Nice and boring, some may say, but the ‘Iolani Raiders are as deadly efficient as a boa constrictor.

The top-seeded Raiders dismantled underdog Campbell’s title dreams with a 56-33 rout of the Sabers in the semifinal round of the Hawaiian Airlines/HHSAA Division I Boys Basketball State Championships at Neal Blaisdell Arena.

"Coach’s dad came up after our last game and told coach, ‘Good game, nice and boring,’ " said Zach Buscher, who had another stellar night with 10 points, six assists and superb defense.

The Raiders (21-7) are after their first state title since 2010. Campbell (18-12), the OIA Red runner-up, couldn’t get its normal game going.

The Sabers (27 percent from the field) were stymied by ‘Iolani’s tight man defense, and when they got through occasionally, 6-foot-7 Hugh Hogland was there. The freshman had the game of his life, swatting seven shots.

"I saw on video I knew I could get a lot of blocked shots. I have a huge size advantage," Hogland said of pregame preparation. "It’s the best game I’ve had for ‘Iolani’s varsity team. I’m not surprised. I expect this out of me and possibly more."

It was not a specific game plan to funnel the Sabers to Hogland.

"We didn’t do anything different," Raiders coach Dean Shimamoto said. "For his age, he’s really, really savvy."

Raiders sharpshooter Ikaika Phillip came out firing to start the second half, hitting two treys and a baseline jumper as ‘Iolani used an 18-4 run to break the game wide open. The 6-1 senior finished with a game-high 23 points on 8-for-10 shooting from the field, including 4-for-6 from the arc.

"We ran some things for him and he knocked the shots down," Shimamoto said of Phillip. "We wanted to get the ball in the middle like you want against any zone and guys look opposite.

"What we didn’t want was to settle. It’s easy to just fire up 3s, but we wanted to attack the basket, and I thought we did a good job with that."

Buscher used his penetration and court vision to dissect Campbell’s 1-2-2 zone. Time and time again, he weaved his way into the thick of the zone, then kicked the ball out to the weak-side perimeter, where wide-open teammates like Phillip waited.

"They’re a scrappy team," Shimamoto said. "We knew they’d get their hands in there. We wanted our guys, if they got in there, to be strong."

Campbell never led. The Sabers fell behind 9-2 and got no closer than six the rest of the way.

The Raiders’ specific preparation for zone defenses is paying off. ‘Iolani shot 53 percent from the field (19-for-36), plus 82 percent (14-for-17) from the foul line.

"We talked a little bit before the game, this past week, knowing teams would play zone against us," Buscher said. "We just wanted to take good shots and not settle, continue to attack the basket. We want the zone to shift, so when we swing the ball or get inside, we look for that pass, and Ikaika lit it up."

The Raiders are more than ready for the title game, even though they haven’t been seriously challenged in two tournament games.

"We had all we could handle last week (during the ILH playoffs)," Shimamoto said. "Our guys were banged up and gave a crazy amount of effort against Punahou and Maryknoll twice. To come in fresh tomorrow is great."

At Neal Blaisdell Arena

CAMPBELL—Jomar Gapusan 0, Michael Merchant 3, Isaac Hurd 2, Jayce Bantolina 3, Lamart Dudley 11, Joshua Forte 0, Gilbert Dayanan 12, Melvin Bergado 2, Kainoa Perry 0, Alex Layi 0.

‘IOLANI—Pikai Winchester 0, John Lee 0, Ikaika Phillip 23, Zach Gelacio 5, Chris Gallacher 6, Bryson Hamada 0, Shane Lay 2, Erik Yamada 2, Zach Buscher 10, Kamu Borden 2, Robbie Mann 2, Hugh Hogland 4.

3-point goals—Campbell 2 (Merchant, Dayanan). ‘Iolani 4 (Phillip 4).