In a boys basketball state quarterfinal game that lived up to its championship hype, Kahuku held off Punahou, 40-39, last night before a raucous near-capacity crowd of about 1,600 at Radford's James Alegre Gym.

The No. 2 seed and O'ahu Interscholastic Association champ Red Raiders improved to 18-1 in the regular and postseason and will face Interscholastic League of Honolulu runner-up 'Iolani (12-2) in tonight's 7 o'clock semifinal at Blaisdell Arena.

Kahuku led 38-31 after Kona Schwenke's layup with 2:48 remaining, but the defending champion Bufanblu (10-7) scratched their way back and closed to 40-39 on Shane Yoshiyama's 3-pointer with 16.6 seconds left. The Red Raiders were fouled after the ensuing inbounds pass but missed both double-bonus free-throw attempts with 11 seconds remaining.

With two fouls to give before getting into the bonus, the Red Raiders fouled twice in the backcourt and then knocked away a pass to the right corner with 1.9 ticks left. Punahou then lofted a pass from the right sideline to the far side of the basket for 6-foot-7 center Josh Taylor, but Irwin Ah-Hoy leaped and intercepted the ball, securing it as time expired.

"I knew they would try to lob it to (Taylor), because he's a volleyball player, and he has hops," said Ah-Hoy, a 6-foot senior who plays defensive back in football. "I just jumped as high as I could, and I caught the ball."

As anticipated, the game was intense and tight from the opening tip until the final buzzer.

Kahuku's seven-point lead was the biggest for either team, and it didn't last long.

Robby Toma drilled a 3-pointer with 2:26 remaining to close it to 38-34, and Kimo Makaula's layup with 1:21 left cut it to 38-36.

Christian Feagai made one of two free throws 12 seconds later to give the Red Raiders a 40-36 lead, but they missed two front-ends of one-and-ones with 36 and 23 seconds left, giving Yoshiyama his chance to close it to 40-39 on a 21-footer from the left wing with a hand in his face.

"It was a classic game, both teams were going at it the whole way," Buffanblu coach Dan Hale said. "I'm proud of our guys because they never gave up. But Kahuku made the play at the end, and that's what you have to do in a state tournament."

Nehoa Akina scored 13 points to lead the Red Raiders, and Jray Galeai added 10 points.

Makaula led Punahou with 15 points and eight rebounds.

PUNAHOU (10-7) 9 8 11 11 — 39

KAHUKU (18-1) 5 12 13 10 — 40

PUNAHOU — Robby Toma 3, Shane Yoshiyama 7, Dalton Hilliard 7, Kimo Makaula 15, Manti Te'o 2, Taylor Crabb 3, Henry Cassiday 0, Sean McFadden 2, Matthew Feldman 0, Joshua Taylor 0. Totals 17 1-2 39.

KAHUKU — Jray Galeai 10, Irwin Ah-Hoy 0, Nehoa Akina 13, Kona Schwenke 4, Christian Feagai 9, Mikeli Damuni 4, Sage Kaka 0, Kohl Nauahi 0, Jackson Kaka 0, Shairone Thompson 0. Totals 14 8-15.

3-point goals: Punahou 4 (Toma, Yoshiyama, Hilliard, Crabb). Kahuku 4 (Akina 3, Galeai).

'IOLANI 58, WAIAKEA 40

Pablo Warner scored 20 points and grabbed five rebounds, and Kainoa Chu added 14 points and four steals as the Raiders took an early lead and never relinquished it against the Warriors (11-3).

'Iolani, which won five straight state championships from 2002 through 2006, will be making a return to the semifinals after a two-year hiatus.

"Finally," said Warner, a 6-2 senior forward in his third year on the varsity. "We came out with way more effort this time (compared to Wednesday) and we didn't let up. It starts with defense — defense wins championships."

Waiakea, the No. 3 seed and Big Island Interscholastic Federation champion, took an 8-5 lead but Reid Saito swished a 3-pointer to start 'Iolani on a 7-0 run to finish the first period.

The Raiders (11-2) stretched the lead to 31-18 by halftime and 44-31 after three quarters.

The Warriors got as close as 44-36 after Matthew Libao's 3-pointer with 5:05 remaining in the game, but 'Iolani finished the game with a 14-4 run to close it out.

"They brought a lot of pressure — their forwards are like guards — and they showed their intensity and their discipline," said first-year Waiakea coach Paul Lee. "We got out of our system, but 'Iolani did a lot to get us out of our system with their defensive pressure. We fell behind early and it took a lot of energy trying to come back. We couldn't score because we were being undisciplined on offense, trying to go one-on-one.

"If you try to go one-on-one against 'Iolani with their help defense, it's almost impossible to beat them."

Dakota Allen led Waiakea with 13 points and Chris Mattos added 10 points.

'IOLANI (11-2) 15 16 13 14 — 58

WAIAKEA (11-2) 10 8 13 9 — 40

'IOLANI — Andrew Skalman 6, Jarrett Arakawa 3, Kainoa Chu 14, Kainoa Scheer 3, Pablo Warner 20, Kela Marciel 0, Ammon Baldomero 0, Reid Saito 8, John Foy 0, Brandon Ball 2, Nicholas Christman 2, Gabriel Vega 0, Jourdan Simmonds 0, Josiah Sukumaran 0. Totals 21 14-19 58.

WAIaKEA — Rico Asuncion 5, Dakota Allen 13, Mitchel Shintani 5, Charles Tatsuhara 2, Chris Mattos 10, Christian Shintani 0, Colby Iwashita 0, Isaiak Janado 0, Matthew Libao 5, Isaac Chung 0, Michael Hughes 0, Clayton Mortante 0. Totals 13 12-19 40. 3-point goals: 'Iolani 2 (Warner, Saito). Waiakea 2 (Asuncion, Libao).

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