It was a tale of two putters yesterday for the two Hawai'i girls yesterday playing in the semifinals of the U.S. Girls' Junior Championship at Lakewood, Wash.

Sacred Hearts senior Ayaka Kaneko sank a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to advanced to the finals, while Punahou senior Stephanie Kono couldn't get a crucial putt to fall in a loss at Tacoma Country & Golf Club in Lakewood, Wash.

Kaneko, of Honolulu, defeated Michelle Shin, 16, of Cape Coral, Fla., 1 up. In the championship match, Kaneko will meet Kristen Park, 14, of Buena Park, Calif., who beat Kono, 2-up.

Kaneko, 17, will be playing in her first U.S. Girls' Junior match play final, which is scheduled for 36 holes today. She will try to become the first U.S. Girls' champion from Hawai'i since Lori Castillo beat Jenny Lidback, 4 and 2, in the 1978 final.

After Kaneko built a 3-up lead through 12 holes, Shin won holes No. 13 and 14 to close to 1-up. Shin squared the match by winning the 16th hole with a 11-footer for birdie.

Both players parred the 17th hole, including Kaneko sinking a 16-footer. On No. 18, Shin's 21-footer for birdie missed before Kaneko sank her 20-footer for the victory.

"That last putt, it was miracle I guess," Kaneko said in a story at the tournament's Web site. "This is my first time I make it to the finals, so I am really excited. I just want to enjoy tomorrow."

Park took a 3-up lead on the 13th, but Kono took the 14th and 15th holes to close to 1-up. Kono had a chance to square the match on the par-5 16th. But her 6-footer for par slid by the hole.

"That was just a misread," Kono said. "I guess I used up all my putts yesterday. That's the way it goes. You can't read them all right."

After both players parred the par-3 No. 17, Park birdied the par-5 18th hole for the victory.

On the 18th, Kono's tee shot went into a fairway bunker. Her second shot landed in the rough and she was unable to advance her ball out of the rough. With Park safely on the green in three, Kono conceded the hole.

Kono, who was playing in her sixth and final U.S. Girls Junior, beat former Hilo resident Kimberly Kim in the quarterfinals.

"Today I just made too many mistakes," Kono said. "Nothing really worked for me and Kristen played really solid, so she deserved to win."

The U.S. Girls' Junior conducted by the United States Golfers Association.

Information from www.usgirlsjunior.org was used in this report.