WAIMEA — The Aiea Na Ali’i came to town and beat the Waimea Menehunes 49-34 in a varsity girls basketball preseason game Thursday night at the Waimea gym. Sherlyn Alcon and Kailana Soto paced the Menehune attack in the first
WAIMEA — The Aiea Na Ali’i came to town and beat the Waimea Menehunes 49-34
in a varsity girls basketball preseason game Thursday night at the Waimea
gym.
Sherlyn Alcon and Kailana Soto paced the Menehune attack in the first
quarter as Waimea took a 12-7 lead a the break.
But, Aiea unleashed two of
its four tall girls — Keesha Aldridge and Aritta Lane — who went on to score
six field goals apiece in the game to secure the victory.
It was the first
of two games for Aiea on Kaua’i. The Na Ali’i will also play Kaua’i
High.
Early in the game, Soto and Ashley Hori helped Waimea establish a
lead. Soto tossed in a pair of free throws and a right-handed hook shot, while
Hori delivered a right-wing attack.
Alcon and Charis Castillo also scored
later in the period en route to the five-point lead.
A 9-4 run by the Na
Ali’i — capped by Lane’s basket midway through the second quarter — put the
game in a 16-16 tie.
Aiea won the free throw battle that followed as the
Na Ali`i went 6-for 8 from the charity stripe while the Menehunes could only
muster a 2-for-5 showing. Waimea was also having trouble capitalizing on
rebounds, and Aiea grabbed a 22-18 halftime lead — a lead that held up for the
rest of the game.
Aldridge, who tallied five of the Na Ali`i’s seven first
quarter points, ended the evening with a game-high 17 points, including a
5-for-8 performance at the free throw stripe. She also had numerous rebounds
and blocks.
Lane erupted for eight of her game-total 12 points in the
second half with Kylee Nakamura chipping in a pair of treys in the final period
for an eight-point total.
The Menehunes were able to outscore Aiea 11-10 in
the third frame, but they eventually succumbed to the Na Ali’i’s height
advantage.
Alcon and Robyn Hoopii-Manuel shared team-high scoring honors
for Waimea with seven points each. Soto and Hori followed with six points
apiece. Jennifer Fukino tallied three, while Castillo, Sunny-Jayne Dela Cruz,
and Erica Iwai each added two points.
