Kahuku (15-1) advanced with a nail-biting 60-57 victory over Baldwin last night after rallying from a 29-20 halftime deficit.

Kevin Unga hit two free throws to give the Red Raiders their 60-57 lead with two seconds remaining. The Bears' Chase Nakamura then heaved a half-court shot just before the horn sounded, but it bounced high off the rim and over the backboard.

"This means a lot for Kahuku," said Unga, who finished with a team-high 16 points and 11 rebounds. "We came out and won the (O'ahu Interscholastic Association) championship — the first time that happened in a very long time (37 years) — but we weren't going to stop there. We have a lot of support, and we didn't want to let that support down."

Both teams were trying to reach their first state title game, but Kahuku prevailed after erasing a nine-point deficit early in the second half, taking control late in the fourth period and then holding on by sinking 15 of 19 free throws.

Baldwin (13-1) used an efficient half-court offense and well-oiled transition game to build a 29-20 halftime lead. The Bears converted six consecutive layups to begin the second period with a 12-2 run, taking a 23-15 lead on Cody Tesoro's layups with three minutes remaining.

"We underestimated them and didn't get back on defense," Unga said.

Baldwin was 14 of 25 (56 percent) from the field in the first half, with almost all of the shots coming from 12 feet or closer.

"What an amazing job on their part," Red Raiders coach Nathan James said of the Bears. "The way they moved the ball around and got it into the post, that was a lot of discipline and execution. We needed to do a better job of defense in the transition."

Kahuku opened the second half much stronger, scoring the first seven points and tying it at 29 on Junior Ale's layup with 5:10 left in the third quarter. The teams then traded baskets the rest of the period, with Devin Unga giving the Red Raiders a 35-34 lead on a layup as time expired.

"They put more pressure on us (on defense), and that took us out of our passing lanes," Baldwin coach Wayne Gushiken said.

The Bears also suffered after Trenson Himalaya was called for his fourth foul with 7:49 remaining. Kahuku built a 49-42 lead with 1:28 left, and the Bears were forced to foul to stop the clock. But the Red Raiders scored their final 11 points on free throws, missing only one.

CORRECTION

Baldwin's state semifinal appearance was its seventh in the past 25 years. A different total was given in yesterday's story.