For a half, Kamehameha-Maui was on the cusp of something special.

Then Punahou brought the Warriors back to reality. DeForest Buckner made sure of it with 12 points, 17 rebounds and five blocks as Punahou pulled away for a 59-45 win last night in the Division I opening round of the Hawaiian Airlines/HHSAA Boys Basketball State Championships at McKinley Student Council Gym.

Punahou (22-4), the Interscholastic League of Honolulu runner-up, will face Hilo tonight at McKinley in a quarterfinal matchup.

“;That wasn't our prettiest game and Hilo was watching us,”; Punahou coach Alika Smith said. “;Hilo's playing like they always have been. They're confident. It'll be a dogfight that could go either way.”;

The Buffanblu hadn't played a game since Feb. 20 and the rust took some time to shake off. They shot just 30 percent in the first half (10-for-33) against KS-Maui's man and zone defenses.

The Warriors managed to pull to within 22-16 before the half, thanks to five quick points in the final 1:32 by Kekoa Turbeville.

“;We missed some chip shots. They were all around the rim,”; Smith said. “;You gotta give them credit. That matchup zone and the man, they tried to disguise it. It took us a half to figure it out.”;

Despite 11 giveaways and 0-for-5 shooting at the foul line in the first half, KS-Maui got within 24-20 after Blake Lau drained a 3-pointer from the corner early in the third quarter. However, Buckner and Malik Johnson took control under the glass. Johnson scored six points as Punahou opened the lead to 39-26 after three quarters.

A 9-2 run to open the fourth, sparked by reserve guard James Duncan, gave Punahou a 48-28 lead. The Buffanblu led by as many as 22 down the stretch and emptied their bench.

“;Their big guys, you can't deny 6-7, 6-6 guys,”; KS-Maui coach Chad Kalehuawehe said of Buckner and Johnson. “;I'm proud of my guys. Give credit to Punahou. They're a good team and they took it to us. We hung in there for three quarters. My guys didn't quit, but it's a different-caliber game.”;

Johnson finished with eight points, seven rebounds and solid on-ball defense against KS-Maui guard Terani Richmond, who finished with just six points on 2-for-9 shooting with five turnovers.

Turbeville led the Warriors with 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Punahou's fullcourt pressure and halfcourt man-to-man defense forced 20 turnovers by KS-Maui. Henry Cassiday added 10 points and three of his team's 11 steals.

The Buffanblu shot 36 percent from the field (24-for-66), but outrebounded KS-Maui 46-32.

KAMEHAMEHA-MAUI — Blake Lau 8, Tyler Hilsabeck 7, Kekoa Turbeville 19, Terani Richmond 6, Jayden Hedge 0, Kawika Kong 0, Kamalei Medeiros 2, Hinano DeLima 3, Brandon Gurat 0.
PUNAHOU — Patrick O'Neill 0, Kevin Mukai 0, Henry Cassiday 10, Bryan Matsukawa 3, Noah Hammond 0, Sean McFadden 2, Matt Feldman 6, James Dowsett 5, Dylan Hudson 1, James Duncan 10, Malik Johnson 8, Kyle Tuumalo 1, DeForest Buckner 12, Kaiwi Crabb 1.
3-point goals — Kamehameha-Maui 6 (Hilsabeck 2, Lau 2, Richmond, Turbeville). Punahou 4 (Duncan 2, Dowsett, Matsukawa).