No gym, no problem.

That was the thought on the minds of the IPA boys’ varsity basketball players last night as they became the school’s first team to qualify for the HHSAA state championships in any sport with a 51-39 win against St. Francis. With the victory, the Navigators also captured the school’s first varsity ILH team championship as they pushed their conference record to 11-3.

The Navigators started slowly in the one-game playoff for the ILH Division II crown, and were only up 17-13 at halftime despite getting the Saints into foul trouble. The Navigators controlled the third quarter and used a 10-0 run punctuated by a Theo Duplechain dunk to push their lead to 34-21 by the end of the third quarter. IPA extended their lead to twenty points midway through the fourth quarter before removing its starters to a standing ovation from the Navigator fans.

Now, imagine what IPA athletes could do WITH a gym! Anyone wanting to help make that happen may contact Headmaster Dan White, dwhite@ipahawaii.org or (808) 674-3522.

The Navigators will next be in action at the Hawaiian Airlines Boys’ Basketball Championships on Feb. 16-19. HHSAA will announce the pairings of the eight-team tournament as well as the locations of the first-round games.

Read article from the Honolulu Star Advertiser.