The opening of an on-campus gym marked a significant step in the growth of the Saint Francis basketball program this season.
The Saints took another on Saturday while adding to the building’s decor.
Saint Francis will soon have a state championship banner to hang after capping the school’s third season of varsity boys basketball by capturing the Division II state title with a 39-34 victory over Kailua at Blaisdell Arena.
At some point in the celebration following the Division II final of the Hawaiian Airlines/HHSAA Boys Basketball Championships, the trophy fittingly found its way into the arms of Sister Joan of Arc Souza. It had been about five years since the Saint Francis principal oversaw the addition of boys into the school’s enrollment, and several of those seniors were integral parts of the school’s first basketball title.
"There are no words; it brought tears to my eyes," Souza said. "They brought it home. They fought hard for it. They worked hard, they earned it."
Top-seeded Saint Francis, which celebrated senior night in its newly completed gym earlier this month, finished the season 25-5 overall and 12-0 in ILH and state tournament play after grinding out a win over OIA White champion Kailua.
The Saints’ five seniors will be part of the school’s first co-ed graduating class and left quite a legacy for those who follow.
"It speaks volumes for their character," Saint Francis head coach Solomon Batoon said. "These kids work hard, they dedicate themselves over the summer, they really do a lot of good things. It’s a credit to them and their ability to stay together and work hard."
Batoon began building the basketball program when the current seniors were in the eighth grade.
"I set it as a goal," said senior Keoni Tom-Millare. "I didn’t really dream about it, but I set it as a goal."
Kailua, under first-year head coach Wally Marciel, reached the Division II final for the third time and came up short in its bid to claim a second state title.
"These guys, you know, they worked hard all season," Marciel said. "They bought into the program. They listened."
Both teams appeared uncomfortable shooting in the relatively spacious arena early in Saturday’s final and combined to go 0-for-12 from the field in the first quarter and 4-for-30 in a ragged first half.
The game’s first field goal came 18 seconds into the second quarter when Kailua’s William Kailimai drove for a layup. Most of the scoring came from the free-throw line, with Kailua hitting four in the final 1:03 to take an 11-10 lead into halftime.
"We just told them to relax, be patient and it’s going to come to you," Batoon said. "Just play good defense and we’ll be OK."
Kailua led 19-14 midway through the third quarter before Saint Francis went on an 11-1 run to take a 25-20 lead. Tom-Millare contributed seven points in that stretch, including two free throws after Kailua forward Kirk Ronolo Jr. picked up his fourth foul on a technical with 1:51 left in the third quarter.
"Kirk’s been our leader all year," Marciel said. "There’s a whole bunch of things we rely on him daily: character building, being tough in the post, leading our team. That foul hurt us a little bit."
Kailua scored the first four points of the fourth quarter, but Saint Francis junior Matthew Nuumanaia scored on a putback and senior Layne Akana hit a critical 3-pointer with 2:55 left to give the Saints a 32-26 lead.
"That was big-time," Batoon said. "(Akana’s) a scorer and we asked him to sacrifice and play defense and that’s what he did these last several games. When he had the opportunity to hit that big 3, that turned the tables."
Nuumanaia finished with a game-high 10 points, with Tom-Millare scoring eight in his final high school basketball game.
The Saints lost in the first round of last year’s Division II state tournament and reminded themselves of the goal by printing shirts reading "Unfinished Business" across the front.
Winning the title meant they took care of business "for this year," Nuumanaia said, "but we’ll be back next year."
