Raiders hand Buffanblu another loss

No swarms of blue defenders nor blurry vision could stop Jamie Smith and Chanel Hirata.

Smith overcame a slow start to finish with 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Hirata drilled two clutch 3-pointers in the second half as No. 3 Iolani rallied past fifth-ranked Punahou 49-39 last night at the Raiders' gym.

Iolani improved to 9-2 and remained in a tie with Kamehameha atop the Interscholastic League of Honolulu standings. The Raiders overcame a nine-point, first-half deficit.

"We were uptight," Iolani coach Glenn Takara said. "Punahou plays hard and they take you out of your rhythm. Once Jamie got into the flow, she let the game come to her."

Smith shot 6-for-9 from the field, 8-for-9 from the line, and also had five assists, four steals, three blocks and only one turnover against Punahou's hustling defenders.

"We were able to recognize that," Smith said of the double teams. "I kicked it out real fast, so we'd get a shot or kick it back in real fast."

Hirata finished with 13 points despite some visual problems.

"My contact (lens) was out. I was almost legally blind," she said. "The air conditioning makes it dry and it blew out."

Punahou (6-4) saw its opportunity for a regular-season league title -- and an automatic state-tournament berth -- dissipate under a flurry of low-post baskets and all-net free throws by Smith.

Melanie Feldman scored nine points to pace Punahou, which shot 36 percent from the field and committed 22 turnovers.

Iolani struggled early and chipped away for a 28-26 lead midway through the third quarter on a pair of foul shots by Kylie Ahlo.

The Raiders' sticky 2-3 matchup zone was problematic for the visitors, who went cold during a key stretch in the fourth quarter. By then, Smith was in a groove, reading Punahou's single and double coverage perfectly. The 6-foot junior scored on a left-handed drive and delivered a dish to Hirata for an open trey in the right corner as Iolani went on a pivotal 7-0 run.

That gave the Raiders a 44-37 lead with 4:57 left, and Punahou scored only two more points the rest of the way.

OIA WEST

Pearl City 52, Nanakuli 51 OT

Jazmin Pahukoa-Malia scored the game-winner with less than 5 seconds left in overtime as the Chargers beat the upset-minded Golden Hawks.

Pahukoa-Malia finished with a game-high 15 points, while Lahela Sylva-Kanagusuku had 11 to pace Nanakuli.

No. 9 Radford 40, Leilehua 33

Details were not available.

OIA WHITE

Kailua 49, Kaiser 43

Kristen Corrales scored all eight of her points in the first half as the Surfriders jumped out to a big lead early before holding off the Cougars late.

Jessica Dusich had a game-high 21 points for Kaiser.