There will either be a back-to-back champion or a first-time titlist at the Stan Sheriff Center on Friday night.

Defending champion Saint Louis of the ILH and inaugural state finalist Campbell of the OIA earned their way into the title game of the Heide & Cook/HHSAA boys basketball Division I championships at Moanalua on Thursday.


What You Need To Know

  • Top-seeded Saint Louis and second-seeded Campbell advanced to Friday's 7 p.m. final of the HHSAA Division I boys basketball championships with semifinal wins over Moanalua and Maryknoll on Thursday night

  • ILH champ Saint Louis is going for back-to-back championships, but with a heavily rebuilt roster, while OIA champ Campbell is making its inaugural state finals appearance

  • Forward Mason Muaau made key plays in double overtime to help Campbell prevail while forward Pupualii Sepulona had 21 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Crusaders

  • Kohala and University Lab School will meet at 5 p.m. in the Division II championship after ousting Hawaii Baptist Academy and Kauai in the semifinals

They will meet at 7 p.m. Friday at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Campbell, the first-time OIA champion, prevailed over Maryknoll, 46-38, in a double-overtime thriller. The game was played within six points for the entire second half.

The Sabers, coached by Wyatt Tau, led by a point going into the fourth quarter and there were five lead changes in the period. Maryknoll’s Hunter Marumoto hit a 3-pointer with 20 seconds left for a two-point lead but Campbell forward Rondell Blenman-Villarreal came through with a bucket, plus the foul, with under 10 seconds left as part of his game-high 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting. However, he missed the free throw and the game went to overtime.

Campbell’s Miles Hornage and Maryknoll’s Micah Kubo exchanged baskets and that would be all the scoring in the first extra period as the Spartans’ Zion Milare missed a shot before the buzzer.

The Sabers scored the first seven points of 2OT, including four by Sabers football wideout Mason Muaau, who had a steal and a block in the period. Maryknoll, the state champion in 2019 and 2020, was 1-for-8 from the field and 0-for-2 at the line with two turnovers in the frame.  

Hornage scored 10 points for the Sabers while Malik Jackson had nine and Muaau eight.

Senior guard Justin Yap led the Spartans with 14 points and four assists as one of three players for coach Kelly Grant to play the entire game. Blenman-Villarreal played the whole way for Campbell.

In the nightcap, ILH champion Saint Louis pulled away from upstart Moanalua, 47-34, behind 21 points and 11 rebounds from sophomore forward Pupualii Sepulona.

Moanalua, the OIA’s sixth-place team, won the first quarter 6-4 but got walloped in the second to fall behind by six at halftime. Na Menehune got it to within four points on two occasions in the third quarter on free throws by Skylar Miyasato, but the Crusaders lengthened their advantage to 10 points going into the fourth.

Baskets by Miyasato and Jerone Williams brought it to six points in the fourth but Dan Hale’s team had a response both times.

Moanalua top offensive option Miyasato was held to 12 points on 2-for-10 shooting with eight turnovers.

The Crusaders, who last year achieved their first state title in 36 years, are going for their eighth overall championship. They haven’t won back-to-back titles since their run of three straight from 1966 to 1968. Hale is going for his third championship after leading Punahou to a title in 2008.

Saint Louis coach Dan Hale is going for his third overall state championship, and second with the Crusaders. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)

The 5 p.m. Division II final will be between Kohala of the BIIF and University Lab School of the ILH. Kohala, the top seed, defeated Hawaii Baptist Academy 61-45, while UHS prevailed over Kauai 56-45.

Kohala’s lone state title came in 2020 while UHS, a five-time champion overall, won Division II in 2016.

Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.