Ayndra Uperesa-Thomas banked in a 15-foot runner in traffic at the buzzer to lift No. 1 Punahou over No. 6 ‘Iolani 57-55 in a thriller on Thursday night at Father Bray Athletic Complex.

The 6-foot-3 senior’s stunning play followed a clutch 3-point shot by ‘Iolani’s Ayden Goo that tied the game with 5.1 seconds left. That capped a big comeback by the Buffanblu, who trailed by 12 in the third quarter.

“Coach said to get the ball up the court as fast as we can and get a good look at the basket, not necessarily a 3. I work on my runners,” said Uperesa-Thomas, who had not hit a game-winning shot since the summer of 2022. “That’s the last one I remember. It feels good, though.”

Punahou remained unbeaten in ILH play despite looking like a first league loss was in the cards. The Buffanblu are 7-0 (18-4 overall) after overcoming their biggest challenge in regular-season play to date. There is rarely an unbeaten team at the end of the ILH gauntlet, but Punahou just inched closer to that possibility.

“Every team needs a little adversity and we had it today. It’s great to see us push through. It’s like Noah (Macapulay) said at halftime, this is the first time we’re getting some adversity in a meaningful game. We had a much better second half,” Punahou coach Darren Matsuda said.

Uperesa-Thomas finished with 15 of his 17 points in the second half. He also corralled eight rebounds and blocked four shots. He shot 7-for-10 from the field and 3-for-3 from the free-throw line.

Dillon Kellner tallied 12 points on 5-for-6 shooting from the field. James Taras added 11 points against a rugged ‘Iolani defense. He shot just 4-for-12 from the field, but connected on a key 3-pointer during Punahou’s second-half comeback. Evan Porter also had 11 points, splashing a key 3-pointer during the rally.

‘Iolani guard Nela Taliauli scored 14 of his 18 points in the first half, and center Mana Lau Kong had 14 of his 17 points before intermission, shooting 7-for-11 from the field. Taliauli shot 6-for-12 from the field, including 4-for-5 from the arc, adding six rebounds and four assists.

Punahou played its best basketball in the final 18 minutes, leaving a robust ‘Iolani crowd broken-hearted.

“We actually work on situations at every practice. It worked on that play. We just haven’t had to use it, but it worked out today,” Matsuda said. “ ‘Iolani played an awesome game. They shot the ball well. Nela played really well, (Luke) Tobin played really well, Mana played really well. It’s one of those games, it’s too bad there’s a loser, because both teams played their hearts out.”

The Buffanblu fell behind from the start. With Lau Kong and Taliauli providing huge plays, the Raiders led 35-23 during the third quarter.

Macapulay energized the Buffanblu rally with scrappy defense, and hustle on offense. The visiting Buffanblu took a 53-50 lead on Macapulay’s offensive rebound and tip assist to Kellner for a wing 3 with 3:58 remaining.

Tobin swished his second key mid-range jumpers for the Raiders, but Punahou had a 55-52 lead on an inbounds pass from Porter to Uperesa-Thomas with 24 seconds to go.

‘Iolani drew up a game-tying 3, with Taliauli driving the baseline and finding Goo for a 3-pointer from the corner. That tied the game at 55 with 5.1 seconds left.

That set up Uperesa-Thomas’ winning bucket. Both teams were in the bonus, and Tobin did a good job of cutting Uperesa-Thomas off outside of the key. The Punahou senior then flicked the ball softly off the glass as time expired.

Punahou will complete its road-warrior week with a game at No. 10 Kamehameha on Saturday. ‘Iolani, which dropped to 2-5 in league play (11-12 overall), will host No. 3 Maryknoll on Saturday.

No. 1 ‘Iolani 46, Punahou 30

The unbeaten Raiders celebrated senior night with their sixth win of the ILH girls basketball season. Center Mele Sake, one of three seniors, led ‘Iolani with 16 points, including two treys. The other seniors are guards Kanoe Hanohano and Keiki McGee.

Junior guard Mia Frye added 13 points.

Senior guard Keilani Stewart led the young Buffanblu (6-10 overall, 0-6 ILH) with 14 points.

The Buffanblu kept it close early, leading 6-4 and trailing 11-8 after one quarter.

Depth and fullcourt man-to-man pressure were at the forefront on a somewhat cold-shooting night for the Raiders.

‘Iolani (20-3 overall) led at the half, 24-13, and extended the margin to 20 by the end of the third quarter.

The final 10 seconds provided some unexpected thrills for both teams. Sake splashed an NBA-range 3-pointer, and Punahou sophomore Alethea Hayashi swished a halfcourt shot at the buzzer.

The Raiders will host Kamehameha on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.