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"#1 and #2 teams fighting for seeding?...excellent...should be a good game."
The Hawaii state tourney is different from any other I've ever seen. There are only about 70 HS teams in the state with about half of those on Oahu; the best ball by far is played on Oahu as well. In fact, and I may be wrong here, but I don't think a neighbor island team has ever won the boys state championship before.
Twelve teams qualify for the state tournament; 5 total from the Big Island, Maui, and Kauai combined, and 7 from Oahu. The Oahu spots are divided between the 2 leagues on island, with 4 going to the OIA (public schools) and 3 to the ILH (private schools). The top 4 teams (1 from the OIA, 1 from the ILH, and 2 from neighbor islands) are seeded and get first round byes.
The regular season finale last night between the #1 & #2 teams in the state was important because both teams are from the ILH (the top 4 teams in the state were all from the ILH in last week's poll) and they were playing for that seed and accompanying first round bye. The #2 team won a close, well-played game in a raucus, rocking and rolling atmosphere, tying them for the regular season ILH championship, so those same two teams play again later this week to determine the champion and seeding, though both teams have already qualified for state.
The top 2 regular season ILH teams get automatic state bids. The other 5 ILH D-I schools and the ILH D-II champion play a single elimination tournament for the third ILH spot. It's crazy. The top 12 OIA schools, on the other hand, play a conference tournament to determine their 4 reps.
Ball here isn't as good as most places on the mainland; there is very limited big man play. But the guard play and defense is excellent and the hustle and intensity are first rate. Hawaiians love their sports, and while football will always be king, hoops are also immensely popular. I can't wait for the next 2 weeks, whether I get any assignments or am just in the stands watching!
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