In a dramatic turn of events that was seemingly made for TV, Punahou rallied past Saint Louis, 67-53, last night before a raucous crowd of about 900 at McCabe Gym plus a historic live statewide television audience.

The Buffanblu, ranked No. 3 in The Advertiser's statewide Top 10 poll of coaches and media, improved to 6-1 in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu and claimed sole possession of first place in the ILH standings. Saint Louis, ranked No. 2, fell to 5-2.

The boys basketball showdown, believed to be the first ILH televised game in at least 30 years, lived up to the advanced billing.

Punahou was coming off a stunning 74-63 home defeat to No. 1 'Iolani (5-1) and trailed 43-34 with 2:43 remaining in the third period. That's when Spencer McLachlin drained a 3-pointer that ignited a shocking 24-2 run that ended with the Buffanblu up, 58-45, with four minutes left in the game.

Three-time Advertiser All-State first-team guard Miah Ostrowski scored 12 points during the run, including spectacular back-to-back fast-break layups in the final 29 seconds of the third quarter to give Punahou a 44-43 lead.

"He's so amazing, sometimes it feels like I'm watching a professional out there," said McLachlin, who finished with a game-high 23 points to Ostrowski's 21. "He definitely caught fire in the second half."

Crusaders coach Delbert Tengan said McLachlin's 3-pointer followed another key moment.

"I thought the turning point of the game was when we missed a layup, and then McLachlin hit the 3 to cut it to six," Tengan said. "That gave them life, because instead of being down (11) now they're only down six. And once they got on that run, our guys lost their aggression a little."

Ostrowski started slowly, with only five points on two field goals in the first half, which ended with Saint Louis leading 32-26.

But he warmed up quickly in the third period, scoring eight points on a dazzling array of moves and then swishing two long 3-pointers early in the fourth period.

"I just gotta keep shooting, keep taking shots," Ostrowski said. "Luckily, I finally started hitting some in the second half."

Punahou coach Dan Hale said Ostrowski grabbed control of the game late in the third quarter.

"He took it over, which he's not afraid to do," Hale said. "That loosened him up, and Spencer and Kameron (Steinhoff) gave us a lot of rebounds inside. That was a key, too."

During the run, the Crusaders also struggled against the Buffanblu's man-to-man and 1-3-1 trapping defenses.

"We forced a couple shots, and that was a springboard for (Punahou)," Tengan said. "Once they went up by four or six, it just ballooned from there. And Ostrowski and McLachlin are four-year veterans, so when they smelled blood they went right after it."

PUNAHOU (6-1) 17 9 18 23 — 67

SAINT LOUIS (5-2) 12 20 11 10 — 53

PUNAHOU — Robert Toma 0, Miah Ostrowski 21, Kimo Makaula 2, Dane Okamura 0, Kyle Whitford 2, Dalton Hilliard 4, Henry Cassidy 9, Ted Hawkins 0, Sean McFadden 0, Trevor Crabb 0, Kameron Steinhoff 6, Spencer McLachlin 23, Kasey Shibuya 0. Totals 26 11-19 67.

SAINT LOUIS — Ricksson Pacarro 2, Kuli'a Aiona 6, John Quindara 2, Lucas Gonsalves 2, Scott Smith 17, Cole Shidaki 8, Solomona Aigamaua 2, Michael Tuiloma 2, Micah McClinton 8, Jamison Miller 4. Totals 21 9-13 53. 3-point goals: Punahou 4 (Ostrowski 2, Hilliard, McLachlin). Saint Louis 2 (McClinton 2).

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com.