Hours after winning its first ILH championship in 22 years, Saint Louis was awarded the top seed in the Heide & Cook/HHSAA Boys Basketball State Championships in Division I beginning Monday.
The Crusaders (11-2) earned the top seed with a 60-43 win over ‘Iolani on Saturday night at Saint Louis’ Clarence T.C. Ching Athletic Complex in the final game of the ILH tournament.
The Raiders (10-4) will host Roosevelt in one of four first-round games on Monday with the ILH’s third team in the tournament, Maryknoll, traveling to Maui to play Kamehameha-Maui.
The Spartans are the two-time defending state champions.
OIA runner-up Kailua will host Kapolei and Kahuku will travel to the Big Island to play at Kamehameha-Hawaii in a 1 p.m. affair.
This is the Crusaders’ first appearance at states since 2007.
“The boys hung in there and you could tell they really wanted it,” Saint Louis coach Dan Hale said after this team’s win over ‘Iolani.
Hale, who coached Punahou to an ILH championship in 2007, is only the second coach to lead different schools to an ILH title in boys basketball, joining Darryl Gabriel, who won two at Saint Louis (1995, ’96) and one with University (1988).
Saint Louis will play the winner of the Kahuku/KS-Hawaii game in the second quarterfinal on Thursday at Moanalua.
Kahuku is the last non-ILH team to win the state championship, claiming the 2017 crown.
No. 4 seed Baldwin will get the Kailua/Kapolei winner in the first quarterfinal on Thursday at Moanalua.
McKinley will host the other two quarterfinal games with OIA champion Mililani, seeded second, playing the KS-Maui and Maryknoll in the second semifinal, following No. 3 seed Hilo’s game against the winner between ‘Iolani and Roosevelt.
The state champion will be crowned Saturday at the Blaisdell Arena.
In Division II, BIIF champion Kohala earned the top seed and will play Waipahu in the quarterfinals on Thursday at Kalani.
That game follows No. 4 seed Kapaa playing No. 5 seed Maui Prep, which is making its first appearance at states.
No. 3 seed Hawaii Baptist will play Seabury Hall in the first semifinal Thursday at Kaimuki with the host Bulldogs playing Le Jardin in the nightcap.
The Bulldogs advanced to the state tournament by beating University, 30-29, on Saturday.
