In 2008, they are halfway home to their fourth MIL crown since 1989.

They got there — and punched a ticket to the state tournament — with a 55-49 win over Kamehameha-Maui last night at a raucous, standing-room-only Lahainaluna gym.

The Lunas (10-1) clinched the MIL regular-season championship, and can finish the job of capturing the overall title next week in the league tournament — or, if necessary, in a playoff game against the tournament winner.

Last night, bedlam followed a victory that was secured by a stifling defense and 7-of-8 free-throw shooting by Dillon Soldwisch in the final period.

"This one was sweet, but we aren't done yet,'' Soldwisch said to The Maui News as the fans stormed the court and carried teammate Tyson Mizuno off on their shoulders. "This is just one step toward our goal — MIL title.''

Soldwisch said the crowd was a big help. The Lunas rallied from 16 points down just 11 days earlier in a 54-53 win over the Warriors (7-4) with a crowd that rivaled last night's.

"The crowd was awesome,'' Soldwisch said. "It is just like the football team. This crowd comes out for every sport. The loudness was unbelievable. It probably rattled (Kamehameha). I know they get a little nervous when it gets noisy in here, just like last game.''

In the teams' meeting on Jan. 18, Kamehameha had a 29-15 lead at halftime.

"The first time we played them we knew we could play with them even though we lost,'' Soldwisch said. "The second time we played them we weren't even worried at halftime. We knew if we played our game, we could come back and win it, just like we knew we would come back and win this one.''

Lahainaluna again fell behind by double digits in the first half Tuesday, when the Warriors went on a 13-0 run over a seven-minute span, taking a 20-10 lead on a pair of free throws by Louis Turbeville with 5 minutes, 2 second remaining in the first half.

The Lunas helped by missing their first seven shots of the second quarter and finished 9-for-29 from the field in the first half. Lahainaluna went on a 9-0 run of its own to close to 20-19 on a breakaway by John Craig. The Warriors took a 24-21 lead to the halftime break and led 33-31 going into the fourth quarter.

The Lunas rode the emotion of the crowd from there. Paul Salvador hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 35-35 and Craig made two free throws with 6:51 to play to give the Lunas the lead for good.

A Ty Carter layup on a nifty pass from Salvador capped a 13-5 run that gave the Lunas a 45-38 lead with 4:00 to go. The Warriors would not get closer than six the rest of the way.

In the second half, the Lunas shot 11-for-19 and had just eight of their 19 turnovers.

Salvador finished with 14 points, Soldwisch 13 and Craig 12 in a balanced scoring effort.

Craig got the fans going with a breakaway dunk in the first quarter and seven blocked shots.

"Oh man, they get the sixth-man award,'' Lahainaluna coach Eric Balinbin said of the crowd. "They were awesome, the band, the fans, they really helped us and we are really, really thankful that they did come out.''

Balinbin said his team could see the defending champion Warriors again.

"It is very possible,'' Balinbin said. "They are a very disciplined team and they are well-coached. They are aggressive. Lance (Cagasan) coaches a good team.''

Balinbin said he has noticed a difference in his team since the Jan. 18 comeback.

"The last few practices have been really solid,'' he said. "And from number six to number 14, the effort in practice has been really good. Those guys may not get much playing time, but they make us what we are.''

Kamehameha forward Kaiea Medeiros led all scorers with 23 points, but the Warriors shot 9-for-22 in the first half, and 9-for-26 in the second half. With nine made field goals, Medeiros had half of his team's baskets. The Warriors also committed 21 turnovers.

"This is a tough place to win,'' Cagasan said. "They played a good game, my boys played a good game, they couldn't get untracked. Hats off to Lahaina. That is all I have to say. Yeah, we want to play them for the championship.''

KAMEHAMEHA-MAUI (49)

Joshua Kong 0 0-0 0, Kaleo DeMello 4 1-1 9, Jeffrey Oka 0 0-1 0, Louis Turbeville 1 5-7 8, Terani Richmond 1 0-0 2, Evan Garces 0 0-0 0, Kaiea Medeiros 9 5-10 23, Erwin DeCoite 3 0-0 7. Totals 18 11-19 49.

LAHAINALUNA (55)

Tyson Mizuno 0 1-1 1, Paul Salvador 6 0-0 14, Ty Carter 2 1-2 5, Dillon Soldwisch 3 7-8 13, Nuti Pousima 4 0-2 8, John Craig 5 2-2 12, Jayson Manning 0 2-2 2, Jake Manning 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 13-17 55.

KS-Maui 15 9 9 16–49

Lahainaluna 10 11 10 24–55

3-Point Goals–Kamehameha Maui 2 (Turbeville, DeCoite), Lahainaluna 2 (Salvador 2). Total Fouls–Kamehameha Maui 16, Lahainaluna 14. Fouled Out–DeCoite, Pousima.

MIL STANDINGS

BOYS

Division I

W L Pct GB

x-Lahainaluna 10 1 .909 –

Baldwin 7 3 .700 2 1/2

Kamehameha-Maui 7 4 .636 3

King Kekaulike 2 8 .200 7 1/2

Maui High 0 10 .000 9 1/2

Division II

W L Pct GB

Moloka'i 8 0 1.000 –

Lana'i 7 1 .875 1

Seabury Hall 5 3 .625 3

St. Anthony 2 6 .250 6

Ka'ahumanu Hou 1 7 .125 7

Hana 1 7 .125 7

x—clinched regular-season championship

GIRLS

Division I

W L Pct GB

x-Lahainaluna 10 1 .909 –

Maui High 6 4 .600 3 1/2

Kamehameha-Maui 5 6 .455 5

Baldwin 4 6 .400 5 1/2

King Kekaulike 1 9 .100 8 1/2

Division II

W L Pct GB

Moloka'i 9 1 .900 –

Seabury Hall 7 1 .875 1

St. Anthony 4 4 .500 4

Hana 3 5 .375 5

Lana'i 3 7 .300 6

Ka'ahumanu Hou 0 8 .000 8

x—clinched regular-season championship

Yesterday's result

Lahainaluna 43, KS-Maui 24