The Kalani High School boys basketball season came to an end Friday, Feb. 16 at the Stan Sheriff center as they played Kauai High School for third place in Division 2. With the season finishing not how they may have wanted it to, the team still has a lot to be proud of.

The Falcons varsity team finished with an 8-2 record in the regular season, coming in second among all Division 1 and 2 teams in the east.

Going into OIA playoffs with the number one seed and a first-round bye, the Falcons capitalized on this opportunity and beat Kaimuki in the semifinals to reach the championship game against Roosevelt. Being the defending champions Kalani was no longer the underdog to win. The Falcons were able to edge out a 61-52 victory to claim the OIA D2 championship.

“It felt good to repeat as champions even though I may not have been on the varsity team last year,” Isaiah Lee said (11).

With the Falcons riding the momentum coming off an OIA championship title, they soared toward states. They were seeded two in the HHSAA Snapple boys basketball championship.

They played their first round match against the Honokaa Dragons from the Big Island. The Falcons took care of business and came out with a 51-33 victory.

The following day they were matched up against a very good Damien squad. With the game going back and forward, Damien came out on top with a 45-37 win.

The last game of the season was played on the following day at 3 p.m. against the Kauai Red Raiders for third place. The Falcons won the nailbiter 42-38 to close it out.

“Our season ended without a state championship but we still managed to accomplish most of our goals,” senior Max Pepe said (12).

The season finished with a lot of accomplishments masked by not winning the state championship. The team came in first in Division 2 and second in all of the east in the regular season. The team also won an OIA Division 2 championship and third place in the Division 2 state tournament.

The Falcons came in second in the Taco Bell free throw challenge and had four people named as to the All-OIA. Max Pepe (senior) second team, Kapaa Nishimura (senior) third team, and Isaiah Lee (junior) & Brandon Chung (sophomore) honorable mentions.