Kamu Borden and the Raiders will face off against Micah Maa and the Buffanblu in a key matchup between teams' vying for the top spot in the ILH Division I standings. ScoringLive photo illustration

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Much is on the line when No. 2 Punahou and No. 3 Iolani face off at the Raiders' Lower Gymnasium Saturday night.

For the Buffanblu, it's an opportunity to separate themselves as the top team in what has already been a crazy Interscholastic League of Honolulu season. On the other hand, Iolani can improve to 3-1 and move into a three-way tie for first place with Punahou and fifth-ranked Saint Louis.

Punahou, ranked second in the latest ScoringLive/OC16 Boys Basketball Power Rankings, is coming off a stunning win over the Crusaders. The Buffanblu trailed 40-27 heading into the final period of play, but scored 32 points in the fourth quarter and won it at the buzzer on Kalai Santos' banker from beyond half court.

The Buffanblu's need for a fourth quarter rally was a result of getting outscored 26-13 in the second and third quarter. During that stretch Punahou committed a lot of live ball turnovers that netted fast break opportunities for the Crusaders.

"We got to play a little bit more disciplined," said Punahou coach Darren Matsuda. "We took a little quick shots that we weren't happy with. We got to be tougher, both mentally and physically (if we want to beat Iolani)."

Although Saint Louis knocked off Iolani last week when the Raiders were ranked No.1, Matsuda knows anything can happen in any given game.

"Everyone can beat everybody. For us it's just one game at a time. You can't really read anything from one game. Everyone can have a good game or bad game," said Matsuda.

In addition to its win over Saint Louis, Punahou has picked up wins over Kamehameha (64-45) and Maryknoll (53-52) to sit as the only unbeaten team in league play.

Much of the Buffanblu's early season successes can be attributed to how long much of the team's core has been together. Seniors Micah Maa, Jordan Tanuvasa, Dayson Watanabe and Kanawai Noa were freshmen on the 2012 varsity team that won the state tournament, while guys like Randon Oda, JB Kam, Ronley Lakalaka and Santos has played since they were sophomores. 

"I think these guys love each. They've been really good friends for a long time," said Matsuda. "When that kind of connection happens, that synergy, some good things are bound to happen." 

Iolani, the 2014 Division I state champions, are coming off a 55-46 road victory over Kamehameha. Iolani got huge contributions from posts Kamu Borden (14 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks) and Hugh Hogland (eight points, six rebounds) in its win over the Warriors. 

"We got a good one. We got a lot of production out of our bigs today – that was nice. We didn't have that game quite yet where our bigs dominated," Iolani coach Dean Shimamoto said hours after their win. "Hugh and Kamu did a good job on the offensive boards."

Although the early season loss to Saint Louis might cause some to worry, Shimamoto believes in the process and knows that it all matters in the postseason. 

"We're just trying to get better every day," said Shimamoto. "We're not the team we were last year. We got different kind of guys, different styles, different weaknesses and different strengths. We want to beat Punahou just as much as they want to beat us.

"I don't think we've gotten there yet. It's kind of like last year. We're a different team, but we didn't figure ourselves out until midway last year. We just cannot give up so much ground that we can't recover from it."

Shimamoto believes that ball security will be crucial in Saturday's contest.

"We got to be able to handle their pressure. They got athletes," said Shimamoto. "They're not really big, but they're not small either. They got Division I athletes out there running around and putting pressure on you. We have to make sure we take care of the ball."

Tip-off between the Buffanblu and Raiders is set for 6 p.m.