilala hit Byrd for a layup. Kalaheo's Sola Williams was called for a travel on the other end, and Byrd hit another layup as the buzzer sounded to give the Radford a 23-18 advantage at the half.

Kalaheo kept it close through most of the second half but couldn't break through with the 6-foot Byrd converting easy putbacks off the offensive boards and flustering the Mustangs with three steals and two blocks in the third quarter alone.

Byrd's putback of Baravilala's missed layup midway through the fourth quarter gave Radford its biggest lead of the game, 42-33. Kalaheo battled back behind Canon's perimeter game.

Canon's 3-pointer with 34 seconds left brought Kalaheo within four points. She had two open looks from 3-point range in the final 27 seconds but they, and a short jumper by Ann Ahynu, missed the mark. Canon had to settle for a steal and a layup as the buzzer sounded.

KALAHEO (5-8) 8 10 7 16 — 41

RADFORD (12-1) 12 11 7 13 — 43

KALAHEO — Nicole Cobb 6, Delicia Wilson 4, Angela Wozniak 2, Anu Ah Yun 4, Shanadee Canon 18, Kourtni Thomas 5, Awi Williams 2, Sola Williams 0, Kaua Cale 0. Totals 16 6-7 41.

RADFORD — Bui Baravilala 5, Marlena Malepeai 14, Brittini Fuller 2, Kiara Dykes 2, Chelsea-Ann Villanueva 2, Ta Nitra Byrd 18, Leslie Lazo 0, Italy Lindsey 0, Marsharen DuPont 0. Totals 19 5-18 43. 3-point goals: Kalaheo 3 (Canon 2, Thomas).

Reported by Jessica Beck

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.