Iolani's Zach Gelacio attempts to put up a shot as Punahou's JB Kam and Dayson Watanabe defend. The Buffanblu have won both meetings between the two teams this season. Evan Asato | SL

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Dean Shimamoto is hoping history will repeat itself over the next two days.

Shimamoto's fourth-ranked Iolani boys basketball team is in the familiar spot of having to win back-to-back games to win the ultra-competitive Interscholastic League of Honolulu Division I title.

The Raiders were faced with the same challenge a year ago, having to beat regular-season champion Maryknoll twice. They pulled it off to claim their first league crown since 2011 and 14th overall and ultimately went on to win the state championship, as well.

Iolani again finished second in the regular season this year and with Wednesday night's 58-51 win over Maryknoll, is set-up for a third — and possibly fourth — meeting against regular-season champion Punahou, the top-seeded team in the ILH single-elimination tournament.

"I think the fortunate thing is we were in the exact same position last year, so this position isn't unfamiliar to our guys," Raiders' coach Dean Shimamoto said. "They know it's possible, that it's not just some pipe dream, because we actually did it before, so I think some of that mentality from last year carries over and we have a little more confidence that it can happen again."

The Raiders dropped both regular-season meetings against the Buffanblu: 55-47 on Jan. 17 and 40-32 on Feb. 3. They must win Friday to claim the tournament title, which would force a one-game playoff Saturday for the overall ILH crown and a seeded berth in next week's New City Nissan/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Division I State Championships. The big prize is a first-round bye in the 12-team tournament.

"I guess it's kind of motivating," Shimamoto said of the previous losses to Punahou this season. "To a certain extent, we want to kind of avenge those losses and anytime you play a team this many times you get a better idea of what they do and what they like to do."

Iolani ended Punahou's season and knocked them out of state-tournament contention in the semifinal round of the single-elimination tournament last year — which was its third win of the season over its rival.

"They're a really good team and they're the defending champions, so they have the experience and they know how to get it done," Matsuda said. "They were in the exact same position last year and they ended up pulling it off, so we're definitely mindful of that. I know it will be a dog fight and we'll have to bring our A-plus game Friday."

The Buffanblu shot the lights out in a 62-35 win over Kamehameha Wednesday night. They were 24-of-41 shooting (58.5 percent) from the field, including 8 of 19 (42.1 percent) on 3-pointers.

"For us, it was good execution and we took good shots," Matsuda said. "I thought (Kamehameha) played really well, although the score didn't indicate it, but they played good defense and we took what they gave us."

Senior guard JB Kam (15.1 ppg) ranks second in the ILH D1 in scoring average. He is the only player averaging double figures, but four others average at least 6.2 points a game. The Buffanblu roster features nine seniors, something that Shimamoto noted right away.

"A lot of these guys have been on this team since they were sophomores, so they've been through some ups and downs, but they have a lot of experience and a lot of athletes," Shimamoto said. "JB is a tough matchup. If we start to sink on him, they've got guys that can really shoot it, so they're a tough guard."

The Raiders feature more of a balanced offensive attack. Junior guard Zach Gelacio averages a team-best 10.1 points per game, while senior guards Erik Yamada (8.5 ppg) and Robby Mann (8.0 ppg), along with sophomore forward Hugh Hogland (7.0 ppg), as not far behind.

"I think we seem to be playing our best basketball right now, so that's encouraging, but we'll see, because we haven't beaten them yet this season," Shimamoto said of the third-ranked Buffanblu.

Matsuda is hoping his team takes care of business Friday night.

"We're just taking Friday as the ILH championship game: here's the game, try to win it, and I think Iolani is taking it one game at a time, too, because we've been in their position also," Matsuda said. "We're not planning on Saturday. We're just looking at Friday and focusing on that."

Tip off between the Raiders (8-3) and Buffanblu (10-1) is set for 6:30 p.m. Friday at Punahou's Hemmeter Fieldhouse. If a playoff is necessary, the teams will play at 6 p.m. Saturday at the same venue.