Chance Kalaugher’s tip-in at the buzzer gave No. 3-ranked Kaiser a 74-73 overtime victory over No. 2 Punahou on Saturday afternoon at the Moanalua OIA-ILH Challenge.

His hustle play stole the thunder from a young Punahou squad that had regained the lead on sophomore Cole Arceneaux’s 10-foot runner over the 6-foot-5 Kalaugher. His bank shot gave the Buffanblu a 73-72 lead with 12 seconds left in the extra period.

Kaiser pushed the ball up court immediately. Kalaugher hustled in from the baseline and went after the ball when teammate Keoua Mahiko’s 12-foot floater rimmed out.

Kalaugher finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds. He had a constant march to the free-throw line. Playing their third game in as many days, Kaiser had to contend with Punahou’s supersonic speed in transition. Kalaugher was just 5-for-9 from the foul line in regulation, but shot 5-for-6 there in overtime. He kept attacking Punahou’s centers.

“I knew I had to go to the line,” Kalaugher said. “Fortunately, they called the fouls.”

Mahiko had two early offensive fouls, but came up big in the second half against Punahou’s constant full-court and half-court defensive pressure. The senior had a game-high 24 points to go with seven boards. He stroked three clutch treys in the fourth quarter.

“Coach B’s been making sure we’re in shape with all our offseason workouts. I could play the whole game, but our bench was solid,” Mahiko said. “Chance came up with those huge free throws at the end.”

Punahou’s platoon system and depth seemed to be the trump card to deal with a seasoned, senior-heavy Kaiser lineup that won the Division II state title last season. Punahou led 50-41 midway through the third quarter on Duke Clemens’ layup on a feed from Cole Mausolf.

Kaiser chipped away and took a 64-63 lead on a trey by Mahiko with 26 seconds left in regulation.

Chris Kobayashi (seven points) hit two foul shots to give Punahou a one-point lead with 15 seconds to go.

Kalaugher then picked up a loose ball and drew a foul with 1.4 seconds to go. He missed the first free throw, and after a timeout by Punahou coach Darren Matsuda, swished the second to tie the game at 65, sending the game into overtime.

“That was a great time out. Darren’s a great coach and was trying to freeze him,” Kaiser coach Branden Kawazoe said. “But it’s just a free throw and we do it every day.”

Point guard Nic Tom added 12 points for the Cougars. Zayne Chong led Punahou with 17 points. Arceneaux added 12 points, including five in OT.

“That kid is really good,” Kawazoe said of Arceneaux.

Matsuda wanted a faster pace.

“In the second half, they forced us to play at their tempo,” he said. “They’re a veteran-laden team and I expect that from them. They know what it takes. Our team is much improved. I love these kind of games. Cole was clutch against Mililani (on Friday) with a big 3. Our primary and secondary kids were very good. These young guys are learning. For 14- and 15-year-olds, they’re very mature. They know it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”

Kaiser went unbeaten in the tourney with wins over No. 6 Kamehameha (64-61) and No. 7 Saint Louis (61-53). The Cougars also defeated Waipahu 81-40 in a non-tourney game on Wednesday.

“It feels good to take down some of the top teams,” Mahiko said. “But we didn’t look at ourselves as the underdogs.”