Making free throws can bring happiness on the faces of your teammates.
Amber Ogata proved that theory to be true on Wednesday night when she calmly went to the free throw line and sank two attempts with 8.5 seconds remaining to lift host Mililani to a 57-55 girls basketball victory over Kapolei.

Just 15 seconds earlier, Ogata had tied the game at 55-all when she connected on a 3-pointer from the left side of the arc. Her game-ending scoring enabled the Trojans to maintain a share of first place along with Pearl City in the Oahu Interscholastic Association Red West.

Both teams sport a 7-1 record in league play. Mililani travels to Pearl City on January 21 in a game which could eventually determine the division’s champion.

“After all of these years of playing basketball (since the fourth grade) this is the first time I have ever had the chance to win a game in the closing seconds,” Ogata joyfully said. “My teammates worked extremely hard tonight to put me in a position to hit those last shots. I’m happy that I was able to come through for them.”

The game was close from beginning to end as neither team was able to hold on to a sizable lead for very long. Leading 24-23 at halftime, Mililani survived to overcome a slow third-quarter start and slowly reclaim its one-point lead by the end of the quarter.

The final quarter was filled with plenty of excitement for Mililani fans as the Trojans had to mount another comeback. Kapolei quickly opened up a six-point lead behind the inside scoring of 6-2 center Leilani Tuani-Fifita. But that lead didn’t last long. Mililani point guard Kellie Sakai used her speed to connect on a 3-pointer and two free throws to close the gap to 47-45. Then Ogata added a jumper to knot the score at 47-47.  Kapolei then attempted to distance itself from Mililani once again. However, the Trojans managed to stay close enough for Ogata to display her game-closing offensive skills.  Coming off of a screen, Ogata brought the crowd to its feet when her 3-pointer swished through the nets. “The 3-pointer was a set play.  Kapolei was covering me pretty good. When I got around the screen that my teammate had set for me, I was able to get off the shot. I kinda of forced it and was off-balanced, but somehow it went in,” Ogata said.

The 3-pointer was the fourth of the evening for Ogata, who finished with 20 points.

“This was a huge win for us,” Mililani coach Patrick Basilio said. “I think all of the hard work that our players are putting in the gym is really paying off. This was a game that will really needed.”  Basilio says his team is looking forward to playing Pearl City in the last regular season game. “This win makes the Pearl City game much more important. I believe that the winner will claim the division title.