Peter Caldwell | SL

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Punahou's Akahi Troske elevates to put up a shot in traffic against Kamehameha. Troske scored ten points and pulled down six rebounds in the win over the Warriors. Peter Caldwell | SL

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Fri, Feb 12, 2016 @ Punahou

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Kamehameha

49

Punahou

64

Final	1	2	3	4
Kamehameha (8-6, 15-12)	17	3	12	17	49
Punahou (9-6, 27-9)	12	16	14	22	64

• Points
• Rebounds
• Assists

C. Kobayashi 11 pts  3 3pm

K. Kahana 16 pts  2 3pm

A. Troske 6 tot  3 off  3 def

F. Sua-Godinet 4 tot  4 def

C. Arceneaux 6 ast

K. Kahana 6 ast

MAKIKI — With a size advantage in the paint, Punahou bested Kamehameha for the third time this season, 64-49, to capture a state berth Friday night.

The Buffanblu knocked down eight 3-pointers and overcame an early 17-7 deficit to top the Warriors in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu Division I single-elimination tournament final at Hemmeter Fieldhouse. 

Punahou (9-5 ILH, 24-7 overall), ranked fourth in the ScoringLive/Hawaiian Electric Power Rankings, moves on to face Iolani for the ILH overall championship and seeded berth into the OC16/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division I Basketball Championships.

"It feels great," said Punahou coach Darren Matsuda, whose team advanced to their second consecutive state tournament. "Last year I think everyone ranked us to finish last in the ILH this year. Just to be here and to have our spot safe is incredible."

The Raiders clinched a state berth after winning the regular season title via a four-team playoff tiebreaker. Tip-off for the ILH title game is slated for 6 p.m. at Iolani's Lower Gymnasium.

Sixth-ranked Kamehameha, who knocked out the Raiders in the single-elimination tournament, saw its season come to a close with an 8-6 and 15-12 record.

The Warriors' lack of a post presence favored Punahou in the contest. With centers Akahi Troske and Jack-Eli Tufono commanding double teams against the Warriors' 2-3 zone, the Buffanblu were able to knock down eight triples on 17 attempts.

"They're a good team," said Kamehameha coach Greg Tacon. "They've transformed themselves from what they were in the preseason. They took around 20 3s a game in the preseason. As the season progressed, they really established their post play which now made the 3-point shooting even more lethal."

"I think it's just a good matchup for us," said Troske, who had 10 points and six rebounds off the bench. "We match well against their strengths and we can take advantage of their weaknesses." 

The combination of Troske and Tufono also opened up driving lanes for the Buffanblu, which helped the team record 17 assists and shoot over 50 percent from the field (24 of 47). 

Selfless passing dictated Punahou's onslaught as the team passed up good shots for great shots. During a sequence in the third quarter, Hunter Hosoda drove into the paint before kicking it out to Zayne Chong on the right wing, who then flipped it to Cole Mausolf for a straightaway triple. On the Buffanblu's next basket, Chong faked a pass to the corner that left him wide-open for a trey of his own. 

"We want to play unselfish going into the state tournament," said Chris Kobayashi, who led the Buffanblu with 11 points on three made 3-pointers. "We know that we're going to have to lean on each other. The ball movement tonight, we've been doing it all year so it's good to see it finally pay off for us."

Punahou had contribution across the board in its win over the Warriors. All of the 15 players on the team checked into the game, 13 of which entered the scoring column. Cole Arceneaux was a complementary slasher with seven points and six assists, and Chong and Mausolf each knocked down two treys to finish with six points. 

Freshman Kaulana Makaula helped give Punahou an early 5-1 lead before a step-back trey from Jayden Zarriello gave Kamehameha a 6-5 lead. Triples from Kaeler Kahana and Kamren Victorino-Kato ballooned the Warriors' lead to a 10-point advantage, forcing a Punahou timeout at the 1:17 mark of the opening period. 

After the break in play, Punahou got a basket from Troske and a triple from Mausolf at the first quarter buzzer to make it a 5-point game heading into the second stanza. With momentum on their side, the Buffanblu whipped up a 21-3 run that span the final nine minutes of the first half to take a 28-20 halftime lead. 

"We jumped out so well tonight, running some sharp things and making shots. Next thing you know they just blitzed us," said Tacon. "They started knocking down shot after shot after shot. When somebody's doing that to you, and you're not making shots yourselves, it's hard to win."

Kamehameha went cold from distance after the first quarter, only knocking down two triples the rest of the way. The Warriors finished the night going 5-for-15 from beyond the arc, 14-for-43 in total.

Kahana led Kamehameha in the loss with a game-high 16 points. Zarriello added eight more and Kobe Young chipped in seven points of his own. 

When Punahou meets Iolani Saturday night, it will be the fourth meeting between the two teams.

Iolani (8-5, 15-9) holds a 2-1 advantage having won the most recent meeting, 40-35, in overtime during the playoff semifinals.