Kendall WebbSun, February 15, 2026 at 2:49 AM UTC·1 min readKahuku rallies to win Hawaii's Division I boys basketball championship while Kohala takes the Division II crown originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Aloha State crowned two state champions in boys basketball Friday as Hawaii's HHSAA boys basketball season came to a close.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIn Division I, the Kahuku [HI] Red Raiders dispatched the rival St. Louis [Honolulu, HI] Crusaders, 42-38, in the semifinals Thursday before winning Friday's state championship game in almost identical fashion in a 40-38 win over the Punahou [Honolulu, HI] Buff n' Blue.
The title is Kahuku's first since 2017, and it came against a defending state champion Punahou squad that was playing in its third straight Division I title game. The Red Raiders managed just two points in the first quarter, trailing 10-2 headed into the second quarter and 22-9 at the half.
Still trailing 32-23 headed to the fourth quarter, the Red Raiders turned up the heat on the defensive end to outscore the Buff n' Blue, 17-6, over the final eight minutes. Finally even at 38-all, Inoke Lloyd's basket on a backdoor cut with just four seconds left ultimately was enough to clinch the win and deliver the state championship trophy to the boys from the North Shore.
The Division II crown went to the Kohala [Kapaau, HI] Cowboys who raced out to a 20-2 first-quarter lead over the Seabury [Makawao, HI] Spartans and never looked back in a 49-35 triumph. The win helped the Cowboys avenge their 59-49 loss to the Spartans in last year's Division II semifinals.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHawaii's HHSAA high school boys basketball playoff bracket and state championship results
Division I
2026 HHSAA Boys Basketball State Championship Division I
Division II
2026 HHSAA Boys Basketball State Championship Division II
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