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This time, their luck ran out.

The Amador Valley Dons won their first two games at the St. Francis Merv Lopes Classic with last-minute shots, but Kamehameha-Hawaii made sure it wouldn’t happen for a third night in a row.

Lanaki Apele scored 15 points, including a key drive for a three-point play with 29 seconds left, as the Warriors outlasted the Dons 56-54 in the semifinal round Friday at Manoa Valley Recreation Center old gym.

Shaun Kagawa had 11 points and five assists for KS-Hawaii (9-3), ranked No. 6 in the Star-Advertiser Boys Basketball Top 10. The Warriors will meet Science Hill (Tenn.) in today’s 2:30 p.m. final.

A crowd of about 400, including a couple dozen purple-clad Amador Valley fans, saw the Dons chip away again. On Thursday, they rallied from a 10-point deficit to edge Kalaheo, and the day before, they rallied past Leilehua 39-38.

This time, they trailed 51-43 before Zac Liu scored on a 3-point shot and Tyler Lawrence swished another trey to bring Amador Valley (7-4) within 52-51 with 46 seconds left.

"We’re thinking play them straight up on defense," said Lawrence, who made the winning shot in the victory over Kalaheo. "Most of our games have been close, but you can’t get every win like that."

KS-Hawaii spread the floor and Apele drove through the middle, hitting a 5-foot floater in traffic. His free throw capped the three-point play and gave the Warriors a 55-51 lead with 29 seconds left.

Lawrence, who finished with 12 points, hustled for a putback to cut the lead to 55-53 with 10.2 seconds remaining.

After Apele hit the second of two bonus foul shots for a 56-53 lead with 7.8 seconds left, he made what could’ve been a blunder. He fouled Amador guard Jeros Domagas at midcourt, giving the Dons free throws with 2.2 seconds left.

"He looked confused, so I went for it. He made a wild spin and the ref called a foul," Apele said, adding that there was no contact.

It worked out for KS-Hawaii, though. Domagas hit his first free-throw try to make it a two-point game.

He intentionally missed the second, but KS-Hawaii’s Kekoa Turner grabbed the rebound and time expired.

"We came through at the end," Apele said.

The last, frantic few minutes were just more of the same, cardiac-kids action by a smart Dons squad.

"There were a couple of loose balls at the end that they got and we didn’t. Two of those three, they scored, those intangible plays," Dons coach Ralph Fields said.

The Warriors jumped to a 12-5 lead before Amador Valley rallied in the second quarter, using a three-quarter press. After KS-Hawaii switched from a man-to-man to a 2-3 zone, Nick Ruotolo hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Dons their first lead, 22-21.

Kagawa scored the final four points of the half, including one after a steal before the buzzer, to give KS-Hawaii a 31-25 lead.

The Dons put their defensive focus on Apele and Kagawa after intermission.

"We slowed down the penetration of their two guards," Fields said.

Apele (5-for-16) and Kagawa (3-for-10) combined to shoot 31 percent from the field.

Amador Valley surged ahead 33-31 on a trey from the top by Lawrence, but Apele got hot. The senior scored seven consecutive points to give the Warriors a 42-37 lead late in the third.

Kagawa’s quickness led to two steals that turned into layups and a 51-43 lead before Amador’s final push.

Science Hill (Tenn.) 80, St. Francis 45

Reed Hayes scored 22 points and C.J. Good added 16 as the Hilltoppers advanced to the final by draining 11 3-pointers against the host team. Tre’vonn Fields added 10 points and nine boards as the fast-breaking ‘Toppers dominated from the start.

Science Hill improved to 15-1, the only loss coming against powerhouse Oak Hill (Va.).

"We’ve been shooting well. I’m pleased with how we’re sharing the ball and working together. We’re playing with lots of energy," coach Ken Cutlip said.

Matthew Nuumanaia, a 6-5 sophomore, led the Saints with 19 points. Point guard Austin Ursua suffered a neck injury in the first quarter and was transported to a hospital.