Jordan Nunuha’s layup at the buzzer lifted No. 3 Saint Louis over No. 2 Maryknoll, 36-34, on Saturday afternoon to secure the second and last state-tournament berth for the ILH.

A packed house at Maryknoll Community Center saw the home team struggle in the third quarter before rallying from a 13-point deficit to tie the game at 34 on Hunter Marumoto’s elbow jumper with five seconds left.

Saint Louis point guard Shancin Revuelto inbounded to Pupu Sepulona and got the ball right back. Revuelto raced upcourt with two crossovers. A buzzer went off inadvertently, but the teams didn’t pause. Nunuha cut to the basket from the right corner, and Revuelto found him near the right block. His shot bounced off the back rim and dropped through the twine as the buzzer sounded.

“We work on this play five times at every practice,” said Sepulona, who led Saint Louis with 12 points, eight rebounds and three assists.

“That’s the play called YOLO,” Nunuha said. “That’s something we run and we really execute. I’m the last resort of the play. It’s so surreal. I saw the bounce. I thought it was going to miss, but it went in.”

Revuelto was part of a defensive game plan to contain Maryknoll’s top scorers, Zion Milare and Marumoto. Revuelto’s offensive savvy, however, was everything on the final play.

“They were all trying to key on us, and Jordan found a wide-open spot and made the shot. I had to trust him. He makes that shot every day and it paid off today,” Revuelto said. “Everyone doubted us. Everyone thought that Maryknoll would just blow us out. We prepared this whole week for them.”

Saint Louis (23-6 overall) will play at No. 1 Punahou for the ILH title on Monday. Punahou (20-5) has been idle since winning the regular season and earning the ILH’s first state-tournament berth on Jan. 25. Saint Louis has won the past two league crowns. Monday’s winner will secure an opening-round berth at states.

Milare had 15 points and Marumoto tallied 14, including 10 in the second quarter to keep the Spartans close. Milare battled for every open look while being draped by Saint Louis stopper Stone Kanoa. Milare shot 5-for-14 from the field but scored seven crucial points in the final quarter.

With the state tournament pushed back a week from its original Feb. 12 opening date, teams like Saint Louis got more practice time in. A play like YOLO might get forgotten, otherwise.

“We work on that. It opened up. This is the beauty of having that week off. We had the chance to revisit a lot of these things for different scenarios,” Crusaders coach Dan Hale said. “That was a tough shot, but Jordan made it. We have to trust each other; Shancin knows five seconds is a lot of time, especially with a full head of steam.’

Five ILH teams were ranked in the Top 10 this season.

“At this point, we’ve been through the wars with a heck of a team we just beat. Credit to Maryknoll for fighting back. Hunter and Zion, these guys have been around. They shoot 3s, they attack, so we knew they were going to come back,” Hale said.

After opening a 12-6 lead in the first quarter, Saint Louis led at the half 22-18 as Sepulona dished three assists, including two layups by Kanoa.

Saint Louis locked down in the third quarter, limiting Milare and Marumoto to five total shot attempts. Maryknoll shot 1-for-8 from the field in the third as Saint Louis opened a 29-20 lead.

The Crusaders opened the fourth quarter with a layup by Kanoa on a pass from Jordan Posiulai, and after Caelan Fernando fed Sepulona for a bucket, the lead was 33-20.

Eight Saint Louis turnovers helped Maryknoll go on a 14-1 run. Milare scored seven points, and Muramoto drove for an and-1 to bring the Spartans within 34-32 with 20.4 seconds left.

Revuelto missed two free throws with 17.6 seconds remaining. Marumoto then pulled up over Fernando for a jumper from the elbow to tie the game with five seconds remaining.

Two-time defending state champion Saint Louis gets a chance to three-peat at the state tournament, which begins on Feb. 19. Maryknoll closed the season 22-6 overall.

Either way, the heartbreak would have been inevitable for one of the state’s powerhouse programs. Maryknoll was No. 1 in the Star-Advertiser Boys Basketball Top 10 for five consecutive weeks from Dec. 4 to Jan. 1. A loss to Mid-Pacific knocked the Spartans off the top spot.

Saint Louis began the season at No. 1, but an overtime loss to University on Nov. 30 dropped the Crusaders to No. 3.

Last year, league champion Saint Louis and Maryknoll were the ILH’s qualifiers. Maryknoll reached the semifinal round and lost to Campbell. Saint Louis edged Campbell 41-39 for the title.

In 2022, Saint Louis won the league, joined at states by Maryknoll and ‘Iolani.