A vocal crowd of 2,463 at the University of Hawai'i's Stan Sheriff Center watched the Wildcats (17-0) jump out to a 30-10 halftime lead, only to see Kahuku (15-2) come roaring back and close it to 44-41 on Latoya Wily's layup with 1:32 remaining in the game.

But Konawaena's Jessica Hanato scored on a layup 20 seconds later, and teammate Nancy Hoist sank two free throws with 48 seconds left to put the Wildcats up, 48-41. Haunani Liftee then converted two more free throws with 26 ticks remaining to help seal the first Neighbor Island state title since Waiakea's in 1986.

"I'm on top of the world," said Hanato, a junior, who finished with six points, seven rebounds and five steals. "This is really cool."

The Wildcats had reached the previous two state quarterfinals, only to see late leads evaporate against Punahou in 2002 and Kahuku last year.

"We wanted it so much more this year," said Hoist, a senior, who finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds. "We learned to use the clock to our advantage and take our time on offense. If this were last year, we probably would have panicked at the end."

The Wildcats wasted no time in getting started last night, racing out to an 11-2 lead in the first six minutes. Kahuku closed to 11-6 by the end of the period on a layup by Wily, but the Red Raiders hurt themselves with eight turnovers.

Karla Tailele, Kahuku's starting point guard, sprained her right ankle in Friday's semifinals and sat out the first half. Mona Ale, a starting forward for the Red Raiders, played but clearly was slowed by a sprained ankle suffered in Thursday's quarterfinals.

Konawaena began the second quarter with a 7-0 run, then opened the lead to 30-10 by halftime as Kahuku struggled miserably from the free-throw line. The Red Raiders made just 2 of 11 shots from the line, including six straight misses by Wily.

The Wildcats, meanwhile, made all six of their free throws in the second period and were 8 for 10 in the half.

"I think we were just too excited," Wily said, referring to Kahuku's free throw woes. "Sometimes when you're too excited, you overdo things."

Inspired by Tailele's return in the second half, the Red Raiders staged a furious third-quarter rally and closed to 35-28 entering the fourth.

"Tailele made them run and just sparked their whole offense," Konawaena coach Bobbie Awa said. "She showed a lot of heart."

The Red Raiders got to within three points four times in the fourth period, but the Wildcats answered each time with clutch free throws. Hoist, a 5-foot-11 center, finished the night 13 of 15 from the line, including 8 for 9 in the final 5:31. She set a tournament record last year by sinking all 20 of her free-throw attempts.

Konawaena made 23 of 31 free throws last night (74 percent) compared to Kahuku's 5 of 15 (33 percent).

"Sometimes we shoot 70 free throws a day in practice, and in the offseason I'll shoot about 100 a day," Hoist said. "When I'm at the free-throw line, they can't guard me and I can calm myself down."

Awa said she predicted free-throw shooting would become a big factor.

"In the end, we wanted the ball in Nancy's hands, so she could get to the line," Awa said. "The whole tournament, we knew it would come down to free throws, and it did. I'm so proud of this team because they worked so hard. They deserve it."

Hoist was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.