Three weeks ago, in the midst of facing tough mainland competition during the ‘Iolani Classic, the Raiders seemed on the verge of reaching a new level.

Coach Dean Shimamoto was encouraged, hoping that his team would put a full game together soon. They did that on Tuesday night, posting a key 53-33 home win over Punahou behind a double-double by 6-foot-9 center Hugh Hogland.

Guard Zach Gelacio scored a team-high 14 points, hitting all four of his free throws in the fourth quarter as fourth-ranked ‘Iolani improved to 2-1 in league play (9-5 overall). No. 3 Punahou, which was upset in its league opener by Mid-Pacific last week, slipped to 1-2 in the ILH (16-4). The Buffanblu’s 33-point total was their lowest of the season by far.

“We’ve done this before, getting better as the season goes along,” Shimamoto said.

The Raiders led 9-7 entering the second quarter before going on a 12-2 run. They handled Punahou’s normally potent fullcourt press most of the night, and Hogland was the centerpiece against the Buffanblu man defense. When Hogland (12 points, 13 rebounds) wasn’t attacking the rim, he was finding open teammates. He finished with three assists.

He got lots of help. Robby Mann scored six points during the second quarter, all on powerful drives to the paint for pull-up jumpers.

“He’s strong, he’s super athletic. He’s a real matchup problem,” Shimamoto said. “He started doing that against Saint Louis and finished strong against Kamehameha. He knows he doesn’t have to be the athletic high flyer, just get buckets. We’ve told him, ‘You need more Ikaika (Phillip, a former ‘Iolani All-State player) in your game.’ Bang in there, get buckets. It doesn’t have to be pretty.”

‘Iolani led 26-15 at intermission and used an 8-0 run in the third quarter to extend the lead to 34-19. Punahou never got closer than 11 points the rest of the way, shooting just 6-for-28 from the field in the second half.

In addition, Helam Baldomero (seven points) succeeded in his assignment to guard Punahou’s most consistent scorer, Chris Kobayashi. Baldomero limited the junior gunner to six points on 2-for-6 shooting.

“Helam face-guarded Chris the whole game. All the credit goes to him,” Hogland said. “He’s a great defender.”

Between Hogland, who had three blocked shots, Baldomero and a physical, stingy man defense by the Raiders, Punahou had possibly its most ineffective offensive performance of the season. The young Buffanblu shot just 13-for-47 from the field (28 percent). Jack-Eli Thompson-Tufono led Punahou with eight points, four boards and one block.

The home team made 11 of 14 attempts from the free-throw line in the final quarter and finished 18-for-28 for the game. Punahou looked rusty and a bit worn out. Passes were off target. Shots were short. The Buffanblu shot just 5-for-20 from 3-point range, normally a statistical edge for one of the state’s highest scoring teams. The visitors were also 2-for-10 from the foul line.

It was a nice bounce-back win after Hogland was gone on a volleyball-tourney trip to Anaheim last week. ‘Iolani lost a close game to another ILH powerhouse — and this is a year when all of the league’s Division I teams are ranked — Saint Louis.

“I saw the score and I was kind of mad,” said Hogland, a junior.

The team, and the staff, were supportive of Hogland and his journey.

“That’s going to be his future, his life. He’s done everything he can to manage his trips, left as late as he could, got back as soon as he could,” Shimamoto said.

At ‘Iolani

PUNAHOU—Cole Arceneaux 2, Zayne Chong 6, Hunter Hosoda 3, Maninoa Tufono 0, Kyle Yoshino 3, Hunter Lee 0, Christopher Kobayashi 6, Akahi Troske 0, Cole Mausolf 2, Kaulana Makaula 3, Jack-Eli Tufono 8, Les Falatea 0, Duke Clemens 0, Noah-Falcon Kaumatule 0.
‘IOLANI—Ryan Yoshioka 0, Helam Baldomero 7, Robby Mann 8, Zack Gelacio 14, Ryan Van Cantfort 1, Nick Kennedy 0, Noah Bumanglag 0, Justin Genovia 5, Bailey Alabanza 4, Cole Hogland 2, Cameron Chang 0, Hugh Hogland 12.
3-point goals—Punahou 5 (Chong 2, Hosoda, Yoshino, Makaula). ‘Iolani 3 (Baldomero, Gelacio, Albanza).