The Buffanblu improved to 10-1 in league play with only one game remaining. Kamehameha (6-4) edged Academy of the Pacific, 46-45, tonight to drop the second-place Dolphins to 7-3. 'Iolani fell to 6-5.

"We knew that if we beat 'Iolani, there was the potential to be ILH champs if AOP lost to Kamehameha," said Punahou forward Malik Johnson, who scored a game-high 16 points. "So we treated it like a championship game, we came out with a lot of focus and intensity."

DeForest Buckner scored a layup just 16 seconds into the game and Nick Velasquez followed with back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 8-0 after barely 90 seconds went off the clock. Johnson then scored on a putback, followed by Sean Gruebner's 3-pointer and then Steven Lakalaka put in a short bank shot to push the lead to 15-0 with 3:05 still remaining in the first period.

"They scored in every which way -- 3-pointers, jumpers, putbacks -- so that made it hard," Raiders coach Dean Shimamoto said. "We tried to mix up our defenses and get them out of rhythm, but they got right into rhythm and started knocking down shots. When they're hitting from outside, then we gotta extend and get out there, but that's when they start pounding it inside. They've got so many athletes."

'Iolani, meanwhile, struggled from the field and managed only a 3-pointer by Austin O'Leary as the first quarter ended 17-3.

The Buffanblu extended the lead to 31-15 by halftime and then 41-24 after Buckner's short bank shot at the third period buzzer. The Raiders could only get as close as 52-41 on Gabriel Vega's two free throws with 28.8 seconds left.

"We wanted to come out strong because we had a lot at stake, trying to win the ILH championship," Punahou coach Darren Matsuda said. "This team is very mature, they're very unselfish and they needed to be because we all had the same goal in mind."

Velasquez and Buckner each added 14 points, with Buckner grabbing seven rebounds and adding two steals and a block and Velasquez getting four boards and a steal. Johnson had six rebounds and one block.

Duke Pauli led 'Iolani with 14 points and Vega and O'Leary each added 13 points. Vega added six rebounds, one block and one steal.