For one half last night, Iolani outscored the nation's No. 1-ranked boys basketball team.

Unfortunately for the four-time defending state champion Raiders, it came after Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) had built a 30-7 lead so the Mustangs still won, 53-31, to advance to tonight's semifinals of the 22nd Annual Iolani Prep Classic.

Montrose Christian, No. 1 in USA Today's latest Super 25 rankings, will play No. 9 Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville, Fla.) at 6:30. No. 14 Mount Vernon (N.Y.) faces No. 21 Fairfax (Los Angeles) in the other semifinal at 8.

All games are at Iolani Gym.

Before another sellout crowd of about 1,050 last night, Montrose Christian (5-0) immediately pulled rank on Iolani, jumping to a 10-0 lead in the first three minutes. Iolani (5-2) finally scored on Kawika Shoji's free throws with 4:37 remaining, but the Raiders would get only two more points — on a Wally Marciel layup — the rest of the period as the Mustangs led 14-4.

Points were even harder to come by in the second quarter, as Case Miyahira's 3-pointer with 5:10 left was Iolani's only basket.

"I think in the first half we came out lacking intensity on both ends," said Raiders guard Vinny Nip, who finished with a team-high eight points. "That threw off our whole push."

Defensively, Iolani held 6-foot-10 Kevin Durant — regarded by some as the nation's best player — scoreless in the first period. But Durant scored nine points in the second quarter, including 5 of 5 free throws. Adrian Bowie, a 6-3 guard, scored 14 points in the first half, many coming on putbacks. He finished with a game-high 15 points.

"Adrian played really well," Mustangs coach Stu Vetter said. "He got a lot of rebounds and did extremely well denying his man the ball. I thought our whole defense was outstanding; that probably was one of the best halves we've played all year defensively."

Raiders coach Mark Mugiishi said Montrose Christian's size (four starters are 6-3 or taller) and athleticism may have shaken his team's confidence. Iolani's tallest starter is Shoji (6-3).

"We played like we were intimidated, but give (the Mustangs) credit for that because they caused the intimidation," Mugiishi said. "They're fundamentally sound, and if you make one mistake, like taking a bad shot, they make you pay. It's one pass, two steps, throw it down. That puts a lot of pressure on you."

The Raiders regrouped in the second half, ending the third period with a 7-0 run to close to 43-22 entering the final quarter. Nip had two 3-pointers, Ryan Dung added another 3 and freshman Liloa Nobriga scored on two layups.

Iolani then played Montrose Christian even in the fourth period.

"I thought Iolani played an outstanding second half," Vetter said. "They adjusted, were more aggressive defensively and shot the ball well. We lost our focus a little, and Iolani is a good enough team where you can't afford to do that."

In other games yesterday: