John Lujan | Special to SL

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John Lujan | Special to SL

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Its a big week upcoming for ILH Division I boys basketball, with a berth into the HHSAA boys basketball tournament up for grabs to the league's regular season champion.

Entering the week with a 6-2 mark, the title is Saint Louis' to lose.

The Crusaders utlimately control its own destiny, as they only need to win one of its final two games to clinch the title, and can do no worse than tie for first.

First up on Feb 2 is a road game against Kamehameha (4-4), a squad that handed the Crusaders their first loss back on Jan 15. The Warriors entered last week on a four-game winning streak, but enter the final week of play this week nursing a two-game skid.

A loss against the Warriors Tuesday will make for a high-stakes senior night in McCabe Gymnasium on Feb 4 against surging Punahou (4-4). The Buffanblu have reemerged as a contender once again after posting three straight wins over Mid-Pacific, Iolani and Kamehameha to create a three-way log jam for second place.

One win in two chances seems simple enough, but nothing has been a given in ILH D1 play this year.

So in the event that the Crusaders somehow fail to take care of business this week, a number of scenarios emerge.

The most implausible of the bunch: Punahou notches wins at home against Maryknoll (3-5) and on the road against Saint Louis, Kamehameha posts home wins over Saint Louis and Mid-Pacific (3-5) and Iolani (4-4) tops Mid-Pacific on the road and Maryknoll at home. This would create a four-way tie for first, with all teams sporting a 6-4 record.

The three-way tie: Punahou beats Maryknoll and Saint Louis and Kamehameha takes down Saint Louis and Mid-Pacific to create a three-way tie. Iolani loses a game against either the Owls or the Spartans to finish in fourth at 5-5.

The two-team playoff: Punahou and Kamehameha both take down Saint Louis, but one team loses its other remaining game and the other wins out, setting up two teams at 6-4. Saint Louis, and either Punahou or Kamehameha finish tied for first, forcing a one-game playoff for the regular season title.

Regardless of this week's outcomes, all six teams will play in the Division I single elimination tournament on Feb 9-12, with the second berth into states on the line.

Buckle up for an interesting finish to what has been one of the closest ILH Division I campaigns, at least top to bottom, in recent memory.