A win for No. 3-ranked Punahou was just a little bit louder last night.

With dozens of third-graders in attendance at Hemmeter Fieldhouse, the Buffanblu fought off a resilient Kamehameha squad 43-28 last night for their sixth win in a row.

Freshman Khaliyah Thompson led first-place Punahou (10-5, 6-1 Interscholastic League of Honolulu) with eight points, six steals and four rebounds.

The third-graders filled the gym with organized cheers led by teacher Maile Ane, sister of football coach Kale Ane. Those cheers gave coach Mike Taylor something to smile about while his team struggled through 22 turnovers.

“;Our offensive execution was not there and we stopped communicating on offense and defense,”; said Taylor, who is also a third-grade teacher at the school.

One of Punahou's fans is third-grade hoopster Jamie Lynn Shimamoto, who has seen all of the varsity games. Her favorite player is Thompson.

“;Lili is good, she's fast and she's aggressive,”; Shimamoto said. “;It's just fun to watch them play.”;

A young Kamehameha squad slipped to 2-5 in league play; its best shot at a state-tourney berth will be in the postseason league tournament. The ILH has three berths in the 12-team Division I state field.

“;I hope for them to get better game by game,”; Warriors coach Clay Cockett said. “;We're still learning to be patient, not get too excited.”;

Punahou hasn't locked up anything yet, but steady, tough man-to-man defense remains a forte. Kamehameha shot 24 percent (11-for-45) from the field, but came up with 14 steals in a ragged battle.

The game was tied at 12 entering the second quarter, but Punahou scored the next five points, including a steal for a layup by Brittnie Lau.

A strong left-handed layup by Kamehameha's Kala Crowell cut the margin to 17-14, but Punahou scored the last six points of the half. Mysha Sataraka's steal and breakaway bucket plus a follow shot by Hailey-Ann Maeda gave the Buffanblu a 23-14 lead at the half.

Kamehameha shot 50 percent from the field in the first quarter, but just 15 percent the rest of the way and never got closer.

Makana Borden paced Kamehameha with eight points and Tyana Akana added a team-high six rebounds.

Punahou shot just 28 percent (13-for-46) against Kamehameha's 2-3 zone.

“;We had a good plan with the defense,”; Cockett said. “;Right now, that's our strength.”;