KAHULUI — The race is on in Maui Interscholastic League Division I girls basketball.

Lahainaluna High School beat Maui High 43-41 in a dramatic, down-to-the-wire game on Wednesday night at the Shine Matsui Athletic Center on the Maui High campus.

The result leaves the two teams 1-1 against each other — Maui High is 7-1 overall, while the Lunas are 6-1 with several make-up games to go to decide the MIL regular-season crown.

Lahainaluna athletic director Jon Conrad, the MIL basketball coordinator, said that the final determination of exactly how the MIL’s two state tournament berths will be decided is still up in the air — particularly because it’s unlikely all games that have been postponed can be made up — but it appears clear that these two teams stand at the head of the pack in the girls D-I ranks.

Ledjan Pahukoa led the Lunas with 16 points and Kayla Thornton led the Sabers with 17.

“Pretty good, they are like our only competition, so we just came out to play,” Pahukoa said.

The Sabers came back to beat the Lunas 67-62 on Dec. 21 with a 25-10 advantage in the fourth quarter.

“We let the last one slip through our fingers, but it is what it is and we came back and played hard,” Pahukoa said Wednesday.

Nursing a seven-point lead to start the fourth quarter, the Lunas watched the lead shrink to three in the first two minutes of the frame.

Maui High’s Margie Ruiz-Sana sank a pair of free throws to bring the Sabers within 31-26 before Kiana Manuel muscled in a bank shot to make it 31-28 with 5:50 to play, bringing a timeout from Lahainaluna coach Iolani Kaniho.

Tavina Harris, who finished with 15 points, made one free throw to push the Lunas’ lead back to four, but Leiana Thornton drove the baseline to pull the Sabers within 32-30 with 4:50 to play.

Ruiz-Sana scored on an inbounds play and Kayla Thornton followed a miss to give the Sabers a 34-32 lead with 4:00 to go. The Lunas took the lead right back, 35-34, on a 3 by Pahukoa.

Harris made another free throw with 3:02 to go before Leiana Thornton tied it 36-36 with a pair of free throws. Taylor Eldredge sank a 3 to give the Lunas a 39-36 lead, the Sabers made a free throw and Manuel sank a baseline jumper to tie the game 39-39 with 1:50 remaining.

Pahukoa drove the lane to give the Lunas a 41-39 lead before Manuel was fouled with 1:00 left.

Manuel made one free throw to bring the Sabers within one, and Leiana Thornton stole the ball and was fouled at the basket with 43 seconds to go. She made one free throw to tie the game at 41-41.

Harris scored inside to give Lahainaluna the lead again with 29 seconds remaining, the Sabers missed on the other end and Pahukoa was fouled. She missed the front end of a 1-and-1, the Sabers rebounded and called timeout with 8.1 seconds to go.

Manuel missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the game.

The Sabers opened a 13-7 lead 5 1/2 minutes into the game behind six early points by Kayla Thornton.

Two free throws by Kiera Kaniho gave the Lunas a 17-15 lead midway through the second quarter. A 25-foot 3-pointer by Pahukoa made it 20-15 with 1:30 to go in the first half.

Eldredge scored on a breakaway for the Lunas and Harris added an inside basket with 10 seconds to go to give Lahainaluna a 24-16 lead at halftime.

Kayla Thornton started the second half on fire, scoring the first eight points of the third quarter.

She put back her own miss to start the second half and the next trip down the floor she nailed a 3-pointer to bring the Sabers within 24-21. Another 3 by Thornton with 5:00 to go in the period tied the game 24-24.

Pahukoa nailed a 3 then sank a runner in the lane to push the Lunas ahead again, and Eldredge put back a miss at the third-quarter buzzer to give the Lunas a 31-24 advantage going to the fourth quarter.

“Maui High is really solid, they are a really good team,” Iolani Kaniho said. “They’re well-coached, they’re well-disciplined. It was a back-and-forth battle. We were lucky we had a couple things go our way, a couple breaks.

“Ledjan played a hell of a game today, she handled a ton of pressure. Maui High sent a lot of traps at us.”

Maui High coach Victor Aguirre knows his team has not seen the last of the Lunas. They have a make-up game to play in the regular season and will quite likely see each other again in the MIL tournament.

The Lahainaluna boys team was a loud and proud presence in the stands for the girls tilt on the Sabers’ senior night.

“Yeah, big-time battle, that’s the best game on the island, these two teams playing each other, crowd gets into it, those boys from Lahaina were into it,” Aguirre said. “Our crowd was into it and that’s what makes it fun.”

* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com.

LAHAINALUNA (43)

Chaland Pahukoa 2, Juseana-Rae Delatori 0, Mary Pahukoa 0, Ledjan Pahukoa 16, Taylor Eldredge 8, Skylyn Fagarang-Alalem 0, Kiera Kaniho 2, Tavina Harris 15.

MAUI HIGH (41)

Jacy Anne Dela Cruz 0, Kayla Thornton 17, Lyndee Sabas 0, Jordyn Luna 2, Natea Rosete-Tokuhisa 0, Margie Ruiz-Sana 4, Leiana Thornton 7, Kiana Manuel 11.

Lahainaluna 12 12 7 12–43

Maui High 13 3 8 17–41

*****

LAHAINALUNA BOYS 71, MAUI HIGH 57

LAHAINALUNA (3-2)

Kade Cunningham 4, Carldave Salem 0, Cruz Cosner 4, Kanaau Castro 21, Ryder Lombardi 0, Ian Cabanilla 7, Joa Navarro 2, Noah Flores Alexander 17, Aidan Alibin 4, Denver Duque 12.

MAUI HIGH (1-3)

Devantae Myrick 1, Jazz Castro 7, Ethan Takara 5, Justin Tolentino 2, Patrick Borden 7, Jeren Butihi 7, D.J. Sabas 3, Fidel Ortiz 12, Trajan Cantere 8, Julius Bueno 5.

Lahainaluna 16 14 16 25–71

Maui High 16 10 13 18–57

*****

KAMEHAMEHA MAUI GIRLS 39, KING KEKAULIKE 34

KAMEHAMEHA MAUI (5-4)

Kuumana Bailey 2, Hailey Visaya 4, Gabriella Pinheiro 0, Alyssia Fernandez-Ruiz 4, Poli Kaia 12, Shanti Rae Visaya 0, Lauryn DuBach 10, Kalealani Kaaukai 2, Kailie Kalepa 0, Evalani Keawekane 0, Haven De Silva 5, Makelani Ho’oikaika-Mansanas 0.

KING KEKAULIKE (3-7)

Taylnn Abreu 2, Jonnie Abreu 1, Kalena Akinaka 18, Keira Arcangel 4, Pu’ukani Hapakuka 0, Kailia Purdy 3, Ashante Wong 6, Akira-Lei Tamayose 0.

Kamehameha Maui 10 12 10 7–39

King Kekaulike 9 10 7 8–34

*****

KAMEHAMEHA MAUI BOYS 72, KING KEKAULIKE 47

KAMEHAMEHA MAUI (4-2)

Logan Rickard 4, Po’okela Aiu 6, Nahale Dukelow 2, Brevin Carillo 5, Cade Cagasan 7, Imai Kramer 4, Kale Spencer 22, Cody Gardanier 8, Kahiau Chow 10, Kamahiwa Molitau 4.

KING KEKAULIKE (0-6)

Keanu Kupau 6, Kyle Davies 14, Jordan Babcock 13, Earl Love 4, Colton Baldwin 8, Gabriel Lopes 2, La’akea Mossman 0.

Kamehameha Maui 26 12 24 10–72

King Kekaulike 8 22 7 10–47

*****

MIL Standings

BOYS

DIVISION I

W L Pct. GB

Baldwin 5 0 1.000 —

Kamehameha Maui 4 2 .667 1 1⁄2

Lahainaluna 3 2 .600 2

Maui High 1 3 .250 3 1⁄2

King Kekaulike 0 6 .000 5 1⁄2

DIVISION II

W L Pct. GB

Seabury Hall 2 0 1.000 —

Lanai 2 2 .500 1

Haleakala Waldorf 0 0 .000 1

Hana 0 0 .000 1

Maui Prep 0 0 .000 1

Molokai 0 2 .000 2

Wednesday’s Results

Lahainaluna 71, Maui High 57

Kamehameha Maui 72, King Kekaulike 47

Friday’s Games

Hana at Lanai, 7 p.m.

Molokai at Seabury Hall, 7 p.m.

Haleakala Waldorf at Maui Prep, 7 p.m.

GIRLS

DIVISION I

W L Pct. GB

Maui High 7 1 .875 —

Lahainaluna 6 1 .857 1⁄2

Kamehameha Maui 5 4 .556 2 1⁄2

King Kekaulike 3 7 .300 5

Baldwin 0 8 .000 7

DIVISION II

W L Pct. GB

Molokai 2 0 1.000 —

Lanai 2 2 .500 1

Seabury Hall 2 2 .500 1

Hana 0 2 .000 2

Wednesday’s Results

Lahainaluna 43, Maui High 41

Kamehameha Maui 39, King Kekaulike 34

Friday’s Games

Hana at Lanai, 5:30 p.m.

Seabury Hall at Molokai, 7 p.m.