With its starting point guard out for the season and its All-State forward held scoreless for almost three periods, Kamehameha still managed to hold off Punahou, 60-49, last night in a key Interscholastic League of Honolulu boys basketball showdown.

The defending state champion Warriors improved to 5-1 in the ILH and moved into a first-place tie with the Buffanblu (5-1). Punahou had won the first meeting, 48-45, at Kamehameha.

Playing before a vocal home crowd of about 1,500 at Hemmeter Fieldhouse, the Buffanblu looked to be in good position last night, especially since Warriors senior point guard Chaz Bajet underwent season-ending knee surgery this week.

But even with 2009 Advertiser All-State forward Micah Christenson held scoreless until 1:16 remaining in the third period, Kamehameha still led 31-25 at halftime and 43-36 entering the fourth quarter.

"Coach likes us to be well-rounded, he emphasizes that," said Kamehameha forward Charlton Tang, who finished with a game-high 19 points. "We have a lot of good shooters, a lot of good players."

Punahou's only lead was at 2-0, though it was tied 23-23 after Henry Cassiday's free throw with 3:34 left in the half. But Tang scored on three straight layups and Shane Matayoshi sank a free throw one second before halftime to put the Warriors ahead, 31-25.

"I told our guys at halftime that they needed to take more pride in their defense," said Alika Smith, the Buffanblu's first-year head coach. "We had it here and there, in stretches, but (Kamehameha) took us out of our game.

"You would think we were in good position (with Bajet out and Christenson scoreless), but that's a tribute to how well (the Warriors) play together. They play hard every possession, and they played hard till the end."

Christenson finally scored with a free throw that made it 39-33 with 1:16 remaining in the third period, then hit his first field goal on a 17-foot fadaway just before the buzzer that made it 43-36.

Kamehameha stretched it to 49-40 after Tang's layup with 4:44 left in the game, and Punahou got no closer than five thereafter.

Dyrbe Enos added 12 points, including three 3-pointers, for Kamehameha.

"Our guys are taking their roles to the next level," Warriors coach Jesse Nakanishi said. "There's no heroes out there, just big shots spread out by everybody."

DeForest Buckner led the Buffanblu with 12 points.

KAMEHAMEHA (5-1) 16 15 12 17 — 60

PUNAHOU (5-1) 14 11 11 13 — 49

KAMEHAMEHA — Shane Matayoshi 5, Frank Ho 5, Micah Christenson 7, Branden Orpillia 3, Brent Auyoung 2, Davis Achong 7, Devin Kuhns 0, Charlton Tang 19, Dyrbe Enos 12. Totals 21 13-19 60.

PUNAHOU — Taylor Crabb 9, Patrick O'Neill 0, Henry Cassiday 8, Sean McFadden 2, James Dowsett 3, Malik Johnson 9, Matthew Feldman 4, James Duncan 0, DeForest Buckner 12, Kaiwi Crabb 2. Totals 21 4-7 49.

3-point goals — Kamehameha 3 (Crabb, Cassiday, Dowsett). Punahou 5 (Enos 3, Ho, Orphillia).

Reported by Scott Metcalf

MID-PACIFIC 55, MARYKNOLL 46

Patrick Matthews had 19 points, Ty Kona 16 and Andrew Swanson 10 to lead the host Owls.

MARYKNOLL (1-6) 9 12 8 17—46

MID-PACIFIC (2-4) 12 16 16 11—55

MARYKNOLL — Andrew Wu 7, Masashi Uematsu 10, Chad Sumulong 0, Trevor Ventura 1, Isaiah Dowdell 3, Jacob Mayer 14, Hirokazu Sasaki 0, A'i Cashman-Fernandez 2, Kekoa Welsh 0, Jordan Tomas 6, Nua Iuvale 3. Totals 10 22-31 46.

MID-PACIFIC — Jordan Doi 0, Shaun Dobovan 2, Shane Kurihara 4, Keola Brown 0, Patrick Matthews 19, Marcus Doi 0, Matthew Reyes 2, Ty Kono 16, Andrew Swanson 10, Dayton Uchiyama 2. Totals 14 23-34 55.

3-point goals — Maryknoll 4 (Tomas 2, Wu 1, Uematsu 1). Mid-Pacific 4 (Kono 2, Matthews 1, Kurihara 1).

JV — Saint Louis 53, Mid-Pacific 49

Reported by Sean Aoyagi

ILH DIVISION II BOYS

KAMEHAMEHA 56, LE JARDIN 53

Brandon Marfil scored 12 points and Wyatt Ferreira added 11 as the Warriors edged the host Bulldogs.

KAMEHAMEHA (9-1) 19 16 10 11—56

LE JARDIN (4-4) 14 18 10 11—53

KAMEHAMEHA — Tyren Hepa 3, Keanu Haina 4, Beau Oshiro 8, Ronson Nakoa-Moniz 2, Pana Ieriko 7, David Stant 6, Landon Aano 3, Brandon Marfil 12, Wyatt Ferreira 11, Conner Henderson 0, Kainalu Kau'ulaau 0, Kaiwi Amina 0, Kili Watson 0. Totals 18 16-26 56.

LE JARDIN — Tevin Togami 17, John Whitty 10, Kelvin Akamine 2, Kalani Soeda 7, Sean McWhinnie 8, Taylor Gray 4, Ikaika Hoskins 5, Joshua Kava 0. Totals 17 13-22 53.

3-point goals — Kamehameha 4 (Oshiro 2, Hepa, Ferreira). Le Jardin Academy 6 (Togami 2, Whitty 2, McWhinnie 2.

Reported by Kyle Miyamoto

ISLAND PACIFIC 80, HAWAI'I BAPTIST 78

Theo Duplechain scored 35 points, London Amorin 20 and Jason Brenner 10, to lead the visiting Navigators.

ISLAND PACIFIC (4-5) 13 17 25 25—80

HAWAI'I BAPTIST (3-4) 27 6 19 26—78

ISLAND PACIFIC — Dylan Yamamoto 6, Malik Veazie 5, Jason Brenner 10, Andrew Lee 0, Shane Brantley 0, London Amorin 20, Jackson Durrett 4, Theo Duplechain 35, Willie Carter 0, Colt Wallace 0. Totals 31 17-39 80.

HAWAI'I BAPTIST — Chasen Fukuda 0, Bryan Smits 16, Jun Fritz 18, Brennan Lee 0, Matt Wong 0, In Sik Seo 2, John Kagehiro 8, Christian Morimoto 14, Sage Chun-Bulseco 0, Nathan Le 10, Caleb Gaskins 0, Kalei Hosaka 4, Landry Kiyabu 2, Byron Kam 1, Travis Teramae 3. Totals 24 17-31 78.

3-point goals — Island Pacific 1 (Brenner). Hawai'i Baptist 13 (Fritz 5, Smits 3, Kagehiro 2, Morimoto, Hosaka, Teramae).

Reported by Deren Oshiro

HANALANI 74, CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 56

PJ Minaya and Darin Kamealoha each scored 21 points, and Kainoa Petersen added 10 as the host Royals beat the Patriots.

CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (4-6) 12 20 11 13—56

HANALANI (6-3) 22 18 16 18—74

CHRISTIAN ACADEMY — Jason Ko 9, Michael Urcia 20, Jason Ocel 5, Nathan Carrion 0, Ryan Kobayashi 0, Axton Durand 4, Zachary Fu 6, Kalani Baughman 2, Robert Helsham Jr. 2, Ethan Reyes 6, Ryan Helsham 2. Totals 20 15-34 56.

HANALANI — Andrew Futaka 0, Darin Kamealoha 21, PJ Minaya 21, Zach Baysa 0, Matt Guerrero 9, Daneil Muraoka 0, Zach Relles 3, Jon Suh 4, Andrew Rattanassamay 4, Kainoa Petersen 10, Aaron Schoniwitz 0, Matt Rybarcyk 2. Totals 30 10-36 74.

3-point goals — Christian Academy 1 (Reyes). Hanalani 4 (Kamealoha 2, Relles, Petersen).

Reported by Rob Araki

ILH GIRLS DIVISION I

PUNAHOU 55, MID-PACIFIC 38

Jennifer Ching scored 11 points and the visiting Buffanblu made 21 of 31 free throws to beat the Owls.

PUNAHOU (9-1) 15 18 8 14—55

MID-PACIFIC (6-3) 5 8 10 15—38

PUNAHOU — Kaylin Okuma 5, Jennifer Hwang 2, Khaliyah Thompson 8, Janet Li 7, Turner Wong 0, Brittnie Lau 3, Demi Suzuki 0, Mysha Sataraka 9, Julia Brand 6, Ashley-Anne Feria 0, Jennifer Ching 11, Michelle Parke 0, Kysa Luduiksen 0, Hailey-Ann Maeda 4. Totals 16 21-31 55.

MID-PACIFIC — Paige Young 2, Ashley Yamachika 4, Kiki Robertson 6, Kelli Shibata 0, Shanon Nishimura 0, Jordan Kealoha 5, Taylor Babbitt 2, Jacqueline Donovan 0, Keaton McFadden 8, Jenna Savusa 11. Totals 17 3-10 38.

3-point goals — Punahou 2 (Okuma, Lau). Mid-Pacific 1 (Kealoha).

Reported by Sean Aoyagi

KAMEHAMEHA 63, MARYKNOLL 54

Kennedi Akana scored 18 points and Dalian Krampert added 11 as the host Warriors held off the Spartans.

MARYKNOLL (0-10) 9 8 19 18—54

KAMEHAMEHA (3-7) 14 11 13 25—63

MARYKNOLL — Ashley Agcaoili 20, Corine Gushikuma 2, Kimiko Mitchell 1, Taylor Wong 18, Amanda Busmente 0, Crystie Wong 4, Ashlee Desantos 0, Athena Adora 4, Raquel Ostrowski 5, Tyara Johnson 0, Emily Holt 0. Totals 16 17-30 54.

KAMEHAMEHA — Dalian Krampert 11, Krystal-Lei Mills 3, Noelani Mikami 6, Tia Perreira 9, Deja Tafiti 0, Manuhaaipo Noa 0, Kellsie Crowell 0, Haley Paakaula 0, Brachelle Nueku 3, Makanauiokalani Borden 9, Kennedi Akana 18, Tyana Akana 0, Lilia Maio 4. Totals 21 19-25 63.

3-point goals — Maryknoll 5 (Wong 3, Aqcaoili, Ostrowski). Kamehameha 2 (Mikami, Nueku).

Reported by Kamehameha Athletics

ILH GIRLS DIVISION II

CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 45, LUTHERAN 40

Leslie Cruz scored 15 points to lead the Patriots over the Lions at Hanalani.

LUTHERAN (4-8) 10 10 7 13—40

CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (4-9) 8 11 13 13—45

LUTHERAN — Lexi Kaneshiro 9, Kayla Suganuma 2, Mari Gibo 12, Marcie Moribe 0, Lorien Pelletier 0, Kaleihiwa Ah New 7, Kamalei Ah New 2, Briannah Cadiz 8. Totals 15 8-15 40.

CHRISTIAN ACADEMY — Leslie Cruz 15, Stephanie Ramos 7, Megan Salazar-Winters 5, Tori Adres 9, Sarah Godinet 3, Cheyenne Kessell 4, Briana Rodrigues 2. Totals 15 14-22 45.

3-point goals — Lutheran 2 (Kaneshiro, Kal. Ah New). Christian Academy 1 (Cruz).

Reported by Rob Araki

HAWAI'I BAPTIST 54, LA PIETRA 26

Jennifer Young scored 13 points and the host Eagles raced to a 23-6 first-quarter lead and never looked back.

LA PIETRA (5-8) 6 8 10 2—26

HAWAI'I BAPTIST (8-5) 23 18 11 2—54

LA PIETRA — Kiana Hoohuli 0, Jenny Moody 1, Veronica Thomas 0, Marana Sewell 0, Sarah Aref 0, Angelina Ishiki 0, Shalina Ishiki 1, Marissa Hoen 5, Salote Lopes-Liutolo 12, Monique Smith 6, Mckenzie Hoover 1. Totals 7 12-35 26.

HAWAI'I BAPTIST — Stefany Baker 2, Jennifer Young 13, Rebecca Dang 4, Natasha Travens 2, Amber Au 3, Jamie Iha 2, Kimberly Au 2, Jennifer Uehara 6, Reana Lee 2, Jordin Ramos 2, Jami-Lynn Grumling 6, Kayla Yamamoto 6, Lyndsay Strach 2, Remi Yasui 2. Totals 21 10-15 54.

3-point goals — Hawai'i Baptist 2 (Young 2).

Reported by Deren Oshiro

Read his blog on high school sports at http://preptalk.honadvblogs.com