Edward Jackson (OIA Contributing Writer)
Fiatagata Tailele-Laty’s style of play is all-out hustle. That style proved to be the difference as her performance on Wednesday, December 8th helped Kahuku win their girls basketball game over host Kaimuki 54-38 in Oahu Interscholastic Association action.
Tailele-Laty recently returned from a knee injury, but despite being slowed by that injury she went out on the court with a determination to win. She changed the complexion of this Kahuku team with her defense and completely out-hustled everyone.
Her spirited play energized a Kahuku defense that shut down the league’s leading scorer in Alison Pologa and held Kaimuki to three points in the third quarter.
The win was Kahuku’s second straight out of five games. The victory seems to be an indication that the team is beginning to jell after a slow early season start.
A member of Kahuku’s Blue Division volleyball team, Tailele-Laty said during that time that “winning games is a way to prove that you’re ready to move on.” She added, “Certainly I want to win. I want to have fun playing and its fun to win. But coming to practice is just as important. The coaches here at Kahuku are constantly helping us work on techniques that are critical to our development.”
Kaimuki, the defending Division 2 state champions, went ahead 17-14 at the end of the first quarter. Towards the end of the second the Bulldogs’ offense began to falter as Kahuku applied intense pressure.
Ahead by two, 28-26, at halftime, Kahuku continued applying press on Kaimuki shooters and that effort enabled the Raiders to take control for the rest of the game.
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