Kahale Clini had 16 kills and four blocks as Punahou rallied for a 15-25, 25-23, 23-25, 25-21, 15-9 win over Kamehameha in the ILH boys volleyball double-elimination tournament on Tuesday night.

“We made them mortal for at least one match,” Punahou coach Rick Tune said. “Well see tomorrow (Wednesday).

Punahou will need to beat regular-season winner Kamehameha today to claim the ILH tourney title. First serve is at 6 p.m. at Kamehameha.

Ian Kinney tallied 14 kills and three blocks, Evan Porter had 11 kills, including five in the crucial fourth set, plus four blocks.

“I’m feeling real good. We’ve been in a couple of five-setters with these guys. It’s nice to pull another one out,” Porter said. “Our team is all about energy. What we can bring each other and make each other better. That’s when we go on big runs and win games.”

Afatia Thompson chipped in eight kills, while junior Elijah Smith (26 assists) and freshman Kanalu Akana (24 assists) provided enough consistency to overcome a tenacious Warriors defense.

Kamehameha (9-2 in ILH play) has not won the state title since 2011. The Warriors could have sealed their first ILH title with a win, but Punahou’s constant double blocks on 6-foot-8 Kainoa Wade took a toll. He finished with 22 kills. No other Warrior had more than seven.

“We bounced back from getting hit pretty hard in the mouth first set,” Tune said. “We’ve been talking about resilience and what that environment looks like in a championship-caliber environment. You’ve got to be prepared for the long battle.”

Since sweeping Kamehameha on March 17, Punahou (9-4) had lost its last two matchups in five and three sets.

“We just kind of let our emotions get the better of us in the fourth and fifth sets. That was our downfall,” Kamehameha coach Sava Agpoon said. “We have to make sure we walk out of this gym with a positive attitude. We have two more shots at this ILH title. We’ll talk about strategy (on Wednesday). Punahou played like they wanted it. They were blocking everything no matter who we set.”

The opening set before an energized crowd at Kekuhaupio Gymnasium appeared to be a bad omen for the visiting Buffanblu. Punahou’s tendency for slow starts resurfaced with an opening set that included four service errors and a combination of three net or line violations. Heston Cabinian was effective with two kills and two aces, while Wade drilled six kills.

Clini struggled early with one kill in seven swings during set one.

In the second set, the Warriors had a 20-17 lead after a kill by Wade, who had five kills and three blocks in the set. However, Wade and Cabinian combined for three service errors without an ace, and Kamehameha’s serve-receive faltered as Punahou rallied.

A double hit by setter Van Kuren gave Punahou a 23-22 lead. A hitting error by Thompson tied it at 23, but Punahou regained the lead on a kill by Porter. A hitting error by Wade, only his second of the match, ended the set.

Kamehameha regained momentum in the third set as Wade drilled eight kills, but from that point on, Punahou’s defensive blueprint limited him. Wade had three kills in 14 attempts in the fourth set, and no kills on six swings in the fifth.

Meanwhile, the Warriors were unable to take advantage elsewhere. Kaupo Hoopai-Waikoloa had three kills in the fourth set and Cabinian had none in six attempts.

In the fifth, Hoopai-Waikoloa and Cabinian combined for one kill.