But Iolani School's boys basketball team is no ordinary bunch and its senior point guard, Derrick Low, again proved to be one of Hawai'i's rare talents as the Raiders rallied past Kalaheo, 64-54, last night to become the first program since Punahou (1979-81) to win three consecutive state championships.

The victory, before a noisy crowd of 5,713 at Blaisdell Arena, also completed Iolani's third straight undefeated regular and postseason campaign and extended its winning streak against Hawai'i opponents to 72 games. The Raiders' last loss to a Hawai'i foe was to Kalaheo, 68-60, in the final of the Jimmy Alegre Classic on Dec. 8, 2001.

"This is a special team," said Low, who finished a brilliant four-year career with 24 points, eight rebounds and three assists. "I think we're the closest team in the state, the way we're such good friends and hang out together off the court. We always call Ryan Hirata's house the 'Hirata Hotel,' because we've been over there countless times to sleep over or just chill."

The Raiders (17-0) needed that unity and calm demeanor to hold off a valiant effort from the vastly improved Mustangs (15-2).

In two preseason meetings, Iolani defeated Kalaheo by 23 and 18 points. But last night's game was tight until 18 seconds remained, when Low sank two free throws to give the Raiders a 62-54 lead.

"Kalaheo is the most improved team in the state, by far," Iolani coach Mark Mugiishi said. "The closeness of this game shows how much hard work they put in over the course of the season."

The Raiders built a 45-38 lead midway through the third period, but the Mustangs clawed back and tied it at 47 on Theo Fujita's running 3-pointer at the buzzer. Iolani then opened the fourth quarter with a 7-0 run, but Kalaheo closed to 54-50 on Neil Bowers' banker and free throw.

Kyle Pape's short jumper gave Iolani a 56-50 lead with 4:25 remaining, and the Raiders proceeded to go into their famed — and sometimes despised — delay game.

"I think a key for us in the fourth quarter was us not falling behind, but we had three possessions to tie and we missed all three shots," Mustangs coach Chico Furtado said. "We didn't want to have guys foul out trying to get into the bonus, so we tried to pressure them out of a zone trap. But they handled that well, because they're a senior-oriented team and very poised."

Kalaheo finally got its seventh foul to put the Raiders into the bonus with 1:18 left, and Iolani missed two one-and-one front ends.

Fujita cut the lead to 56-53 with a three-point play, and Matt Nakashima's free throw closed it to 58-54 after two Low free throws. But Iolani sealed it with free throws by Zach Tollefson and Low in the final 26 seconds.

"We all knew we'd be there until the end, but they're the ones who prevailed," said Mustangs center Sam Wilhoite, who finished a splendid three-year career of his own with 17 points and 13 rebounds. "We were right there ... but we just couldn't do it."

The teams traded 3-point bombs in a tight first half, with Iolani making 4 of 8 in taking a 35-32 lead at intermission and Kalaheo sinking 5 of 10, including four by senior guard Will Elliott.

The Raiders got two 3-pointers each from Hirata and Low, with Hirata draining a 25-footer to put Iolani up 26-24 with 4:05 remaining. The Mustangs had taken a 19-13 lead on Elliott's trey from the corner two minutes earlier.

Wilhoite's three-point play cut the Raiders' lead to 33-32 on a layup and free throw with 35 seconds left, but Low scored on a drive down the right side of the lane with three seconds remaining.

Kalaheo shot 12 of 21 in the first half, but got only two offensive rebounds to Iolani's nine. The Raiders also got solid defense and offensive production (11 points) from 6-foot-2 center Todd Blankenship and several others.

"Derrick never ceases to amaze me, but this whole team is so selfless," said Blankenship, a senior. "This truly was Iolani — One Team."