Lahainaluna became the first Maui Interscholastic League team to win a Hawaiian Airlines Girls Basketball Championship tonight, rallying past and then holding off defending champ Konawaena, 47-45, in a thriller before a vocal crowd of about 2,300 at Blaisdell Arena.

The Lunas, believed to be the first Lahainaluna team to win a Division I state title in any sport, finished the regular and postseason at 17-0.
�This is big for the program, big for the school, big for the community, big for our island,� said Lunas coach Todd Rickard, who graduated from Lahainaluna in 1985 and has been coaching there for the past 15 years. �Look around and see all the people in red shirts who came out to support us ... We were hoping we wouldn�t disappoint them, and we didn�t.�
Konawaena (12-1) had won its first two state tournament games in 30-point routs and looked to be in control last night, leading 22-15 at halftime and 37-26 with a minute remaining in the third period. But Milika Taufa, the Lunas� 6-foot-3 senior post, answered with a layup and then scored seven straight points early in the fourth quarter to help Lahainaluna tie it at 37-37 with 5:38 left in the game.
Taufa, who finished with 26 points, later scored six straight to put the Lunas ahead, 46-39, with 1:51 remaining.
Anuhea Wall, who had 21 points, scored on back-to-back layups to close it to 46-45 with 1:10 left, but Konawaena turned the ball over with 17 seconds remaining on a pass that skipped out of bounds.
Lahainaluna point guard Maiki Viela then sank one of two free throws with eight seconds left to make it 47-45, and Wildcats guard Lia Galdeira was fouled on the dribble near her own baseline with two ticks left. But since it was only the Lunas� third team foul, Konawaena had to take the ball out of bounds, and an entry pass was fumbled and lost under the basket as time expired.