Saint Louis doesn’t do a lot of drama, but the Crusaders sure know how to win in the clutch.
Coaches and media rewarded Saint Louis with all nine first-place votes, marking the 10th week in a row for the three-time defending state champions at No. 1 in the Star-Advertiser Boys Basketball Top 10.
Saint Louis (27-1, 10-0 ILH) opened last week with a convincing win over No. 10 Kamehameha, then eked out victories over Punahou and Maryknoll, playing some of their best basketball in the final minutes. Again.
The Crusaders’ full-tilt ILH schedule eases up this week with a single game against the dangerous Mid-Pacific Owls.
Punahou (21-5, 6-2 ILH) and Leilehua remain entrenched at Nos. 2 and 3. University leaped over Kailua and has its highest ranking of the season at No. 4. The Junior Rainbows pulled out narrow wins over ‘Iolani (51-50), Maryknoll (56-49) and Mid-Pacific (69-65) last week.
Now at its healthiest since early preseason, ULS (16-9, 6-3 ILH) has a crucial showdown with Punahou at 6 p.m. The ILH has three state-tournament berths, which means the top two regular-season winners will earn automatic spots.
Meanwhile, Mililani is now one of three teams with two losses in the OIA West following a forfeit loss to Campbell. The Trojans had won the game, but was later tagged with a forfeiture for playing an ineligible player.
Until the forfeiture, Mililani had won seven games in a row by an average scoring margin of 40.4 points. The streak began after a 51-50 loss to first-place Leilehua. At 8-2, Mililani has the head-to-head tiebreaker over Kapolei (7-2), but is now at the mercy of Campbell (7-2). The Sabers can clinch second place and a first-round bye in the playoffs with a win over Radford tonight.
Star-Advertiser Boys Basketball Top 10
Monday, Jan. 27, 2025
Rank School (1st) (record) Pts LW
1. Saint Louis (27-1, 10-0 ILH) (9) 90 1
> won at No. 10 Kamehameha, 66-49
> won at No. 2 Punahou, 52-44
> won at No. 6 Maryknoll, 49-45
> next: at #Mid-Pacific, Thursday, Jan. 30, 6 p.m.
> next: at #‘Iolani, Feb. 4, 6 p.m.
2. Punahou (21-5, 6-2 ILH) 80 2
> def. Mid-Pacific, 72-47
> lost to No. 1 Saint Louis, 52-44
> next: vs. No. 5 University, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 6 p.m. (Punahou gym)
> next: vs. ‘Iolani, Thursday, Jan. 30, 6 p.m.
> next: vs. University, Feb. 1, 2 p.m.
> next: at Kamehameha, Feb. 3, 6:30 p.m.
3. Leilehua (19-5, 9-0 OIA) 67 3
> def. Nanakuli, 72-44
> next: vs. Kapolei, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 7 p.m.
> next: TBD, OIA playoffs
4. University (16-9, 6-3 ILH) 64 5
> won at No. 9 ‘Iolani, 51-50
> def. No. 6 Maryknoll, 56-49
> def. Mid-Pacific, 69-65
> next: at Punahou, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 6 p.m.
> next: at Punahou, Feb. 1, 2 p.m.
> next: at Kamehameha, Feb. 5
5. Kailua (21-4, 10-0 OIA) 50 4
> def. Kaiser, 51-39
> def. Roosevelt, 68-44
> next: TBD, OIA playoffs
6. Maryknoll (18-9, 2-6 ILH) 37 6-t
> lost to No. 5 University, 56-48
> lost to No. 1 Saint Louis, 48-45
> next: vs. No. 9 ‘Iolani, Monday, Jan. 27, 6 p.m.
> next: vs. Kamehameha, Jan. 30, 6 p.m.
> next: at ‘Iolani, Feb. 1, 6 p.m.
> next: at Mid-Pacific, Feb. 3, 6 p.m.
7. (tie) Kahuku (15-8, 8-1 OIA) 34 8
> def. Kalani, 60-37
> won at Kaiser, 52-29
> next: vs. Roosevelt, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 7 p.m.
7. (tie) Mililani (17-5, 8-2 OIA) 34 6-t
> lost to Campbell, 2-0 (forfeit)
> won at Kapolei, 66-53
> next: TBD, OIA playoffs
9. ‘Iolani (13-11, 3-5 ILH) 16 9
> lost to No. 5 University, 51-50
> def. Mid-Pacific, 60-53
> lost to No. 10 Kamehameha, 58-57 (OT)
> next: at Maryknoll, Monday, Jan. 27, 6 p.m.
> next: at Punahou, Jan. 30, 6 p.m.
> next: vs. Maryknoll, Feb. 1, 6 p.m.
> next: vs. Saint Louis, Feb. 4, 6 p.m.
10. Kamehameha (7-13, 2-6 ILH) 15 10
> lost to No. 1 Saint Louis, 66-49
> won at No. 9 ‘Iolani, 58-57 (OT)
> next: at Mid-Pacific, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 6 p.m.
> next: at Maryknoll, Thursday, Jan. 30, 6 p.m.
> next: vs. Punahou, Feb. 3, 6:30 p.m.
> next: vs. University, Feb. 5, 6 p.m.
Also receiving votes: Seabury Hall 5, Kamehameha-Hawaii 2, Mid-Pacific 1.
