Kamehameha-Hawai'i proved it's more than a one-bulldozer team last night as the Warriors' supporting players made Seabury Hall pay for a defensive scheme designed to shut down junior center Tabitha Eseroma.

Sophomore swing Kanisha Bello scored 18 points and came up with several decisive plays in the final minutes as the Warriors defeated the Spartans, 53-46, in the second round of the Division II state girls basketball tournament at Farrington High School.

Eseroma, who scored 27 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in a first-round victory over St. Francis Tuesday, overcame a rough first half to finish with 13 points, 14 rebounds and three assists.

Seabury Hall was led by junior forward Yacine Meyer, who finished with 13 points and four rebounds. She also helped to contain Eseroma for much of the game before getting into foul trouble. Senior guard Chelsea Kikuchi added 12 points and seven assists for the Spartans.

"I'm so proud of our team, proud of our bench players, and especially proud of our guards, who really stepped up," Eseroma said as she applied ice to her swollen knees after the game. "Without my guards, I'm nothing, just a rebounder."

Seabury Hall played Meyer on Eseroma for much of the game, quickly double-teaming Eseroma whenever she entered the post. The strategy worked as the Warriors struggled to find an offensive flow.

But Eseroma, Bello and guard Ashlee Kalauli made sure the Spartans didn't get any easy shots either.

Down 17-13, Seabury finally found its rhythm in the closing minutes of the half when Meyer hit a pull-up jumper in the lane to spark a 12-0 run.

Senior forward Korena Burgio hit a pair of free throws to tie the score and Kikuchi nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give Seabury the lead 20-17.

With 36 seconds left in the half, Kikuchi was fouled on a 3-point attempt. She hit two of the ensuing three free throw attempts to give Seabury a 25-17 advantage at the half.

"At halftime, we were down and we've never been down," Eseroma said. "I told them, 'six inches.' We just had to play through it and get the win."

Eseroma explained that "six inches" is the space between a player's ears, a concept head coach Kalani Silva uses to make his team realize the importance of the mental game.

Eseroma asserted her will in the third quarter, battling down low for two put-back baskets and a pair of jumpers. When Seabury Hall switched to a zone defense, it freed Kalauli and Chassie Luiz to take and make three big 3-pointers.

The Warriors pulled even in the fourth quarter on a put-back basket by Kozy Toriano, then took the lead on a pull-up jumper from just inside the 3-point line by Bello.

After two more ties, Bello broke the game open with a steal and a layup to put Kamehameha ahead 46-44, then another steal that led to a pair of free throws.

Kaci Rosehill's steal and a layup with 12 seconds left sealed the game.

"We played well but we made some critical errors," said Seabury Hall head coach Phillip Tongg. "We wanted to limit (Eseroma) but Kamehameha has a lot of weapons."

MCKINLEY 58, WAIMEA 33

Kaitlyn Ikehara scored all 18 of her points in the first half, on 6-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc, as McKinley routed Waimea in a Division II quarterfinal at Farrington.

Versatile guard Kylie Sato added 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists for McKinley. Moani Durant was the only Waimea player to finish in double-figures, scoring 16 points and grabbing five rebounds.

Ikehara, who played just seven minutes in the second half, hit a 3-pointer fading sideways at the top of the key with one second left to give the Lady Tigers a 40-16 lead at halftime.

While Ikehara blazed from the outside, the Lady Tigers' frontcourt players held their ground in the post.

Pearly Togiai and Jorina Faletoi combined for 18 points and 14 rebounds (six offensive) for McKinley.

McKinley head coach Bob Morikuni said he'll need a similarly big night from his players tonight against Kamehameha-Hawai'i in the semifinals.

"We live and die with our shooting and we've got to make shots tomorrow," Morikuni said. "It will be an up-and-down game. I watched Kamehameha tonight and they're going to cause us a lot of problems. I have a lot of respect for them. They're everything that's advertised."

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.