Falcons escape against Trojans to reach OIA D1 final, will face fellow-unbeaten Sabers Wednesday

Greg Yamamoto | SL

The title game of the Oahu Interscholastic Association Division I girls basketball tournament on Wednesday will see a pair of unbeatens square off for the league crown.

No. 7 Kalani escaped with a down-to-the-wire 45-44 win over unranked Mililani in the early semifinal at McKinley's Student Council Gymnasium Monday, while No. 5 Campbell held off ninth-ranked Moanalua by a score of 47-42 in the nightcap.

The Falcons (12-0) and Sabers (12-0) will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday at McKinley in the final game of the OIA season.

Kalani, the No. 1 seed out of the Eastern Division, got 23 points from freshman Jordin Baker in its victory over the West No. 2 seed Mililani.

The Falcons trailed by as many as seven late in the first quarter, but outscored the Trojans over the final three quarter by a 37-30 margin.

Angel Stephenson and Isabelle Baker added six points, 10 rebounds and two assists apiece for Kalani, which shot 52.6 percent from the field after halftime.

Autumn Lagafuaina scored 13 points and Karissa Kamada added 11 to pace the Trojans (7-5).

Mililani shot 39.1 percent from the field and just 4 of 14 from the free-throw line.

The score was tied at 17 at halftime.

West top-seeded Campbell was led by Makana Kamakeeaina and Jaynalyn Sotelo, who tallied 16 and 14 points apiece, respectively.

Tacgere grabbed 14 rebounds and also recorded four blocks and four steals in the loss. She made eight of her nine attempts from the free-throw line and played all but one minute.

Dorian Pokipala posted eight points and 10 rebounds and Shanti Castillo chipped in eight points, six rebounds and five assists for the Sabers.

Serenity Tacgere poured in a game-high 22 points to lead Na Menehune (9-3), the No. 2 seed out of the East.

Campbell committed 23 fouls, which led to 27 free-throw attempts by Moanalua, but it converted only 13 of them.

Na Menehune turned it over 25 times to 17 turnovers for the Sabers.

Campbell held a 23-16 lead at the intermission.

Moanalua and Mililani will play for third place on Wednesday.

The Sabers will be trying for their third OIA crown and first since 2023, while the Falcons will be seeking their sixth league title and first since 2018.

Kalani and Campbell will tip off no earlier than 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. It will follow the OIA D2 final between Kaiser and Pearl City, which is slated for a 5:30 p.m. start time.