OLINDA — There is a clear rivalry brewing in the Division II boys basketball ranks of the Maui Interscholastic League.

Seabury Hall is the 10-time defending champion, but Lanai is hot on the Spartans’ heels. On Friday night at the Erdman Athletic Center, the Spartans pulled out a hard-fought 44-42 win over the Pine Lads.

Seabury Hall is now 7-0 in regular-season play, while the Pine Lads fell to 6-1. The two teams play again today at 11:30 a.m.

“No, they don’t quit,” Seabury Hall point guard Joaquin Donez said of the Pine Lads after scoring a game-high 17 points, matching teammate Masyn Johnson. “I give props to them, I mean they play hard for their coach.”

The Pine Lads have beaten Seabury Hall once in each of the last two seasons, including by one point in the MIL tournament final last year that forced a winner-take-all playoff won by the Spartans for the only spot to the state tournament.

On Friday, Donez scored on a runner to give the Spartans a 27-26 lead in the first minute of the third quarter.

Devin Vidad then led a 13-2 run for the Pine Lads that gave them a 39-29 lead — he had 11 points in the run, including three 3-pointers. When Vidad finished a fast break to give Lanai the 10-point advantage, Seabury Hall coach Scott Prather called a timeout.

The strategy discussed worked as Johnson scored four points in a 6-0 run for the Spartans to close the third quarter, bringing them within 39-35. Donez sank a corner 3 to make it 39-38 with 5:25 to play before he gave the Spartans a 41-39 lead with a long trey with 4:21 to go in the game.

The Pine Lads finally snapped the 12-0 run on a free throw by Andre Adams to climb within one with 3:13 to play, and Jesse Sigrah’s layup at the 2:29 mark gave Lanai a 42-41 lead.

Kai Preseault scored on a feed from Johnson — Preseault was fouled on the play and made the free throw to make it 44-42 with 26.3 seconds to go.

After Adams missed a 3, Devrene Kahananui-Alejado grabbed the rebound, but his off-balance layup try at the buzzer was just off the mark.

“It’s really big, I mean young team, most of us have been here for two or three years and so Lanai has always been our toughest competition,” Donez said. “For the young guys to see that this is how we play when we’re trying to get to our bigger goals, which is not just an MIL championship, but a state title. I mean it’s a really big win for us, just mentally.”

The Pine Lads jumped out to an 10-0 lead to start the game, a run capped by a fast-break layup by Sigrah after a steal by Jamahl Adams with 3:50 to play in the first quarter.

The Spartans climbed back within 14-8 at the end of the first quarter. Seabury Hall caught the Pine Lads at 20-20 on a driving layup by Johnson with 3:45 left in the first half, but Sigrah gave Lanai the lead right back with a steal and layup.

“That was a heck of a game, they really brought the fight to us,” Prather said. “It was a heck of a game, no doubt, we had to dig deep to get this one.”

The Pine Lads have not been to the state tournament since they went as an MIL runner-up in 2008. They have never won an MIL boys basketball title.

“At the beginning of the game I told the boys, ‘Be the lion, let’s eat,’ ” Lanai coach Jimmy Fernandez said. “I’d rather be the lion for a day than be a lamb for a thousand (days). Tomorrow is another day — the boys played hard.”

* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com

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LANAI (42)

Jesse Sigrah 10, Devin Vidad 15, Andre Adams 2, Devrene Kahananui-Alejado 5, Jamahl Adams 6, Elijah Gima-Maltezo 4.

SEABURY HALL (44)

Kai Preseault 5, Carl Molinaro 2, Caden Granum 0, Cooper Waite 0, Ujaia Cunningham 0, Joaquin Donez 17, Masyn Johnson 17, Max McKuin 0, Philip Birkholz 0, Carter Phillips 0, Zachariah Burkett 3.

Lanai 14 12 13 3–42

Seabury Hall 8 17 10 9–44

ST. ANTHONY 59, MOLOKAI 52

MOLOKAI (52)

Kanalu Kahale 8, Ayden Inouye 5, Joshua Hanchett 3, Jonah Sahagun 0, Kaelo Kalani 0, Owen Svetin 15, Kaya Alcon 11, Vaai Seumalo 8, Nickolas Rapanot 2.

ST. ANTHONY (59)

Kaimana Baker 31, Nate Rabara 7, Jonathan Vergel De Dios 3, Jason James Power 2, Devontae Myrick 16, Michael Vergel De Dios 0.

Molokai 13 13 9 17–52

St. Anthony 7 20 16 16–59

MAUI PREP 66, HANA 28

Maui Prep 19 19 18 10–66

Hana 1 9 7 11–28

Leading scorers–Maui Prep: Drew Triplett 32, Bennett Bluh 20, James Falk 6. Hana: Shayden Hoopai-Waikoloa 7, Irie Pu-Akima 6, Elijah Keegan 5.

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MIL STANDINGS

BOYS

DIVISION I

W L Pct. GB

Baldwin 8 2 .800 —

Lahainaluna 7 3 .700 1

Maui High 6 3 .667 1 1⁄2

King Kekaulike 2 8 .200 6

Kamehameha Maui 1 8 .111 6 1⁄2

DIVISION II

W L Pct. GB

Seabury Hall 7 0 1.000 —

Lanai 6 1 .857 1

Maui Prep 3 4 .429 4

St. Anthony 2 4 .333 4 1⁄2

Molokai 2 5 .286 5

Hana 0 6 .000 6 1⁄2

Friday’s Results

Seabury Hall 44, Lanai 42

St. Anthony 59, Molokai 52

Maui Prep 66, Hana 28

Today’s Games

Maui Prep at Hana, 10 a.m.

Lanai at Seabury Hall, 11:30 a.m.

Molokai vs. St. Anthony at War Memorial Gym, 7 p.m.

Kamehameha Maui at Maui High, 7 p.m.

Baldwin at King Kekaulike, 7 p.m.