Another night, another ‘Iolani classic.

This time, it was Kina Sake who came up with a huge basket to give ‘Iolani the lead with 1:10 left, and the Raiders hung on for a 43-40 win over Konawaena on Friday night at Kekuhaupio Gymnasium.

ILH runner-up ‘Iolani (25-10 overall) advanced to today’s Division I final of the Pacific Century Fund Team Aloha/HHSAA State Championships and will meet ILH champion and top seed Kamehameha at 7 p.m. at Blaisdell Arena. ‘Iolani is the five-time defending state champion.

“Defense and discipline. When we’re down, we have a little more urgency,” ‘Iolani coach Dean Young said. “Sometimes that’s when they start working together and being more aggressive. Konawaena is a tremendously good man (defense) team. They’re very well coached. That’s a credit to coach (Bobbie) Awa. Every time we play Kona, it’s a defensive battle. It’s fun.”

On Thursday, it was Hailey Fernandez who drove to the basket and scored with one second left to give the Raiders a 56-54 win over OIA champion Kahuku. Sake’s anticipation and active feet were crucial on a night when starting center Haley Mafua hobbled along with an injured ankle.

‘Iolani trailed 38-37 when Justice Kekauoha drove from the left wing into the paint, plowing over Konawaena defender Kiilei Leleiwi. As the two collided, the ball sprung loose and Sake was there after diving to the rim from the high post. Sake’s uncontested layup gave the Raiders a 39-38 lead.

“I just know Justice is a really good guard. I was telling her to take those shots because we were getting the calls on those. Konawaena, they’re smart enough to know that Justice is a huge threat,” Sake said. “There were three (defenders) on her at that time and I knew I was open, but I knew she was going to take it. I got lucky on that play. I did see a few bodies fall at that time, but I figured no whistle blew, so.”

Leleiwi’s shot on the block against a double team missed as Sake converged to help. Sake hacked Leleiwi from behind, but there was no call in a rough-and-tumble battle. The shot clock expired and ‘Iolani had the ball with 27.1 seconds left.

Kekauoha went to the free-throw line with 25.6 seconds to play and swished both shots for a 41-38 cushion.

Konawaena struggled to get an open 3-pointer and Kaylie Yamasaki eventually drove for a layup with 2.9 seconds to go, cutting it to 41-40. Haikela Hiraishi fouled Kekauoha before the inbounds pass, and Kekauoha again hit two foul shots for a three-point lead.

Leleiwi’s long inbounds pass down the sideline found two teammates, Aaedyn Kauhi and Aubrey Pak. The ball bounced once before Pak seized it just past the midcourt line, but instead of using the 2.9 seconds to get closer and square up, Pak rushed a one-handed throw toward the rim that did not draw iron.

Kekauoha was a force of nature, stepping up once again with her team underwater. The sophomore guard finished with 22 points on 7-for-15 shooting from the field and 8-for-9 at the charity stripe. Mia Frye added 14 points (6-for-11 from the field) with a team-high three steals.

“I just told myself that I needed to calm down. I was rushing everything, but once I played my game, everything worked out better for me,” Kekauoha said.

Pak was on fire from deep, 5-for-8 from the arc, and finished with 21 points. Leleiwi added nine points for the young Wildcats (21-4).

“I just trust in my teammates a lot. We needed to finish the easy shots. We had a hard time in the beginning,” said Pak, a freshman guard. “We’re going to come back harder and work on stuff we need to work on. We learned a lot in this game.”

Konawaena has nine state titles under Awa. Getting and staying in title contention in recent years hasn’t cooled her competitive fire.

“We say that every year. We’re close. But we’ve got to get over the top,” Awa said. “We definitely don’t have those day-in, day-out battles throughout the season. Aubrey did good, and she’s a baby, too. She was confident in her shots, shot in the flow of the offense. It was awesome. It was good for her.”

Frye didn’t show any signs of her recurring ankle injury. She is the glue gal for a team that doesn’t have outright height.

“Today was the same thing as yesterday. It was a battle the whole time. That’s what makes the games fun and entertaining. Every possession matters,” the senior guard said. “Kona’s a very talented team. This was anybody’s game.”

Kamehameha has beaten ‘Iolani three times this season: 46-43, 60-49 and 61-55.

“We’ve learned from all our losses to them,” Frye said. “Our defense has to be on its “A” game. Our offense is there, but our defense has to execute tomorrow.”