Sometimes, you just make your own breaks.

The Lahainaluna Lunas put their hustle and clutch play on display in a momentous 75-69 seven-overtime win over Konawaena on Saturday night. It was a night of memorable plays, almost too many to count. But there were a select few that were especially big as the Lunas defended their Division II state championship

>> A second-quarter sack by Elijah Oliveira-Kalalau forced a fumble by Konawaena QB Austin Ewing, and teammate Koa Evalu-Robinson scored the first TD of his life on the 7-yard return. Evalu-Robinson, a first-year player as a senior, had played basketball for the Lunas. He tried out for the team twice, but didn’t stick it out. Last year, he didn’t even try out.

“When it happened, I thought it was a dead ball when I picked it up,” Evalu-Robinson said. “I started taking it (to the end zone) and someone started chasing me.”

That play gave Lahainaluna a 21-6 lead with 4:04 left in the first half.

>> Joshua Tihada, a quarterback/running back, not only scored five TDs, but came up with the biggest catch of the season. On third-and-28 in the first OT and the Lunas already trailing 38-31, Tihada ran a deep post pattern and hauled in a 32-yard pass to the Konawaena 6. It was a gritty throw by Nainoa Irish, who was hit on his release, causing the ball to wobble down the hashmarks.

“We saw the safety start coming up,” co-head coach Garret Tihada noted.

With most of the Lunas’ passes near the sidelines, it worked out at the right time.

“I didn’t even know if I was close to the first down,” said Joshua Tihada, the coach’s nephew.

Moments later, he ran in from 1 yard out and the first of seven extra periods was underway.

>> Big Pablo Rico was a kickoff touchback machine all night, and he is normally sure-footed on PATs and field goals. In the sixth OT, however, the lineman/place-kicker set up for a 27-yard field goal with the game tied at 66.

“He was trying to kick it too hard,” coach Tihada said.

Rico’s kick turned into a flying saucer rather than end-over-end. The ball barely got more than 12 feet off the ground, and eclipsed the crossbar by inches. That gave Lahainaluna a 69-66 lead.

“I mean, I was a little bit nervous,” Rico conceded. “I was surprised it went over.”

The Lunas’ training program and disciplined approach aren’t for everyone. They just make do and excel. Even if the drama — losing a 15-point lead — gave all their coaches plenty of stress.

“These kids refuse to quit. They refuse to die,” co-head coach Bobby Watson said. “I’m happy for the kids. They worked hard, and we’re very fortunate.”