KAHULUI, Maui — Micah Ritte-Manangan, a first-team Division II All-Star last season, hasn't played for the Moloka'i High School boys basketball team during the Maui Interscholastic League season because of a high ankle sprain.

That won't change tonight, or on Saturday if a game is necessary, but it might in a week and a half when the Farmers go to the state tournament for the third season in a row.

Moloka'i (10-3) punched its ticket with a 48-45 win over Lana'i in an MIL tournament semifinal at the Maui High gym on Thursday.

The win was the Farmers' fourth against the Pine Lads (9-4) this season in as many tries, and their second in four days — Moloka'i beat Lana'i 54-53 in a regular-season playoff Monday at Lahainaluna.

Lana'i opened up the game's largest lead at 19-12 midway through the second quarter, but Moloka'i got to within in 21-20 at halftime. The Farmers opened the second half with a 10-4 run to take their largest lead, but the Pine Lads tied the game at 38 on a 3-pointer by William Haban 23 seconds into the fourth quarter.

''That is a real tribute to our ballplayers, not to hang their heads when they got down by six,'' Moloka'i coach Lee DeRouin said.

Lana'i's Ryan Fauatea drove to tie the game at 40, then hit a 3-pointer before Haban made two free throws with 4:39 left.

A steal and bank shot by Joseph Akaka made the score 45-42 and Kinohi Kelly-Paleka scored off a steal from Julien Bumatay to bring the Farmers within one with 2:38 to go.

Three times in the next 1:17, Lana'i missed front ends of one-and-one free-throw opportunities. Kelly-Paleka, who finished with 12 points, put back a miss to give Molokai a 46-45 lead with 35 seconds left.

The teams traded turnovers on held balls before Lana'i's Philip Bolo was stripped of the ball on a baseline drive, Akaka came up with it and fed Kelly-Paleka with four seconds left. Bolo missed a running 40-footer short but online at the buzzer.

''I wanted that ball real bad, so I tried to take it away and I got it,'' said Akaka, who had just six points, but 11 rebounds. ''If Micah is back for state it will be real good for me because he feeds me the ball real good and we work together real well.''

Haban scored 16 points and Fauatea added 15.

''Every time we play Moloka'i it comes down to the wire,'' said Lana'i coach Larry Icalla. ''I don't know what else to say. Every time we play these guys it is a great game. It could have gone either way. Same with Monday's game as well. It is a coin flip with them, man.''

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