Kainoa Wade pounded a career-high 46 kills as Kamehameha rallied for a 25-18, 23-25, 32-34, 25-14, 16-14 win over ‘Iolani on Monday night.

A big crowd at Kekuhaupio Gymnasium saw the visiting Raiders nearly wreak havoc on the ILH standings. Instead, the win sets up a huge match between Kamehameha (6-1) and Punahou (5-2) at Hemmeter Fieldhouse on Wednesday. A win by the Warriors would seal the regular-season title and an automatic state-tournament berth.

“We hadn’t finished out a third set (in a best-of-three) or fifth set in tournaments or anything, so it was good to pull that one out,” said Wade, who had 82 attempts. “I’m feeling fine. A great win for the seniors. We got the job done. That was something special.”

The 6-foot-8 sophomore had 14 kills in 28 attempts during the wild, epic third set. ‘Iolani appeared ready to seize all momentum in Set 4, but it was Kamehameha that was energized. Wade added another 14 kills to bring the Warriors back, forcing a fifth set for two exhausted, gritty squads.

“I’m exhausted, too. What it came down to is we both wanted it, and we wanted it a little more tonight,” Wade said. “I was trying to will my team to victory. I had conversations with my setter after that third set. We’ve got to change something up. I needed the ball.”

Kamehameha opened the final set with a 6-1 run, but ‘Iolani rallied to tie it at 8. It was 10-all after a kill by Shaun Nakao. The Warriors led 12-10 after a kill by Heston Cabinian and a hitting error by Tyler Van Cantfort when his dump shot fell out of bounds.

A kill by Casey Lyons cut the lead to 12-11, and after Cabinian’s right-side shot veered out of bounds on the left, officials met to discuss. The play was ruled out of bounds, which tied the set at 12. However, before the next serve, officials reversed that decision, ruling it off an ‘Iolani blocker.

That gave Kamehameha a 13-11 cushion. The Raiders managed to tie it at 13, but Colby Fournier’s service error gave the lead back to the Warriors, who returned the favor when Poukihi Awai also had a service error.

Wade’s final kill gave the Warriors a 15-14 lead, and a hitting error by Nakao ended the battle.

“It’s a great match. It’s an unfortunate ending. Both teams played great, a great ILH match,” ‘Iolani coach Jordan Inafuku said. “It’s just a shame because it’s a great match and you don’t want it to be affected by that at the end of the match, and we’re playing for a state berth. I saw the ball out, but it doesn’t really matter what I see. The boys played a gritty match and I’m proud of them. There’s things we can’t control and the boys take care of what they can.”

Kamehameha coach Sava Agpoon finally got to see his team take charge in a clutch moment.

“A strong start (in Set 5). We’re always talking about strong serves in the beginning, and strong blocking,” he said. “I’m proud that for the first time going into a fifth set, they weren’t down on themselves. They believed in themselves and each other.”

Wade appeared to grown stronger down the stretch and finished with a .488 hitting percentage despite ‘Iolani’s robust efforts.

Cabinian, one of seven Warriors who celebrated senior-night festivities after the match, tallied 18 kills and Brayden Van Kuren dished out 50 assists.

A win by ‘Iolani (4-3) would have created a logjam atop the ILH standings, with three teams at 5-2. Lyons, a 6-5 senior, led the Raiders with 15 kills, while Nakao tallied 13 kills.Fournier had 11, Jackson Dempster had eight with two blocks.

Setter Van Cantfort had four kills and 46 assists.

“Tomorrow’s going to be a big rehab day for us,” Wade said. “We’re going to need it for Wednesday at Punahou. Thanks to all the fans that came out. It was a great atmosphere, and the seniors. Good for them.”