Kinnick's Isaiah Kimbrough shoots against St. Mary's Ren Nishioka and Noah Brooks. (Erick Chedd Ricardo/Special to Stripes)

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan – Double-overtime in this year’s final after a last-second victory in last year’s version.

Far East Division I boys basketball finals have definitely been fit to put grey hair on Nile C. Kinnick coach Robert Stovall.

“I’ve had an upset stomach all week,” Stovall said after his Red Devils outlasted St. Mary’s 76-70 in two extra periods Wednesday at Kinnick’s Devil Dome. “I get a little nervous. But our goal was to win the last game of the season as a team. The boys did it.”

Isaiah Kimbrough scored seven points and Nicholas Whyte five in the two overtime frames to give the “Cardiac Kids” their second straight D-I title and third overall in the last eight years.

Kennedy Hamilton hit a last-second shot for the Red Devils to beat Kadena 87-86 in the 2024 final last Jan. 31.

“St. Mary’s was playing hard,” Stovall said of Wednesday’s final before a packed house of rabid Red Devils fans. “I’d rather be in the stands, but when it comes to winning titles, I’ll take it.”

Kinnick started a bit slowly and fell behind by eight points at halftime. But they picked up the pace in the third quarter and the lead swayed back and forth until the score was 60-60 after regulation time.

Kinnick's Gregor Tolar shoots against St. Mary's Ryogo Otsuka. (Cynthia Abel/Special to Stripes)

Kinnick's Isaiah Kimbrough shoots against St. Mary's Ren Nishioka. (Cynthia Abel/Special to Stripes)

St. Mary's Ren Nishioka puts up a shot over Kinnick's Arashi Blocton. (Cynthia Abel/Special to Stripes)

Kinnick's Kai Eccelston drives against St. Mary's Ryogo Otsuka. (Erick Chedd Ricardo/Special to Stripes)

Kinnick's Isaiah Kimbrough rebounds against St. Mary's Yujiro Kato. (Erick Chedd Ricardo/Special to Stripes)

Kinnick's Kai Eccelston shoots over two St. Mary's defenders. (Lauren Casey/Special to Stripes)

Kinnick's Gregor Tolar goes up for a shot against St. Mary's Drake Huang. (Lauren Casey/Special to Stripes)

Kimbrough finished with 22 points, Whyte added 16, Gregor Tolar pitched in with 27 and Kai Eccelston had 10, helping the Red Devils overcome sharpshooting Titan Drake Huang’s eight three-point goals.

“Isaiah’s been our leader all year,” Stovall said of Kimbrough, who’s due to return for his senior season. “Kai as a sophomore has stepped up as a leader. Nick rebounding, he gets in there and really works hard.”

Kinnick finished 21-7 on the season, starting out slowly and struggling during a November weekend series at Matthew C. Perry.

“We were missing three starters who were injured and they slowly worked their way back into the lineup,” Stovall said. Kinnick finished fourth in the American School In Japan Kanto Classic last month.

“We did OK at ASIJ, but they bonded and came together and they peaked this week,” Stovall said of his charges. “It’s hard to play St. Mary’s; I consider (coach) Kris (Thiesen) the best in the Pacific. But it comes down to what the players do on the court. And they did.”