Three state tournament berths will be on the line this weekend when the Big Island Interscholastic Federation boys Division I and II basketball playoffs are held at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium in Hilo.
The two-day, single-elimination tournament involves the BIIF’s top four D-I and II finishers during the regular season.
On Friday, the D-II semifinals will be played first, with No. 1 Hawaii Preparatory Academy (11-0) vs. No. 4 Honokaa (2-9) at 3 p.m., followed by No. 2 Kohala (8-3) vs. No. 3 Pahoa (4-7) at 4:30 p.m.
In the D-I finals that evening, it’s No. 1 Konawaena (9-2) vs. No. 4 Hilo (6-5) at 6 p.m., followed by No. 2 Waiakea (9-2) vs. No. 3 Kamehameha (7-4) at 7:30 p.m.
On Saturday, the D-II championship game will be played at 6 p.m., followed by the D-I title game at 7:30 p.m.
In D-II, the playoff champion will earn the league’s lone automatic berth to the eight-team state D-II tournament, scheduled Feb. 20-22 in Honolulu. The BIIF D-II runner-up will host the ILH third-place finisher at 3 p.m. Monday at the BIIF school to determine the eighth and final spot in the state tourney.
Two automatic state D-I tournament berths are up for grabs in the BIIF playoffs. Because Konawaena and Waiakea tied for the regular-season title, neither team was awarded a state berth. Both state D-I spots will be awarded to Friday’s semifinal winners. On Saturday, the BIIF champion will then claim the overall league title and the league’s top seed in the state D-I tourney, slated Feb. 19-22 in Honolulu.