Micah Christenson scored 21 points as Kamehameha beat defending champion ‘Iolani 64-53 in the final of the Hawaiian Airlines/Hawaii High School Athletic Association Boys Basketball Division I State Championships on Friday night at the Stan Sheriff Center.

The win, before a crowd of around 3,648, gave Kamehameha and coach Jesse Nakanishi a second state title in three years. Christenson and several of his teammates, like guard Dyrbe Enos, were there for the title run in 2009. The Warriors lost to ‘Iolani in last year’s final.

Kamehameha (24-7 overall), the runner-up from the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, upended the league champion Raiders by never trailing in a game that was close until the Warriors took complete control in the third quarter.

The Warriors also beat Baldwin, Kamehameha-Hawaii and Academy of the Pacific in the tournament.

‘Iolani fell to 23-5 overall. The Raiders were led by Reid Saito with 15 points and Trevyn Tulonghari added 13. 

The Warriors opened a small lead and carried it into halftime, 26-21. 

The Raiders chipped away and got within 36-33 after Tulonghari’s 3-pointer from the top, but the Warriors finished the third quarter with a flurry. Christenson, who scored just four points in the first half, hit a 3-pointer and hustled for a follow shot. After Shane Matayoshi hit all net on a 3-pointer and Christenson banked in a 24-footer at the buzzer, Kamehameha owned its biggest lead, 47-35, entering the fourth quarter.