The title helps Iolani eclipse Punahou (1979, 1980, 1981) and Saint Louis (1966, 1967, 1968) as the most dominant program since the HHSAA tournament began in 1957.

What's more, the Raiders extended their streak of victories over Hawai'i opponents to 100, since a 68-60 loss to Kalaheo on Dec. 8, 2001.

Like most sports dynasties, Iolani's was built on a combination of outstanding players and a well-oiled system. The Saint Louis teams of 1966, 1967 and 1968 featured standout all-around player Howard Dunham and 6-foot-6 center Jim Nicholson.

The Punahou teams of 1979, 1980 and 1981 had three superb multi-sport athletes in Darryl Gabriel, John Kamana and Dan Hale. What made the Buffanblu's three-peat unusual was that it was done with three different head coaches: Chris McLachlin (1979), Ray Buck (1981) and Rob Durand (1981).

The nucleus of Iolani's four-peat was three-time Advertiser State Player of the Year Derrick Low, who is now the starting point guard for Washington State University.

As a freshman, Low led the Raiders to the state title game in 2001, when they lost to Kalaheo, 68-60. He then helped Iolani win three state crowns in a row, over Kalaheo in 2002 (58-57), Saint Louis in 2003 (61-37) and Kalaheo again last year (64-54).

Current University of Hawai'i guard Bobby Nash was a standout on the 2002 and 2003 championship teams.

This year's leader was senior Kyle Pape, a 6-2 swingman who scored a combined 93 points in the three tournament victories. Pape also was a key member of the 2003 and 2004 title teams.

But more than the players, much credit for the Raiders' success goes to the system established by coach Mark "Doc" Mugiishi, who also guided Iolani to state championships in 1994 and 1998.

Under Mugiishi, the Raiders have become known for their relentless pressure defense and unfettered execution on offense.

"Everybody in the state knows that already; that goes without saying," Kahuku coach Nathan James said after Saturday's game. "They're a good reflection of their head coach. Doc trains the kids and teaches them a system that they've all bought into. It's like Kahuku football or Saint Louis football."

Pape said the system's cornerstone is a team-first attitude.

"Everybody has to know their role," Pape said. "But it all starts with defense."

Mugiishi used Pape's performance as an example of the importance of roles.

"Kyle stepped up when we needed someone to score, but every time he made a basket, there was someone setting a screen for him and someone passing him the ball," Mugiishi said. "Everybody embraced the concept of playing as a team."

Mugiishi, a 1977 graduate of Iolani and a practicing surgeon, never played varsity basketball in high school. But he now has won more HHSAA championships than any other coach.

Walter Wong (Saint Louis) won five titles (1957, 1961, 1966, 1967, 1968) and Jim Alegre (Radford) won four (1969, 1971, 1977, 1989).

Mugiishi is assisted by Cal Hashimoto, Bernie Ching, Adam Wong, Dean Shimamoto and Glenn Young.

SHOOTING STARS

In addition to Iolani's record victory, this year's state tournament also may be remembered for impressive displays of free-throw shooting.

Kalaheo senior David Moore quietly sank 27 of his 28 attempts (96.4 percent) in four games. He was 10 for 10 in a victory over Kaua'i in the first round, 10 for 10 again in a quarterfinal loss to Iolani, 3 for 4 in a consolation bracket win over Konawaena and 4 for 4 in a loss to Punahou for fifth place.

Pape was almost as automatic from the line, converting 37 of 40 (92.5 percent) in three games. He made 14 of 15 in a quarterfinal victory over Kalaheo, 11 of 11 in a semifinal win over Campbell and 12 of 14 in Saturday's title victory over Kahuku.

Kalaheo had the best team shooting performance, making 16 of 17 (94.1 percent) against Iolani, which made 27 of 31 (87.1 percent) against Campbell.

GIRLS SEASON BEGINS

Gyms across the islands still are busy places, since Hawai'i is one of the few states to conduct its girls season in the spring.

The Fifth Annual Punahou Wahine Spring Classic gets underway tomorrow with a 12-team field. Among the teams participating are defending Division I state champion Konawaena, defending Division II state champ Roosevelt and perennial powers Punahou, Iolani, McKinley, Kalaheo and Moanalua.