The Lana'i girls basketball team started strong but fell short in its first trip to the state tournament.

Ashley Jacobs scored a game-high 13 points and Kailua rallied to beat Lana'i, 45-33, last night in the first round of the Hawaiian Airlines/HHSAA Girls Division II Basketball State Championships at McKinley.

"Lana'i played with a lot of heart," Kailua coach Ramona Takahashi said. "They were rebounding well, and they hustled their butts off. We had a height advantage, but we didn't use it to the best of our ability."

Kailua, the O'ahu Interscholastic Association third-place team, plays top-seed Sacred Hearts (13-0) at 8 tonight at McKinley.

"It's going to be a tough challenge," Takahashi said.

Lana'i (7-6) led 7-1 in the first quarter and held a one-point lead at halftime, but the Surfriders (11-5) slowly chipped away at their undersized opponent. Lana'i's tallest player was 5-foot-8 Erin Trevino.

"Trying to play a pressure game against these guys took a toll on our team," said Lana'i coach Jim Fernandez Jr., whose team was outrebounded, 33-26.

Jacobs and Kayelynn Kohatsu each scored four points during an 11-0 run spanning the third and fourth quarters as Kailua took the lead for good, 36-27, with 7:46 to go. Kristen Corrales also hit a deep 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer.

Kailua outscored Lana'i, 26-9, in the second half. The Surfriders could have scored more, but they were just 12 for 29 from the free-throw line.

"In the second half, down the stretch, we were able to make our free throws," said Takahashi, whose team made 9 of 12 foul shots in the final quarter.

Leslyn Suarez-Birano led Lana'i with nine points.

Lana'i, the Maui Interscholastic League runner up, will play La Pietra at 4 today in a consolation bracket game.

"We wanted to show, even for a small school, Lana'i can play some basketball," Fernandez Jr. said. "Our enrollment is about 189 students."

CAMPBELL 58, LA PIETRA 41

Vai Confer played through a shoulder injury and finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Oli Kila added 12 points and 10 rebounds as Campbell rolled past La Pietra last night in a first-round game at McKinley.

"It hurts, but I'm not letting it bother me," Confer said of the tendinitis in her right shooting shoulder that was wrapped in ice after the game. "This is our first appearance (Campbell's fourth but first since 1997) in states. I want to make it big for our school."

The Sabers, the O'ahu Interscholastic Association runner-up, will meet Hawai'i Prep, the Big Island Interscholastic Federation champion, at 6 tonight at McKinley.

Confer, Cheyna Tagura and Kila each scored 10 points in Campbell's 40-point second half.

Tagura and Kila had two baskets each during an 8-0 run to open the third quarter as Campbell (13-2) extended its five-point halftime lead to 26-13 against La Pietra (12-6).

Leah Kaina's basket cut La Pietra's deficit to 30-23, but that's as close as it would get for the banged-up Lady Panthers, who had post Sarah Peoples and guard Kaina playing through foot injuries, and post Megan Giles in foul trouble most of the game.

"Campbell is way too athletic, way too strong to give them anything," La Pietra coach Anthony Czaja said. "In the second half, they got a few run outs, and once you give them a couple, they kind of smell blood and go for it."

Confer put the game away by scoring on three consecutive layups during a 13-0 run that bridged the third and fourth quarters as Campbell took a 49-27 lead with 5:13 to go before La Pietra's reserves made the score respectable.

"La Pietra slowed us down, they created a lot of turnovers," Campbell coach Nathan Macadangdang said. "Once we got out on the break, we put a little separation between us."

Campbell outrebounded La Pietra, 44-19.

Reach Brandon Masuoka at bmasuoka@honoluluadvertiser.com.