Sometimes, a public school gets to the pinnacle.

It happened last year, when Kalaheo rode the marksmanship of 3-point sharpshooters to a boys basketball state-championship, beating Maryknoll 60-54 in the title game.

By and large, however, it’s the private-school Interscholastic League of Honolulu that dominates. Kalaheo’s narrow win ended a streak of five state champions in a row from the ILH: Punahou (2008 and ’12), Kamehameha (’09 and ’11) and ‘Iolani (’10).

Before that, the ILH won five in a row. Or rather, ‘Iolani took five in a row under Mark Mugiishi in an unprecedented dynastic run. That’s 10 state titles in the past 11 years for the league.

The ILH’s run is likely to continue in 2014. The top three teams in this week’s Star-Advertiser Top 10 are from the ILH: Punahou, ‘Iolani and Maryknoll. No. 5 Kamehameha and No. 8 Saint Louis make it five ILH schools out of the 10.

Punahou emerged from the preseason unbeaten and remains the favorite. ‘Iolani has the right pieces to contend. Saint Louis is a darkhorse ready to make a run. Maryknoll runs the floor like no other.

"If we play as a team, play smart, move the ball and rebound, we should and could contend for another ILH title," Maryknoll coach Kelly Grant said.

Defending champion St. Francis appears to be the bull of Division II, though Damien and University are strong contenders.

Christian Academy is off to a promising start in D-III.

Here’s a look at the teams in alphabetical order. Preseason records are in parentheses:

DIVISION I

‘Iolani (9-4)

The Raiders opened nonconference play with seven wins in a row, all but one by double-digit margins.

Coach Dean Shimamoto has a chess board of talent, from versatile 6-3 guard Zach Buscher (10 points per game) to zone-busting gunners (Erik Yamada, Pikai Winchester, Zach Gelacio) to board-bangers with range (Ikaika Phillip, 10 ppg) to muscle in the paint (6-4 Kamu Borden).

Add some key role players off the bench like 6-7 freshman Hugh Hogland, and the Raiders have the luxury of playing any style or speed they want. In their ‘Iolani Classic, they were in every game, losing to West Linn (Ore.) 65-59, Mount Vernon (N.Y.) 58-48 and Hamilton (Wis.) 69-59.

They’ve won three of four since, but a 53-43 loss to gigantic Santa Margarita (Calif.) confirmed one fact: ‘Iolani doesn’t have a consistent low-post threat. Yet.

Kamehameha (12-4)

If every team truly experiences peaks and valleys, the Warriors are at the top of the mountain right now with the best of the ILH. Since losing to Farrington at the ILH-OIA Challenge, they have won nine of 10 games, including the last seven in a row. Kamehameha toppled Santa Margarita on Monday for the championship of the St. Francis Merv Lopes Hoops Classic.

Another recent win was over St. Francis, another team it had lost to earlier.

The system installed by first-year coach Greg Tacon fit his personnel well. Spreading the floor, cutting backdoor and opening the lanes for slashers, the Warriors are making use of their athleticism. Junior swingman Jaycob Smith (10 ppg) has figured out the gaps in the offense to hit his mid-range and long-range jumpers.

So has senior guard Noa Kinimaka (13 ppg).

Tacon is putting 10 to 12 players to work, including 6-4 Kayson Smith-Bejgrowicz, 6-3 Mika Tafua and 6-3 Elijah Leslie. Alaka’i Freitas, a 6-2 senior, has stepped up with some much-needed scoring punch.

The Warriors thrive best, however, on defense, where sophomore Fatu Sua-Godinet is a key asset.

Maryknoll (13-2)

Grant’s team loves to run and gun: the Spartans averaged 84 points a game during a recent sweep of foes in California. They also averaged 74 points a game during the ILH-OIA Challenge.

The common denominator between the California tourney and the Challenge: a shot clock was in play.

With 6-3 swingman Josh Burnett (24 ppg) and 5-10 guard Kaleb Gilmore (19 ppg) attacking relentlessly, the Spartans have scored big without a shot clock as well. They scored 82 on Pearl City, 86 on Waianae and 101 on Aiea to start preseason.

But in the ILH, methodical play has often been the norm, compounded by a reluctance by officials to call a tighter game.

Freshman Kamakana Winquist (14 ppg) is, arguably, the most skilled first-year varsity player in the state. At 6-3, the lefty can hit the 3 and drive strong to the rack. He opened preseason with 26 points (and four 3-pointers) against Pearl City. When Burnett or Gilmore missed games, he stepped in seamlessly, scoring 21 against McKinley (with five treys) and 15 against Kapolei.

Maryknoll has quality depth and key role players like 6-7 Micah McGivern, Sam Ahn, Sean Ogata and Kalei Victorino.

Mid-Pacific (6-3)

Year one of the Dwight Holiday era has been an exercise in patience. The first-year Owls coach and assistant Tony Randolph have high expectations, but with just three seniors on the roster, every game has been a grind.

That raises the stress level, but Holiday has a reliable contributor in 6-2 guard Kyle Husslein. The senior loves to penetrate and engage in contact near the basket, which should be beneficial with "illegal contact" calls being enforced this season.

Sophomore Justin Daise, a 6-3 post, played long minutes in preseason. When he’s fresh, he brings strength and energy to a team otherwise lacking depth in the paint.

The Owls were shorthanded at the recent Merv Lopes Classic but found some quality underclassmen in guard Daniel Florenco and swingman Andrew Kargol. Den Suehiro, a 6-1 junior, brings a lot of hustle and energy on the boards.

Punahou (15-0)

The Buffanblu are mandated by coach Darren Matsuda to push the ball at every opportunity and apply fullcourt pressure without ceasing. But, when the tempo slows, Punahou has been just fine.

The ability to play fast or slow and still succeed says a lot about this deep squad. Matsuda already had capable contributors with returning starters Daniel Andrews and Kanawai Noa. Andrews, a lanky 6-7 senior, has gotten stronger and springier, finishing fastbreaks with dunks and providing rim protection defensively.

But freshman Chris Kobayashi is a scoring machine on the corner 3 and junior Blake Wade, listed at 6-8, have been valuable.

They lost slashing guard Jordan Tanuvasa to a football injury (ACL), but Dayson Watanabe has handled the increased minutes quite well. Justin "J.B." Kam (13 ppg) has been lights out from deep. Kam was named MVP of the Governor’s Division at the Under Armour Holiday Classic as Punahou defeated Poway (Calif.) for the title on Monday. He sank nine treys in three games.

Randon Oda, Micah Ma’a and Ronley Lakalaka are key parts of the rotation, all able to pressure fullcourt. Football linemen Davis Miyashiro-Saipa’ia (6-3, 280) and Semisi Uluave (6-5, 310) provide muscle and some post scoring.

Saint Louis (9-4)

The Crusaders were reeling last week, losing their last three games at the Merv Lopes Classic to Santa Margarita (68-59), Kahuku (64-62) and Mid-Pacific (52-48). Though they started preseason 9-1, coach Keith Spencer has concerns about their ability to close out games, particularly at the free-throw line.

Still, this is one of the strongest pre-ILH runs for Saint Louis in recent years. Jimmy Nunuha III (13 ppg) leads an all-junior backcourt. Nunuha’s slashing skills, 3-point range and defensive prowess are strengths. With 3-point bomber Haka Johnson (13 ppg) and elusive Kevin Marks (14 ppg in his last three games) in the mix, the Crusaders like to push the ball and press fullcourt often.

Reserve guard Kolten Nacimento has emerged as another 3-point threat, hitting five in the losses to Santa Margarita and MPI.

Spencer has strength in the frontcourt with Fred Ulu-Perry, an all-state lineman who is one of the most agile big men in the ILH. Jedediah Lulu, Wallen Te’o, Elijah Robb and Spencer Johnson provide depth in the paint.

DIVISION II

Though 11 teams are on the D-II schedule, only six are eligible to compete for the league title and advance to the state tournament. The six are Damien, Hanalani, Hawaii Baptist, Le Jardin, St. Francis and University.

The other five are classified as "I-AA" teams from schools that have D-I teams: ‘Iolani, Kamehameha, Maryknoll, Punahou and Saint Louis.

St. Francis (8-9) is coming off a D-II state championship. With a truckload of graduates gone, much of the weight falls on senior Matthew Nuumanaia (19 ppg). At 6-5, he can play any position offensively and defensively and is one of the top players in the state. He’s willing to post up, but coach Sol Batoon has also devised catch-and-shoot plays for the skilled big man. Nuumanaia hit four treys in a 32-point night against Mid-Pacific.

The Saints like to pound the ball into the low post, where 6-3 senior Blayne Won can be an effective scorer when healthy. Keola Kealoha and Kyle Lau anchor the backcourt.

At University (8-8), veteran coach Walt Quitan has two returning starters, point guard Anthony Canencia and Ryan Kaleikini, among his five returnees. In all, the Junior ‘Bows are young and inexperienced, but were competitive against a preseason slate that was almost exclusively D-I.

Canencia completed the football season recently without suffering a major injury, unlike two of his previous three years. His acceleration to the hoop is a major weapon. Kaleikini is a baseball player who hadn’t played basketball since middle school. Already, however, the 6-1 senior has been highly productive, averaging 15 points per game, including a 35-point outburst against Kahuku.

Damien (3-3) has one of the state’s top big men in 6-7 junior Kapi’ina King (17 ppg), who should dominate in the low post if he gets enough touches. The Monarchs also have 6-4 Rocklen Mori, 6-2 James Roy, 6-2 Bransen Apao and 6-2 Jaylen Layco. This makes Damien the tallest team in ILH D-II.

Layco has been productive (18 ppg), scoring a high of 25 in a win over Radford.

Hawaii Baptist Academy (3-4) continues to play a mostly D-I preseason schedule year after year. All three of their wins came on a trip to the Garden Island against D-II Kauai and Kapaa.

Brent Hosaka (19 points against Kalani) is a long-range threat. Ty Minatoya and Jordan Kauwe also provide some scoring punch.

Le Jardin (0-9) took a couple of blowout losses early from Kalaheo but has been on the cusp of victory. They lost narrowly to Maryknoll I-AA (44-43) and Enever Creek (Canada) (41-39). Senior Alex Tatum (21 points against Maryknoll I-AA) and junior Michael Gabrelek could become their go-to scorers.

Division III

The ILH’s smallest programs will play D-II teams on the schedule while competing for an entirely separate D-III championship. The D-III winner will participate in the D-II playoffs for a shot at a D-II state-tournament berth.

Some of the teams in D-III have yet to play a game, but this will likely be a competitive battle for all five teams: Assets, Christian Academy, Hawaiian Mission, Island Pacific and Lanakila Baptist.

Christian Academy (3-0) defeated Nanakuli, Anuenue and Molokai during Campbell’s Saber Classic. Joshua Luna, a 5-11 sophomore, scored 27 points against Anuenue. Matthew Urcia, a 5-9 senior, tallied 21 points against Molokai.

IPA (0-5), a private school in Kapolei, has been close despite its record. Two of the Navigators’ losses have been by single-digit margins.

Division I-AA

‘Iolani (3-5) has one of its tallest teams in recent memory with seven players at 6-2 or taller. When they are at full strength, they can lock down defensively while getting scoring from 6-2 Marc Ma, 6-3 Kameron Ho-Ching and 6-3 Preston Kamada, and guards Jordan Genovia and Bryce Tsuruda. Coach Neil Tamabayashi doesn’t hesitate to go 11 players deep.

Kamehameha (2-6) is athletic and deep. The Warriors have beaten D-I teams (Castle, Kapolei) and been close in losses to St. Francis (53-45), Mid-Pacific (70-65) and Leilehua (52-45). Aukai Pennington scored 17 against MPI and 15 against Kapolei. Haku Durant has also stepped up his scoring lately.

Trevor Perry and Brandon Ando give Maryknoll (1-2) perimeter shooting while 6-5 Kaelen Donnelly, Kekai Hattai and Kyle Wong add strength in the post. Maryknoll edged Le Jardin 44-43 in preseason.

Punahou (2-4) can catch fire from the arc in a hurry. With just five players in uniform, they rallied from a big deficit against St. Francis and got within three before falling 59-47 at the Pete Smith Classic. Seniors Braden Matsuzaki (19 points) and Zac Chong combined for six treys that night.

A 33-31 win over a tall, talented Hawaii Prep squad may have been the highlight of their season so far.

Saint Louis lost to Aiea 63-39 in preseason play.