Kamehameha started and finished strong last night to hold off defending state champion Punahou, 41-37, in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu boys basketball opener for both teams.

A crowd of about 550 at the Warriors' Kekuhaupi'o Gym watched Kamehameha jump out to a 13-2 lead in the first six minutes, only to see the Buffanblu chip away at the lead and close it to 39-37 with 24 seconds remaining. But Chaz Bajet sank a free throw five seconds later to make it 40-37, and Punahou missed a 3-point attempt from the top of the key with about three ticks left.

The Warriors' Pi'i Minns grabbed the rebound and was fouled, and sank the second of two free throws with 0:00.6 showing on the clock to seal it.

"We put it all together in the end," Kamehameha coach Jesse Nakanishi said. "It wasn't pretty, we struggled shooting the ball all night. We were 2-of-14 on 3s and 7-of-17 from the line, but it's encouraging to know we can still find a way to win on a night like that."

Punahou unveiled brand new navy blue road uniforms and a different-looking lineup to match, with sophomore point guard Matt Feldman and senior wing Sean McFadden getting their first starts of the season.

The adjustment took a while, as the Warriors jumped out to leads of 7-0, 13-2 and 16-5 by the end of the first period. But the Buffanblu settled down after that and closed it to 26-20 by halftime.

"We're a work in progress, but I'm proud of how well the guys fought back," Punahou coach Dan Hale said. "Our team is still finding itself, and Kamehameha is a hard opponent to do that against."

The Buffanblu cut it to 32-31 after two free throws by Kai Gaddis with 1:38 remaining in the third period, but Minns gave the Warriors a 34-31 lead heading into the fourth on a layup.

Feldman opened the fourth quarter with a short bank shot to close it to 34-33, but Minns answered with a 3-pointer from the left wing to push the Warriors' lead to 37-33. Feldman hit another short banker to cut it to 37-35 with 5:34 left, and that's how the score remained until 1:33 remaining, when sophomore Micah Christenson scored on a layup to make it 39-35.

Punahou could not score until Kimo Makaula's driving layup with 24 seconds left.

"It was a chess match in the fourth quarter," said Minns, who finished with a game-high 17 points. "Coach did a good job mixing up the zone and man traps, and we were getting more boards."

Christenson added 10 points for Kamehameha.

Makaula and Feldman each scored 11 points to lead the Buffanblu.

PUNAHOU (0-1) 5 15 11 6—37

KAMEHAMEHA (1-0) 16 10 8 7—41

Punahou — Dalton Hilliard 2, Henry Cassiday 0, Kimo Makaula 11, Sean McFadden 7, Deforest Buckner 2, Matt Feldman 11, Robby Toma 0, Kai Gaddis 4, James Dowsett 0. Totals 16 3-4 37.

Kamehameha — Chaz Bajet 3, Pi'i Minns 17, Auwae DeRego 5, Blake Viena 4, Micah Christenson 10, Edmund Kamano Jr. 0, Brandon Dumlao 0, Koa Ka'ai 0, Damien Teramae-Kaehuaea 2, Shane Matayoshi 0, Shawin Bode 0. Totals 16 7-17 41.

3-point goals: Punahou 2 (Feldman, McFadden). Kamehameha 2 (Minns 2).

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2456. Read his blog on high school sports at www.preptalk.honadvblogs.com.

'IOLANI 70, SAINT LOUIS 50:

Pablo Warner scored 18 points, Kela Marciel had 14, and Jarrett Arakawa and Kainoa Chu 11 each, powering the host Raiders over the Crusaders in the regular-season opener for both teams. 'Iolani trailed 15-13 after one quarter, but outscored Saint Louis 41-22 in the second and third quarters to pull away. Dean Viena scored 20 points for Saint Louis.

SAINT LOUIS (0-1) 15 12 10 13 — 50

'IOLANI (1-0) 13 20 21 16 — 70

SAINT LOUIS — Lucas Gonsalves 5, Marcus Umu 6, Joey Bryant 0, Quinn Arakawa 0, Micah McClinton 8, Dean Viena 20, Acen Cabral 0, Chris Cook 2, Mika Wong 4, Jordan Ilagan 0, Mike Tuiloma 2, Starr Sua-Passi 0, Moses Samia 3, Jaris Popaca-Falefa 0. Totals 22 5-14 50.

'IOLANI — Kela Marciel 14, Ammon Baldomero 0, Andrew Skalman 1, Reid Saito 0, Jarrett Arakawa 11, John Foy 0, Kainoa Chu 11, Trevyn Tulonghari 8, Brandon Ball 3, Kainoa Scheer 0, Nicholas Christman 0, Gabriel Vega 0, Josiah Sukumaran 2, Pablo Warner 18, Sealii Epenesa 2. Totals 26 15-25 70.

3-point goals: Saint Louis 1 (Gonsalves). 'Iolani 3 (Chu, Tulonghari, Ball).

Reported by Stu Matsunami

MID-PACIFIC 56, MARYKNOLL 29:

Marcus Holyfield scored 19 points as the host Owls beat the Spartans, who got seven points from Chasen St. Onge.

MARYKNOLL (0-1) 6 5 9 9 — 29

MID-PACIFIC (1-0) 16 10 20 10 — 56

MARYKNOLL — Masashi Uematsu 3, Chasen St. Onge 7, Craig Shoji 3, Jordan Victorino 0, David Nosale 2, Kekiai Cashman-Fernandez 0, Dillon Keaney 4, Kent Kawahara 0, Jacob Mayer 6, Micah Kalepa 2, Davis Holt 2. Totals 10 9-19 29.

MID-PACIFIC — Jonathan Taniguchi 4, Ty Kono 0, Shane Kurihara 5, CJ Woolsey 6, Cameron Roberts 4, Patrick Young 0, Sampson Won 6, Mark Fooks 1, Marcus Holyfield 19, Matthew Reyes 6, Jantzen Suan 0, Dayton Uchiyama 0, John Sherlock 5, Brenton Beirne 0. Totals 21 11-20 56.

3-point goals: Maryknoll none. Mid-Pacific 3 (Kurihara, Woolsey, Won).

Reported by Carl Fraticelli

ILH DIVISION II BOYS

HANALANI 69, CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 50:

John Sur scored 22 points, Darin Kamealoha added 20 and PJ Minaya had 19 as the host Royals beat the Patriots. Jason Ko scored 22 points and Michael Urcia added 13 for Christian Academy.

CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (1-2) 6 11 17 16 — 50

HANALANI (1-1) 13 14 17 25 — 69

CHRISTIAN ACADEMY — Jason Ko 22, Michael Urcia 13, Jathniel Manahan 2, Abel Orbistondo 2, Micah Yamada 0, Ryan Kobayashi 0, Axton Durand 6, Zachary Fu 2, Jake Okumura 0, Kalani Baughman 2, Robert Helsham Jr. 1. Totals 17 13-21 50.

HANALANI — Andrew Kutaka 0, Darin Kamealoha 20, PJ Minaya 19, Matt Simbre 1, Matt Guerrero 2, Bryson Honda 3, John Suh 22, Andrew Rattanasamay 2. Totals 27 13-21 69.

3-point goals: Christian Academy 3 (Ko 2, Urcia). Hanalani 2 (Kamealoha, Honda).

Reported by Rob Araki

Hawai'i Baptist 54, ASSETS 25: Ryan Leung and Nathan Le scored 10 points apiece as the host Eagles beat the Admirals, who got 12 points from Grant Kitagawa.

ASSETS (0-1) 4 8 4 9 — 25

HAWAI'I BAPTIST (2-0) 12 13 15 14 — 54

ASSETS — Garrett Kato 0, Jordan Kumasaka 0, Logann Molina 2, Grant Kitagawa 12, Brandon Kushima 6, Fabrizio Alliata 0, George Cambra 5. Totals 6 12-26 25.

HAWAI'I BAPTIST — Ellison Iseri 3, Kelsey Uyehara 2, Shane Sato 3, Bryan Smits 6, Reid Morihara 2, John Kagehiro 3, Christian Morimoto , Ryan Leung 10, Nathan Le 10, Justin Seo 0, Kyle Barretta 9, Landry Kiyabu 6, Byron Kam 0. Totals 21 8-12 54.

3-point goals: ASSETS 1 (Kitagawa). Hawai'i Baptist 4 (Leung 2, Sato 1, Smits 1).

Reported by Deren Oshiro

PUNAHOU 71, ACADEMY OF THE PACIFIC 14:

James Duncan scored nine points and 12 other Buffanblu players scored in a rout of the visiting Dolphins.

AOP (0-2) 2 2 10 0 — 14

PUNAHOU (2-0) 13 26 17 15 — 71

ACADEMY OF THE PACIFIC — Ronald Nipp Jr. 5, Nicholas Seberg 0, Evan Paresa 0, Nicholas Gomes 8, Michael Datz-Rice 0, Jordan Ching 0, Lopaka Davis 0, Dan Stanfield 1. Totals 3 7-12 14.

PUNAHOU — Kevin Mukai 8, Stephen Alterado 5, Matthew Paul Yim 0, Galen Arakawa 6, James Duncan 9, St. John Kim 0, Devon Wong 3, Matthew Blanco 4, Dylan Hudson 6, Noah Hammond 4, James Portwood 6, Andrew Kuriyama 0, Nicholas Kido 4, Jacob Brovelli 4, Thurston Kino 6, Anthony Crabb 6. Totals 32 3-5 71.

3-point goals: Academy of the Pacific 1 (Nip). Punahou 4 (Mukai 2, Alterado, Wong).

Reported by Scott Metcalf

ILH DIVISION I GIRLS

'IOLANI 42, PUNAHOU 38:

Kylie Maeda hit three 3-pointers and scored 19 points, and the host Raiders broke from a 26-all tie after three quarters to beat the Buffanblu and remain undefeated. Tressa Torres scored 12 points to lead Punahou.

PUNAHOU (1-1) 8 7 11 12 — 38

'IOLANI (2-0) 9 10 7 16 — 42

PUNAHOU — Kaylin Okuma 0, Rebecca Lau 5, Alexandra Santi 0, Julianne Nomura 2, Janet Li 2, Anna Merrifield 2, Brittnie Lau 2, Mysha Sataraka 2, Janelle Nomura 6, Ashley Feria 0, Jennifer Ching 0, Julia Brand 1, Kysa Ludviksen 4, Tressa Torres 12. Totals 13 10-20 38.

'IOLANI — Elysse Tom 0, Tami Konishi 0, Kylie Maeda 19, Lori Yamashita 9, Georgette Lopes-Liutolo 6, Kaitlyn Shikada 0, Kryn Masutani 0, Mahina Haina 2, Lahela Usui 4, Shauni Watanabe 0, Brittany Barnes 2. Totals 11 15-23 42.

3-point goals: Punahou 2 (R. Lau, Ja. Nomura). 'Iolani 5 (Maeda 3, Yamashita 1, Lopes-Liutolo 1).

Reported by Stu Matsunami

MID-PACIFIC 53, KAMEHAMEHA 45:

Johnelle Kapu scored 15 points, Keaton McFadden and Jenna Savusa each added 11, and the visiting Owls used a 20-9 third quarter to beat the Warriors.

MID-PACIFIC (2-1) 6 15 20 12 — 53

KAMEHAMEHA (1-2) 12 8 9 16 — 45

MID-PACIFIC — Ashley Yamachika 3, Johnelle Kapua 15, Kelli Shibata 2, Jordan Kealoha 9, Taylor Babbitt 2, Keaton McFadden 11, Jenna Savusa 11. Totals 19 15-21 53.

KAMEHAMEHA — Alexis Furtado 11, Sanoe Keliinoi 4, Noelani Mikami 0, Tia Perreria 0, Lindsey Wong 12, Kellsie Crowell 1, Piikea Kalakau 3, Kylie Roy 14. Totals 18 6-16 45.

3-point goals: Mid-Pacific none. Kamehameha 3 (Wong 2, Furtado).

Reported by Kamehameha Athletics

ILH DIVISION II GIRLS

HAWAI'I BAPTIST 59, PUNAHOU 39:

Narissa Fujii had a game-high 19 points, Jordan Ramos added 11 and the host Eagles raced to a 17-2 lead after one quarter in rolling past the Buffanblu.

PUNAHOU (1-3) 2 13 9 15 — 39

HAWAI'I BAPTIST (3-0) 17 13 14 15 — 59

PUNAHOU — Olivia Manayan 0, Brittany Pacarro 2, Ashley Choy 1, Sara Nishikawa 5, Courtney Lelepali 0, Kira Bayley 1, Demi Suzuki 10, Natalie Portwood 0, Taylor Maruyama 4, Kayla Murata 1, Julia Ayabe 2, Jessica Lin 0, Michelle Tam 7, Hilary Nakaya 6. Totals 13 12-32 39.

HAWAI'I BAPTIST — Jamie Iha 7, Stefanie Sueda 1, Sharon Kim 0, Keline Yoshimura 8, Narissa Fujii 19, Reana Lee 2, Jordin Ramos 11, Kayla Yamamoto 4, Lindsay Strach 2, Jennifer Young 5. Totals 15 28-44 59.

3-point goals: Punahou 1 (Suzuki). Hawai'i Baptist 1 (Young).

Reported by Deren Oshiro

LANAKILA BAPTIST 31, LA PIETRA 27:

Erika Ellis and Crystal Sonson each scored nine points and the visiting Warriors rallied from a 14-10 halftime deficit to beat the Lady Panthers, who got nine points from Cody Koa.

LANAKILA BAPTIST (2-2) 7 3 12 9 — 31

LA PIETRA (0-2) 10 4 6 7 — 27

LANAKILA BAPTIST — Erika Ellis 9, Crystal Sonson 9, Jessica Sonson 6, Bliselda Miranda 0, Maikalani Eli 0, Lindsey Heggleson 5, Joy Duncan 1, Cheriane Goodknecht 0, Neticia Susuico 1. Totals not available.

LA PIETRA — Jennifer Moody 2, Cody Koa 9, Adrian Huang 5, Shannon Waltz 2, Monique Smith 1, Mckenzie Hoover 4, Alexandra Del Fravero-Campbell 4. Totals not available.

3-point goals: Lanakila Baptist none. La Pietra 1 (Huang).

HANALANI 47, CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 18:

Rachel Matalau scored 16 points, Samantha Hyde added 10 and the host Royals raced to a 13-6 first-quarter lead and never looked back in rolling past the Patriots.

CHRISTIAN ACAD. (0-3) 6 2 2 8 — 18

HANALANI (1-1) 13 10 12 12 — 47

CHRISTIAN ACADEMY — Leslie Cruz 7, Geena Cunha 0, Megan Salazar-Winters 8, Chazley Baitlon 1, Cheyenne Kessell 2. Totals 6 4-8 18.

HANALANI — Samantha Hyde 10, Jade Gonzalez 0, Kim Feng 3, Jessica Clanton 6, Lauren Ramos 0, Jody Shimabukuro 2, Ashley Stamm 4, Rachel Matalau 16, Jackie Earl 2, Samantha Shimizu 4. Totals 23 1-9 47.

3-point goals: Christian Academy 2 (Salazar-Winters). Hanalani none.

Reported by Rob Araki