Lily Wahinekapu poured in 25 points as No. 1 ‘Iolani rallied in the second half for a 54-47 win over No. 3 Maryknoll for the Interscholastic League of Honolulu girls basketball championship.

A near-capacity crowd at Father Bray Athletic Complex saw regular-season winner ‘Iolani claim the second-round final to wrap up a near-perfect run in league play. The Raiders were efficient, shooting 56% from the field (15-for-27) while outrebounding the visitors 23-19. They also had a plus-10 advantage in turnovers.

“At halftime, we had to clean up our press. The back side was gambling a little bit too much,” Raiders coach Dean Young said of his team’s 27-24 deficit. “Maryknoll is such a tough team, you’ve got to be smart. They were going over the top on us, so we had to adjust.”

The two-time defending ILH champion and defending state champion Raiders have a 10-day stretch before their next game.

>> Photo Gallery: ‘Iolani rallies past Maryknoll for ILH championship

“Before the coaches talked with us (at halftime), we talked with each other, we encouraged each other,” said Wahinekapu, who also had five rebounds, five assists and two steals. “We focused on defense.”

Maryknoll can expect to host its opening-round game in the Division I state tournament on Monday. Maryknoll coach Chico Furtado’s educated guess is that his ILH runner-up team will meet the Oahu Interscholastic Association’s fourth-place team in the Snapple/HHSAA State Championships

“We played hard, but we’ve got to make them play halfcourt basketball. When we took care of the ball, we were right there,” Furtado said.

In the second half, a tiring Maryknoll squad committed seven turnovers while the relentless Raiders had just one, and that came in the final two minutes. Maryknoll finished with 14 turnovers while ‘Iolani had just four.

Alexis Huntimer added nine points as the home team earned a first-round bye in the state tourney. ‘Iolani will begin play on Feb. 6 and will likely hold the top seed.

Aloha Akaka had 13 points, six rebounds and four assists for Maryknoll, which earned the league’s second state berth earlier in the week. Serenity Moananu added 12 points, and Mahalo Akaka had eight points and seven rebounds.

The home team was scorching hot in its air-conditioned gym at the start as Wahinekapu scored her team’s first 10 points. After Kyra Tanabe splashed a corner 3, the Raiders had a 13-7 lead.

Maryknoll answered with a 12-0 run. Mahalo Akaka fed Lilly Koki for a layup, then swished a corner 3 to open Maryknoll’s lead to 19-13 late in the opening quarter.

‘Iolani was ice cold from the 3-point arc all night, shooting 3-for-16 against Maryknoll’s 1-3-1 and 2-3 zone defenses. Still, the Raiders pulled ahead 20-19 when Huntimer found Jovi Lefotu for a layup.

Maryknoll came right back to take a 27-24 lead at intermission. The Raiders’ fullcourt pressure, however, was taking a toll. Maryknoll had five turnovers in the second quarter and five more in the third, fueling a flurry of Raiders fast breaks. Wahinekapu triggered a break with a steal and fed Tanabe, who was knocked down in the paint but made the layup. Her three-point play gave ‘Iolani the lead for good, 33-31, with 4:13 remaining in the third.

After Wahinekapu scored in transition off a Maryknoll turnover, ‘Iolani’s lead was 39-33 late in the period.

Maryknoll’s last threat came early in the fourth stanza. Taimane Faleafine-Auwae drove for a deuce and Moananu hit a mid-range jumper to bring the Spartans within 41-39 with 5:50 remaining.

However, Lefotu and Alexsandra Huntimer worked the high posts seamlessly to set up a wing 3 by Wahinekapu. That opened the lead to 49-46, and after Alexis Huntimer scored off a steal and fed Wahinekapu for another layup, the lead was 11 with 3:25 remaining. From there, Maryknoll got no closer than the final margin.

AT ‘IOLANI

Maryknoll (16-7) 19 8 8 12 — 47

‘Iolani (22-2) 16 8 17 13 — 54

Maryknoll: Kira Kaopua 0, Lilly Koki 2, Serenity Moananu 12, Aloha Akaka13, Taimane Faleafine-Auwae 4, Mahalo Akaka 8, Brandie Tobin 2, Kyla Neumann 6.

‘Iolani: Alexis Huntimer 9, Kyra Tanabe 5, Haylie-Anne Ohta 0, Jovi Lefotu 6, Lily Wahinekapu 25, Kylie Yung 3, Alexsandra Huntimer 6.

3-point goals: Maryknoll 3 (M. Akaka 2, A. ‘Iolani 3 (Alexis Huntimer, Wahinekapu, Yung).