Yesterday's loss was just the latest turn in a bizarre two week-span for Konawaena (17-2).

The Wildcats took a 59-54 lead on Sean Fujii's free throws with 15 seconds remaining in regulation and seemed to have the game wrapped up. But Tristan Bailey drained a 3-pointer to cut it to 59-57 with seven seconds left, and Konawaena missed two free throws one second later.

The Sabers' Ryan Hayes then sped with the ball downcourt and a timeout was called with one second remaining, but the referees ruled that Campbell coach Sol Batoon had called time two seconds earlier and changed the clock to read: 0:03.

Robert Morris then threw an inbounds pass intended for Bannister in a crowded lane, but the Wildcats' Shannon Hardie came up with the ball and fell to the ground as the horn sounded. However, after the three referees consulted, it was ruled that a whistle blew before the horn and Hardie was called for traveling with one second left, so the clock was changed again to 0:01.

"If anything, I thought (Hardie) was taken down and it should have been a foul," Konawaena coach Donny Awa said. "I don't know how they came up with traveling."

On the ensuing inbounds play from the baseline, Bannister caught the ball on the right low post, turned and elevated and let go a 5-footer that swished through the net as the horn sounded.

"I thought that one second was way too long," Awa said. "He didn't catch it and go right up with the shot — he turned first."

Bannister remembered it differently.

"I turned and shot it at the same time," he said.

With the Wildcats' leading scorer, TJ Akina, and top rebounder and shot blocker, Max Watson, having fouled out in regulation, Konawaena was undermanned in overtime and the Sabers scored the first eight points to go up 67-59 with 1:51 remaining. The lead proved insurmountable.

"Not having (Akina and Watson) down the stretch, that's where it hurt us," Awa said.

It was just the latest obstacle for the Wildcats, who lost their best ball-handler and a solid scorer two weeks ago after he was suspended from school for attacking a referee in an incident that drew statewide attention.

"I want to protest the game, because our boys worked too hard for this," Awa said. "We didn't play our best game, but I think we played good enough to still deserve to win."

According to Hawai'i High School Athletic Association rules, there is no recourse for teams to protest a game due to an official's judgment call.