Moanalua High School's boys basketball team used an academically ineligible player since Jan. 23, according to head coach Greg Tacon, and was expelled from the Hawaiian Airlines/ Hawai'i High School Athletic Association Championship tournament yesterday.

Na Menehune, which defeated Campbell in Wednesday's first round and 'Iolani in Thursday's quarterfinals before losing to Kamehameha-Hawai'i in Friday's semifinals, forfeited yesterday's scheduled third-place game against Konawaena.

Department of Education rules require all public school students to have at least a 2.0 grade point average with no "F"s in order to be eligible for sports participation.

Tacon said the player received an "F" on his second quarter report card posted on Jan. 23, which should have placed him on "academic review status." While on ARS, an athlete is given 10 school days to raise his grade to a passing level and can practice but not play in games during that period.

According to Tacon, Moanalua conducts its grade checks for athletes manually, and the person who examined the player's Jan. 23 report card did not notice the "F." It finally was brought to the administration's attention Friday afternoon, and Tacon said he received a phone call six minutes before tipoff for the Kamehameha-Hawai'i game instructing him to sit the player out.

"The system failed, it was a human error," Tacon said. "Whoever pulled up his report card (after Jan. 23) did not catch the failing grade."

The ineligibility reportedly was confirmed by a teacher yesterday morning and Tacon said his team was notified at 1 p.m. yesterday that it was expelled from the tournament by the HHSAA executive board.

O'ahu Interscholastic Association executive director Dwight Toyama said such eligibility infractions normally are reviewed by his league through a committee of principals, but many principals are on the Mainland this week for a conference so the matter likely will be reviewed upon their return.

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2456. Read his blog on prep sports at blogs.honoluluadvertiser.com.

KAMEHAMEHA 69 'IOLANI 49

Brandon Dumlao scored 14 of his game-high 16 points in the second half and the Warriors rallied to beat the Raiders in the Division I fifth-place game at the Blaisdell Arena.

Kamehameha trailed 36-24 at intermission, but outscored 'Iolani 45-13 in the second half.

Jonathan Hew Len added 11 points and Pii Minns 10 for Kamehameha.

Taylor Mounts scored 12 points and Lionel Fujioka 11 for 'Iolani.

KAMEHAMEHA (14-5) 11 13 24 21 — 69

'IOLANI (12-4) 19 17 4 9 — 49

KAMEHAMEHA — Kauila Miller 6, Kawika Lyons 7, Chaz Bajet 4, Brandon Dumlao 16, Pi'i Minns 10, Shawn Bode 3, Micah Christensen 2, Blake Viena 4, Jami Downey-Jovanovich 1, Jonathan Hew Len 11, Damien-Kelly Teramae-Kaehuaea 1, Auwae DeRego 4. Totals 26 12-18 69.

'IOLANI — Kela Marciel 4, Andrew Skalman 0, Nick Christman 2, Kainoa Chu 2, Trevyn Tulonghari 8, Sheldon Lee 0, Lionel Fujioka 11, Berton Wong 4, Brandon Ball 0, Bricen McCartney 0, Pablo Warner 4, Kainoa Scheer 2, Taylor Mounts 12, Jarrett Arakawa 0. Totals 16 16-19 49.

3-point goals: Kamehameha 5 (Hew Len 2, Lyons, Dumlao 2). 'Iolani 1 (Fujioka).

Reported by HHSAA

MCKINLEY 41, HBA 38

Earvin Sione scored nine points and the Tigers fended off the Eagles in the Division II third-place game at the Blaisdell Arena.

Jason Liang's layup pulled HBA to within 39-38 with 28 seconds left, but Ionatana Woodward's jumper in the lane gave McKinley a 41-38 cushion with 20 seconds left. HBA missed two 3-point attempts in the closing seconds.

Dayne Kato, Patrick Matthews, Phillip Sarubbi and Kyle Barretta scored seven points apiece for HBA.

MCKINLEY (15-5) 14 7 10 10 — 41

HAWAI'I BAPTIST (10-3) 11 10 3 14 — 38

MCKINLEY — Ricardo Siasoto 0, Julius Borje 4, JT Thabiti 0, Jason Sabado 0, Moku Spencer 4, Earvin Sione 9, Marshall Miyasaka 0, Tavita Woodard 7, Jordan Macalma 2, Ionatana Woodard 8, Sio Fiso 2, Tae Lee 3, Kaleo Ponce 0, Rio Kwon 2. Totals 18 4-12 41.

HAWAI'I BAPTIST — Reid Morihara 1, Ellison Iseri 1, Dayne Kato 7, John Kagehiro 1, Victor Cheung 3, Jason Liang 4, Ryan Sakai 0, Patrick Matthews 7, Phillip Sarubbi 7, Josiah Hester 0, Ryan Leung 0, Kyle Barretta 7. Totals 12 11-19 38. 3-point goals: McKinley 1 (Lee). Hawai'i Baptist 3 (Kato, Sarubbi, Cheung).

Reported by HHSAA

KOHALA 63, KAISER 59

Brandon Bautista scored a game-high 19 points and Tobe Kalimai added 15 as the Cowboys held off the Cougars in a Division II fifth-place game at the Blaisdell Arena.

Kaiser trailed 48-41 in the third quarter, but cut the deficit to 54-53 on Jaymes Kawashima's layup with 2:59 left in the game.

Kohala sealed the game with a final 9-6 run. Bautisa scored six points during the surge.

KOHALA (11-6) 15 18 16 14 — 63

KAISER (13-8) 13 19 16 11 — 59

KOHALA — Dean Snelling 2, Arvin Campollo 6, Brandon Bautista 19, Sean Brannigan 0, Blaise Kise 6, Tobe Kalimai 16, Alex Vujovich 2, Cameron Naihe-Tabiolo 0, Mana Pasco 8, John Allan Antonio 2, Zeke Perry 2. Totals 21 18-27 63.

KAISER — Jaymes Kawashima 12, Landon Tamanaha 8, Mychael Nagata 0, Kalua Noa 16, Brannon Wong 5, Jeffrey Gordon 0, Devin Wolfe 7, Zachary Wong 0, Salele Aliifua 11. Totals 18 19-28 59. 3-point goals: Kohala 3 (Bautista, Campollo 2). Kaiser 4 (Kawashima 2, Tamanaha, Wolfe).

Reported by HHSAA

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com.