Laynee Torres-Kahapea scored 20 points, including eight in the final quarter, as No. 4 Punahou staved off No. 7 Kamehameha 48-45 on Tuesday night.

Tenacious defense out of a fullcourt press by the Buffanblu led to three crucial steals in a row down the stretch to stymie the rugged, young Warriors.

A noisy crowd filled Hemmeter Fieldhouse to see the girls game as well as the Maryknoll-Punahou boys game that followed.

Punahou improved to 3-2 in ILH play (10-4 overall). Kamehameha slipped to 1-4 (13-8 overall) after shooting 4-for-21 from 3-point range.

It was persistent defensive pressure and smart shot selection by the Buffanblu, who got seven points and seven rebounds from Kuupuamaikalani Saole, and six points and five boards from Tanea Loa.

Torres-Kahapea was relentless on the fast break, attacking at every opportunity. She shot 8-for-11 from the field but struggled at the foul line (4-for-11). She also had four rebounds, four assists and two steals.

“We stayed patient. Our main goal was to really value every possession that we take, and I think we did that,” said Torres-Kahapea, who played all 32 minutes. “Defense wins championships. We didn’t box out, but we were fortunate to finish in the lane. They weren’t knocking down shots, and that’s the ILH.”

The senior did come up big during a key run by Punahou in the fourth quarter.

Down 40-36, the Buffanblu went on a 6-0 run. Torres-Kahapea tied it at 40 on a transition layup, and Loa’s basket on the low post pushed Punahou ahead for good. Three consecutive steals by the home team off the press turned the tide.

After Torres-Kahapea sank two free throws and Davina Li hit one of two charity shots, it was a 45-40 lead with 53.2 seconds remaining.

Kya Kanoho missed a wing 3 and Torres-Kahapea added another free throw for a 46-40 lead with 36.5 seconds left.

The Warriors got within 46-42 on a follow shot by Makenzie Alapai.

Another free throw by Li, who led Punahou with four steals, opened the lead back to six points. Rylee Paranada’s 3 with three seconds left provided the final scoring.

“We came of a really good tournament in terms of taking care of the ball,” Warriors coach Pua Straight said of the recent West Coast Jamboree in the Bay Area. “Today was definitely inconsistent. We’ve got to trust ourselves more.”

Mikylah Labanon led Kamehameha with nine points and Paranada added eight off the bench. Kanoho finished with seven points, but shot 3-for-16 from the field.

Freshman Nihoa Dunn had six points, 13 rebounds and five blocks, but she picked up three personal fouls in the first half. In the first 16 minutes, the 6-foot-1 center missed all six of her field-goal attempts and all four of her tries from the foul line.

“Punahou had a good game plan. They drove right at her,” Straight said.

Kamehameha trailed 25-20 at the half, but Dunn scored six points in the third quarter as the Warriors rallied to take the lead, just briefly.

Then, the struggles of the final quarter. Six of Kamehameha’s 14 turnovers came in the fourth stanza.

Torres-Kahapea was still fresh after the game.

“We’re prepared for that,” Torres-Kahapea said. “Coach drills us and we were up in their face. Davina, Shania (Moananu), Keilani (Stewart) — all our bigs did a great job at having high ball pressure and making them panic.”

Moananu finished with two points on 1-for-10 field-goal shooting but added two rebounds and a steal.

Punahou will visit Damien on Saturday. Kamehameha goes to ‘Iolani on Thursday.