The Hawai'i High School Athletic Association's executive board, made up of school principals from each of the state's five leagues, voted 4-1 to adopt a proposal in which the OIA will get three berths and the Big Island Interscholastic Federation, Interscholastic League of Honolulu and Maui Interscholastic League receive one berth each in a six-team Division I tournament.

The six-team Division II tournament remains the same, with the OIA getting two berths and the other four leagues one berth each.

In its five previous years, the Division I tournament had eight teams, with the OIA getting four berths and the other four leagues receiving one berth each.

The HHSAA board voted unanimously Jan. 29 to reduce the Division I tournament from eight teams to six, citing financial and competitive reasons.

"We found that in eight of the 10 quarterfinal games on O'ahu the first five years, we had to use the (35-point) mercy rule," ILH executive director Don Botelho said last night. "It was wasting time and wasting money, and we needed a more competitive state tournament."

The six-team representation was not voted on until yesterday's meeting at the Kamehameha Schools.

Three proposals were presented, and the one reducing the OIA's berths to three and sending the KIF to Division II passed with only the MIL objecting, citing the necessary bye week connected to a six-team format.