Punahou's Kaulana Makaula prepares for a slam dunk on a fast break against Konawaena. CJ Caraang | SL

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_58a5695d3572f.jpg - CJ Caraang | SL

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ALIAMANU — Konawaena tried to turn the game into a track meet early on but, No. 2 and second-seeded Punahou proved to be too much in a 70-52 quarterfinal rout in the Snapple/HHSAA Division I Boys Basketball Championships at Radford's Jim Alegre Gymnasium.

"They were super fast. We watched the Kailua game and they create havoc on anybody. They are quick, jump-trap and create problems. We were fortunate to handle the ball decently. Some of the turnovers bothered me, but we did a lot to get by. That's the name of the game at this point," said Punahou coach Darren Matsuda.

Punahou, the Interscholastic League of Honolulu champions, advance to play third-seeded Lahainaluna, in a rematch of last year's quarterfinals, in the semifinals at 7 p.m. at McKinley.

"Lahainaluna is a disciplined and well-coached and move the ball well and play excellent defense. It's a different type of game and we're going to have to take care of the ball and execute," said Matsuda, on the Lunas.

Konawaena, the BIIF runner-ups, beat No. 8 Kailua by 13 in the opening round fall to play Leilehua at Radford.

Cole Mausolf scored a team-high 11 points off the bench, Duke Clemens posted a double-double with 10 points and 12 boards, and Chris Kobayashi added 10 points.

The Buffanblu's unselfishness showed with 17 total assists and 11 of the 13 players who logged minutes scored points.

"That's normally what we try to do and those guys are going to try and trap. The way to beat that is to move the ball and to find the open man. We were practicing the last couple days because we saw what they're capable of," said Matsuda.

The Buffanblu and Wildcats traded scores early with Konawaena leading briefly, but Punahou went on a 6-0 run to take the lead for good. Punahou scored 28 points in the quarter as seven players who checked in scored four or more points.

Punahou shot a blistering 58.3 percent (14-of-24) from the field in the first half and finished shooting 47.1 percent overall. The Wildcats shot 20-for-62 from the field overall.

The Buffanblu also held a 39 to 36 edge in rebounding.

Konawaena started the second quarter on a 4-0 run, but Punahou answered back with a 15-6 run to end the half with a 16 point halftime lead.

Austin Aukai led Konawaena with 16 points and seven rebounds in 27 minutes. Hauoli Akau scored all seven of his nine points in the second quarter and Kamakana Ching grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked four shots.