By Wes Nakama

For the Punahou boys basketball team, staying close with perennial national power Oak Hill (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) Tuesday night was not just a wish — it was an expectation.

The defending state runner-up Buff ‘n Blue went toe-to-toe with the talent-laden Warriors for three full periods in the ‘Iolani Classic first-round game, only to see Oak Hill finally pull away in the final eight minutes and win, 76-61. The Warriors, who are coming off a 25-6 season that ranked them No. 15 in the nation by MaxPreps, improved to 12-1 and advanced to Thursday’s 8 p.m. quarterfinal against the winner of Wednesday’s first-round game between Imhotep (Philadelphia) and Kamehameha.

Punahou fell to 8-3 and will play in Thursday’s 10:30 a.m. consolation bracket game against Leilehua (8-3), which lost to Wheeler (Ga.), 101-37.

By contrast, the Buff ‘n Blue showed early on they could compete with Oak Hill over the long haul. The teams traded baskets throughout the first period, which ended with the Warriors ahead, 18-15. Ethan Chung’s 3-pointer from the left wing — his third triple in the game’s first nine minutes — tied it at 18-18, and even after Oak Hill responded with a 10-2 run to lead, 28-20, midway through the period, Punahou ended the first half down 33-30 after Noah Gaudiano’s putback with 37 seconds remaining.

“You gotta give (the Buff ‘n Blue) credit,” Warriors coach Yerrick Stoneman said. “They played extremely hard, they didn’t back down, they didn’t look at ‘Oak Hill’ on our chest. They were aggressive — typically we get more offensive rebounds, but we might have only had three for the game. That’s a credit to their coach, and the guys on their team.”

Punahou’s upset bid lasted deep into the third period, as the Buff ‘n Blue turned a 39-32 deficit into a stunning 44-41 lead thanks to an impressive 12-2 run capped by Dane Kellner’s layup with 2:34 left. Tanoa Scanlan later scored on a nifty reverse to put Punahou ahead, 49-46, with 1:22 remaining, but that’s when the Warriors responded with a blistering 14-0 run culminating in sophomore Howard Williams’ three-point play to give Oak Hill a 60-49 lead one minute into the fourth period.

After Scanlan cut it to 60-53 on a lefty layup with 5:31 left, Ethan Mgbako answered with a 3-pointer one minute later to ignite a 12-2 surge to give Oak Hill a 72-55 lead that effectively sealed the victory.

“I think our guys believe they can play with anybody, but it’s a matter of executing down the stretch,” Buff ‘n Blue coach Darren Matsuda said. “They’re going to be faster, quicker, stronger, so we gotta be better at certain things. But our guys have been successful against some really good teams over the summer, and I think going to the Mainland playing against really good athletes helps them.” 

Scanlan, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, led Punahou with 14 points, fellow soph Zion White added 13 points and Chung finished with 11 points.

“One trait that helps us is we’re very selfless — we could care less if we score two or 20 points, we just want to make the right play and put points on the board,” said Scanlan, whose father, Cavan, played for ‘Iolani in the Classic from 1989-91. “Do everything with intention — that was the biggest thing. Wejust wanted to play physical, because we knew it was going to be a really physical game.”

Scanlan saw the Mainland teams’ athleticism and physicality up close as a kid, serving as a floor wiper at Classic games and watching from the baseline.

“It’s been my dream to play in this tournament, I grew up wiping the floors and doing side stuff for my dad (an ‘Iolani Classic coordinator),” Scanlan said. “It’s always been cool looking up to the people in the tournament, and now I get a chance to actually compete in it.

“It’s a blessing, for sure.”