Zayne Chong pumped in 26 points as No. 1 Punahou pulled out a 66-59 win over No. 2 Kamehameha on Tuesday night at Hemmeter Fieldhouse in a battle for the Interscholastic League of Honolulu lead.

Chong attacked Kamehameha’s man-to-man defense from beginning to end, and also added 4-for-8 shooting from the 3-point arc. Tamatoa Falatea provided lockdown defense and chipped in 12 points off the bench, including five points in a 23-second span to open Punahou’s lead to 43-34 late in the third quarter.

Punahou improved to 3-0 in league play (19-1 overall) with another defensive grind. Falatea and Cole Mausolf took turns covering Kamehameha’s explosive guard Kamren Victorino-Kato, who finished with 22 points. The senior mustered just two points in the first half, missing all six of his field-goal attempts.

“Cole and Tama switched back and forth. Both of them take defense personally,” Punahou coach Darren Matsuda said of Falatea and the 6-foot-5 Mausolf.

Kobe Young added 16 points and six boards for Kamehameha (15-4, 2-1 ILH) but wasn’t able to get untracked consistently. Punahou prepared well for the versatile, 6-6 Young, who scored on a crowded low post just once.

“Kaulana (Makaula) made Kobe work hard,” Matsuda said.

Christmas Togiai added 13 points for the visiting Warriors.

Punahou finished shooting 50 percent from the field (18-for-36) and also shot 24-for-34 from the foul line (71 percent). With center Duke Clemens sidelined (hand injury), the Buffanblu still managed to edge Kamehameha on the boards 27-26.

Kamehameha shot 42 percent from the field (21-for-50), but was just 5-for-19 from 3-point range. They also struggled some at the free-throw line, 12-for-23 (52 percent).

Defensive issues, though, are what concerned the Warriors most.

“We played bad defense. We got beat a lot off the dribble,” Victorino-Kato said.

“They were terrific turning the corner and getting good reads and ball rubs,” Kamehameha coach Greg Tacon said of the Buffanblu. “They got to the rack. We scrapped and gave it a good effort, but we have to be technically better.”

Even with their struggles, the Warriors were within 29-27 early in the third quarter after Victorino-Kato splashed a wing 3. But each time Kamehameha chipped away, the Buffanblu extended the lead. Chong’s corner 3 opened Punahou’s lead to 36-28. The Warriors brought the lead down to 38-34 after Victorino-Kato drove and scored three times in a row, but Punahou got that boost from Falatea to stretch the lead to 43-34, the biggest lead of the game.

Chong’s wing 3 pushed Punahou’s lead to 49-39 with 5:24 remaining, and moments later, Makaula’s three-point play made it 53-42.

Kamehameha, capped by a 3-point shot from Young, cut the lead to 59-55 with 54 seconds left. After Chong hit one of two foul shots, Victorino-Kato slipped in the backcourt and Falatea scored easily to open the lead to 62-55.

After exchanging free throws, Victorino-Kato’s three-point play brought Kamehameha within 64-59 with 24 seconds to go. Hunter Hosoda’s free throws with 18.2 seconds left sealed the win for the Buffanblu.