Punahou ends Saint Louis’ reign with historic state title win

HONOLULU – The Sons of O’ahu stand alone. 

The Punahou Buff ‘N Blue (28-8, 9-5) pulled off a stunning upset of three-time defending state champion juggernaut Saint Louis (32-2, 13-0) on Friday night inside the Stan Sheriff Center, using a massive third quarter run to race ahead and claim the 2025 Hawaii Pacific Health/HHSAA Division I boys’ basketball state title, 43-40. Punahou guard Dane Kellner led a balanced effort for the Buff ‘N Blue with 13 points, five rebounds and two assists in 31 minutes of work while sophomore forward Zion White scored the go-ahead bucket and turned in a 9-point, 13-rebound effort to power the program to its state-leading 12th championship on the court. 

Dash Watanabe added nine points for Punahou while Ethan Chung knocked down a pair of 3-pointers, including the go-ahead bucket in the third quarter that gave the Buff ‘N Blue their first lead of the night. A dominant second half on both ends of the court helped Punahou pull off the upset, holding Saint Louis to under 30% shooting from the field after halftime while connecting on nearly 50% of their own tries. 

Caelan Fernando was the lone Crusader to finish in double figures, turning in 11 points to go with four rebounds and four assists in the loss. Pupu Sepulona, who will finish his high school career amongst the winningest high school student-athletes ever before heading off to play football at the University of Utah, scored nine points and snatched a team-high seven rebounds for Saint Louis but struggled at the free throw line throughout the night, going 5-for-9 and splitting a pair with a chance to tie the game in the waning seconds. 

Saint Louis came smoking out of the start, scoring the game’s first seven points to force an early timeout from their ILH rival on the way to an 11-4 lead after one quarter. The Buff ‘N Blue, who were without the services of Zion White for the majority of the opening frame after the sophomore forward picked up two quick fouls, found the offense’s rhythm in the second quarter, trading buckets with the Crusaders to remain within striking distance heading into halftime, 22-16. 

A shift defensively to include a zone look from Punahou helped the Buff ‘N Blue turn the tides completely in the third quarter, holding Saint Louis to just three makes across 11 attempts in the frame as Kellner came alive offensively with seven points in the period. Ethan Chung gave Punahou its first lead with 2:39 left in the stanza, 27-26, draining a left-wing 3-pointer after Kellner snagged an offensive rebound to keep some momentum going. 

The Crusaders took the lead back momentarily after Jordan Nunuha finished a tough take to the cup on the next possession, but another Kellner offensive board led to a putback for the lead once again for Punahou. Dash Watanabe capped off a 14-2 run for the Buff ‘N Blue to end the frame with his lone 3-point make of the night, sending Punahou into the final frame leading by four.

Another Kellner bucket put Punahou up 38-30 with 4:01 left to play, sending Saint Louis into the final media timeout trailing by the largest margin it had all night. The 3-time defending state champion Crusaders did not panic, showing championship mettle as they carefully fought back and erased the deficit and tie the game at 39 with 1:10 left to play. 

Punahou turned to sophomore forward Zion White with the championship hanging in the balance and watched as the 6-foot-6 wing dropped in the go-ahead layup over a pair of defenders with 57 seconds left in regulation, sending the Buff ‘N Blue faithful into a frenzy. 

Saint Louis had a prime opportunity to tie it with just under 12 seconds left after Pupu Sepulona was fouled on a putback, but the forward missed the first attempt from the line before cashing in on the second to pull the Crusaders within one. After a close call on the inbound, Punahou got the ball into the hands of senior guard Houston Hosada, who calmly sank two free throws to give the Buff ‘N Blue a three-point cushion with 7.9 seconds to play. 

The Crusaders got off one final shot to try and tie, a tough 3-pointer from Shancin Revuelto, but the ball sailed long and into the hands of White as Punahou ended a 7-year drought since the program’s last state title on the basketball court for the boys. The 12th overall championship for Punahou also broke a tie with ‘Iolani for the most among programs in Hawai’i. 

The second half comeback completed an impressive, improbable run from the end of the regular season to the pinnacle of playoff hoops in Hawai’i. Punahou was without the services of its leading scorer for the final couple weeks of the season after sophomore Tanoa Scanlan (18.0 ppg) suffered a hand injury that ended his year prematurely. 

Punahou players celebrate with fellow classmates in the crowd after upsetting top-seeded Saint Louis in the 2025 Hawaii Pacific Health/HHSAA Division I boys’ basketball championship game. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Punahou raises the trophy following an incredible 2nd half comeback win over top-seeded Saint Louis for the program’s 12th state title. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN