Down 20 points late in the third quarter, the Kamehameha Warriors did the unthinkable.

The Warriors went on a 25-0 run to shock top-seeded Konawaena in overtime, 45-39, in the Division I final of the Hawaiian Airlines/HHSAA Girls Basketball State Championships.

It was the greatest comeback for a victory in tourney history and Lilia Maio powered the rally. The senior post scored all 14 of her points after halftime for unbeaten Kamehameha (19-0), which was seeded second. Guard Tiare Kanoa led the Warriors with 15 points, including 5-for-6 shooting at the foul line in overtime.

"There was panic," Kanoa said. "We all feed off each other’s energy, but we gathered ourselves and talked about it. We went inside to Lilia on high-low plays, but sometimes she was open on fastbreaks. Coach (Darold Imanaka) said, when we were down by seven, he said they were tired, so keep pushing it."

Kamehameha, with a deeper rotation and roster, used its fullcourt pressure to help rally.

"Kona wasn’t subbing too much, so I knew they’d get tired," Imanaka said. "This was the biggest comeback I’ve been a part of, bar none. It’s a life lesson. You don’t quit in life. I love these kids."

Maio had a team-high 10 rebounds for Kamehameha.

"(Maio) played big by the basket. She moved girls out of the way and got big baskets," Wildcats coach Bobbie Awa said.

The Warriors had 15 turnovers in the first three quarters, but had just one giveaway in the final quarter and overtime to win their first state title since 2002.

"We were all frustrated at ourselves, at each other, but we came together and worked as a team," said Maio, a 5-foot-11 senior. "They got to us and we weren’t patient, we weren’t taking good shots. But we turned it on and did our thing. I had confidence in myself to do it. It’s an amazing way to end it."

As a team, the Warriors shot 80 percent at the foul line (16-for-20) to keep hopes for a comeback alive. Konawaena was 6-for-10 at the line.

Konawaena finished the year 18-2.

"We were attacking the basket, but we just missed layups," Awa said of the second half and overtime. "I don’t think we got tired. Kamehameha did a better job with a tighter man (defense). We had turnovers, passes weren’t on the money, and we’ve got to do a better job of boxing out. But I’m proud of our girls. Nobody expected us to be here."

Maio’s hustle play for a follow shot tied the game at 37 with 28.5 seconds left in regulation, and after Konawaena missed two shots before the buzzer to win it, it was all Warriors. With Kamehameha’s fans in a frenzy, Konawaena never regained momentum as its string of missed layups and midrange shots continued. The Wildcats shot 1-for-6 in the overtime period.

Maio’s low-post shot gave Kamehameha its first lead since early in the game. The Warriors had the ball with 1:04 left in overtime, but after a time out, Courtney Kaupu (13 points, five rebounds) stole a pass by Kanoa. Moments later, Kaupu found a cutting Chanelle Molina wide open for a layup attempt, but she got too deep near the backboard and her shot missed.

Kanoa then sank two foul shots for a 41-37 lead with 36.5 seconds left.

A pass from Hoku Liftee to Molina on the elbow was tipped away by Alohi Robins-Hardy for another Konawaena turnover. Kanoa then hit two more free throws for a 43-37 Kamehameha lead with 17 seconds to go.

Kaupu fed Ihi Victor for a layup with 9.5 seconds left to cut the lead to four, but Breann Nueku’s free throw with 8.3 seconds left pushed the lead to 44-39. After a turnover on the ensuing inbounds pass by Konawaena, Kanoa hit one more foul shot with 5.4 seconds left for the final margin of victory.

Two-time defending champion Konawaena seemed to be cruising to a surprisingly easy win using a deliberate, pinpoint offense against Kamehameha’s normally stingy man defense. Freshman Chanelle Molina had 14 of her 16 points in the first half as the BIIF champs roared to a 22-9 lead at intermission. Molina, with a series of backdoor feeds from teammates for layups, and a step-back 16-foot jumper, had the crowd at Blaisdell Arena oohing and ahhing.

But that changed soon enough. Though the ‘Cats zoomed to a 33-13 lead after Liftee’s 3-point shot late in the third, Kamehameha refused to wilt.

Down 37-18, the Warriors pounded the ball inside to Maio. Defensively, they tightened up and challenged every pass in the lane. After Maio hustled for another offensive board and hit two foul shots, Kamehameha was within 37-30 with 3:53 to go.

After a TV timeout, Konawaena went to the same defensive recipe that sparked tourney wins over Mililani and ‘Iolani: a 2-3 zone.

Kamehameha’s onslaught continued, however, while the Wildcats shot 1-for-5 in the fourth quarter and turned the ball over six times. Robins-Hardy hit two foul shots, Maio scored inside on a three-point play and after Maio hustled for another putback, the game was tied at 37 with 28.5 seconds left in regulation.

Konawaena, which never quite adjusted to the rougher, more physical play of Kamehameha in the fourth quarter, struggled to get a clean look for a last-second shot. Molina’s 17-footer, contested by the 6-foot-1 Robins-Hardy, missed, and a putback try by the Wildcats didn’t draw iron.

It was a wild finish to what was such a lopsided start, but Imanaka persisted.

"I told them at halftime, we missed every shot, but they’ll start dropping. Don’t worry," he said.

Konawaena shot 10-for-18 from the field in the first half, but just 6-for-20 (30 percent) the rest of the way.

Kamehameha shot just 3-for-15 from the field in the opening half, but shot 11-for-21 after that.