Dealing with Punahou’s first five is challenging enough.

Contending with the Buffanblu’s starting 10 can be overwhelming.

As it had for much of the season, Punahou got production out of its starting unit and the next five built on the momentum as the Buffanblu advanced to the Division I final of the HHSAA/Hawaiian Airlines boys basketball championships with a 59-41 win over Baldwin on Friday at Blaisdell Arena.

Punahou guard Nick Velasquez hit five of six 3-point attempts and led the top-seeded Buffanblu with 17 points in 17 minutes of playing time. Center DeForest Buckner finished with 10 points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots.

When Punahou head coach Darren Matsuda brought the next five off the bench midway through each quarter, Sean Gruebner hit two 3-pointers in scoring 10 points and came up with four steals. Taylor Henderson went 4-for-4 from the field in contributing nine points.

Buckner spent the most time on the floor with 19 minutes, but each of Punahou’s first 10 played at least 12.

"A lot of people criticized us for that in the beginning, but we always had confidence in our guys," Matsuda said of the five-for-five substitution pattern. "And I think when you have confidence in kids they’ll come through for you. We don’t skip a beat with those guys.

"Like I told the kids in the very beginning of the season, we’re going to have 10 starters. I think that helps us with team chemistry. … They can expend their energy because they know they’ll be in for a spot and they can get their rest."

Punahou reached the title game —scheduled for 7 p.m. today at the Blaisdell — for the first time since winning the D-I championship in 2008 and assured the Interscholastic League of Honolulu of a presence in the final for the 16th straight year.

"We start thinking about tomorrow right now," Matsuda said moments after walking off the court. "Our goal wasn’t to get to the championship, our goal was to hopefully win the championship and I think the kids know that. We’re going to rest up and be ready to play."

Gabriel Ross led Baldwin with 17 points, but the fourth-seeded Bears, the Maui Interscholastic League champion, struggled to counter Punahou’s depth and will end the season in the third-place game.

"It’s hard. You have your big unit in there to try to combat their big unit and they come in with their press unit and we’re not as deep as them," Baldwin coach Wayne Gushiken said.

Velasquez was admittedly "kinda shaky" in Punahou’s quarterfinal win over Hilo on Thursday, when he finished with four points. But the junior got into a rhythm early against Baldwin and hit three 3-pointers in the game’s first 9 minutes.

"Got the first game out of the way, got the jitters out and I just felt a lot looser," Velasquez said.

Baldwin hung around and trailed 16-12 early in the second quarter. But a fast-break dunk by Buckner triggered a 19-4 Punahou run to close the first half. The first unit scored the first six points of the run and the next group pressured Baldwin into turnovers to stretch the lead to 35-16 at halftime.

"Our second team is the press team, the speed guys," said Punahou senior Steven Lakalaka, who had three steals off the bench. "So we’re pressing guys, throwing off their momentum. That’s what the second team’s all about."

Lakalaka is among four Punahou players who double as starters on the football team looking forward to a second chance at winning a state championship after falling short in the football final against Kahuku in November.

"It’s a big opportunity," Lakalaka said. "Not only for me, but for the seniors and the Punahou community."