Trystin Stevens’ corner 3 with 6.1 seconds left lifted No. 6-ranked Leilehua over No. 3 Mililani, 49-48, for the OIA Division I boys basketball championship on Wednesday night at McKinley Student Council Gymnasium.
Mililani called time out with 5.3 seconds to go, but Tim Dorn’s contested 3 from the top missed as time expired.
“I came off and I saw the guy cheat over (to teammate Twain Wilson). I had the open shot. I took it,” Stevens said. “It’s all, forget about (misses). Keep shooting.”
Wilson was double teamed before delivering his pass to Stevens, who was 1-for-3 on earlier 3-point tries.
“It’s next man up. You always have to be ready to shoot. We try not to put too much of a cap on our guys. Keep that confidence,” Mules coach Chad Townsend said. “If you’re open, take the shot.”
Leilehua (22-4 overall) will have an opening-round bye at the upcoming Heide &Cook/HHSAA State Championships. Twain Wilson led the Mules with 25 points (10-for-17 from the field) and nine rebounds. Tyree Wilson chipped in 10 points.
Tim Dorn, a 6-foot-7 sophomore, led Mililani with 20 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocks. Roman Gabriel added 10 points.
Mililani (21-5) had already clinched a state berth. The teams met in the regular-season finale on Jan. 26, a game won by Mililani, 57-55.
“Leilehua got better. We know every time we play them, it’s a close game,” Mililani coach Garrett Gabriel said. “We were able to fight back and give ourselves a chance. Leilehua just made the plays when they had to. They did a good job.”
Twain Wilson was spectacular on the big stage, scoring all 25 of his points in the first three quarters.
“Honestly, we had to come in locked in, keep focused. Our coaches told us (at halftime) our defense has to win the game. We were doing good already on offense,” Twain Wilson said. “Trystin and my teammates, it starts at practice. Just me having trust in them. If it was anyone in that corner, I would’ve passed it to him. I knew that was going in.”
Beating the defending champion Trojans, however, requires a team effort. Ui Muti came up with two key buckets in the paint during Leilehua’s rally, and Stevens’ clutch shot capped an up-and-down season hampered in part by injury.
“Trystin got hurt multiple times this season. He was going good in preseason, sprained his ankle at practice before the Kaimuki tournament,” Townsend noted. “Then right when he was coming back, sprained it again. It’s great for the kid. He’s awesome. Mentally tough.”
The title is Leilehua’s first in boys basketball since 1988.
“It feels unreal. I feel great for the community. You can see, there’s such great community support to the end. Students all came out. We have great support from our school, our administration, my family, and especially my wife,” Townsend said
Roman Gabriel and Ezekiel Virtudes combined for six points as Mililani broke a tie early in the second quarter. After Lauvai Pine hustled for a putback and Gabriel made a free throw, the Trojans led 22-13.
Leilehua’s scoreless skid ended on a straightaway 3 by Twain Wilson with 1:03 left in the first half.
Mililani led at the break, 22-16.
The Trojans opened an eight-point lead, but the Mules unleashed fullcourt pressure and ran the break. Twain Wilson fed Tyree Wilson for a layup to cap
an 11-2 run by Leilehua, cutting the lead to 32-31 with 2:31 to go in the third stanza.
The run wasn’t done for Leilehua. Tyree Wilson’s free throws gave the Mules the lead, 33-32, and after brother Twain Wilson dropped back-to-back 3-pointers, the Mules led 39-34 to end the third quarter. Twain Wilson’s 3-pointer at the buzzer capped a 13-point third quarter. The senior guard had 25 points total going into the final quarter.
Mililani fell behind by eight, but pulled within 42-41 after Dorn sank three free throws with 5:35 left.
Ui Muti came up with a layup and started a key fast break with a swat. Twain Wilson fed Stevens for a wing 3 as the Mules led 46-41 with 4:47 left.
The Trojans got within four on a free throw by #3, and Dorn clutched up with a follow shot and then a turnaround jumper near the block to tie the game at 46 with 2:09 remaining.
Virtudes then weaved through traffic for a layup that bounced up off the back of the rim and dropped through with 38 seconds left for a 48-46 lead.
