The gauntlet has prevailed again.
The rarity of an undefeated regular season in the ILH slipped away from No. 1-ranked Punahou on Tuesday night as second-ranked Saint Louis coasted to a 53-39 win at Hemmeter Fieldhouse.
“Saint Louis really had that look in their eyes and they were hungry. They played hard, and sometimes a loss can be a good thing,” Buffanblu coach Darren Matsuda said.
The Crusaders had that extra spring in their step.
“We just wanted to come out with energy,” said junior guard Caelan Fernando, who chipped in eight points. “I feel like the last two games, we didn’t have any energy. Even from the moment we wake up, we want to keep that energy channeling so we come to the game, we can overpower everything.”
The Buffanblu (19-5, 8-1) can still clinch first place and secure a state-tournament berth with a win at Mid-Pacific on Thursday. The Owls stunned ‘Iolani on a buzzer-beater, 73-70, on Tuesday.
“They’re tough,” Matsuda said. “The crazy thing in our league is anybody can play anybody.”
”We’ll have to play great team ball and great team defense.’
Saint Louis kept its hopes alive for a possible first-place tie. The Crusaders (20-4 overall) improved to 7-2 in league play, relying heavily on smart, physical defense and an opportunistic fast break. Shancin Revuelto and Jordan Posiulai scored 10 points each to lead Saint Louis, while Pupu Sepulona chipped in nine points.
Rather than add more wrinkles to the offense after two league losses, the Crusaders honed in and executed more cleanly.
“We talked about being a team and everybody contributing in their way,” Saint Louis coach Dan Hale said. “Get back to our defense. That’s a very good team and they’re very good defensively, and they can shoot. So we just got to get back to what we do and get better. We got a good start. They missed a few shots and we made a few, and that got us going.”
When the teams met on Jan. 11, Punahou finished strong for a 48-40 win at the Crusaders’ gym. On Tuesday, Punahou seemed a half-step slower than usual as perimeter shots from mid-range and long range clanged for most of the night.
With ILH defenses often swarming Sepulona, the reigning All-State Player of the Year, with double and triple teams, Sepulona had a modest scoring night, but his playmaking and patience were crucial. So was his defense. The 6-foot-3 junior set the tone by limiting Punahou’s leading man, Ayndra Uperesa-Thomas, to a season-low three points.
“I feel like today, whenever I got the ball, I knew the (defensive) game plan of what Punahou was doing today. I had to make the wise decision and be sure I find my open teammates, most importantly,” Sepulona said. “I feel like that’s how we got the win. We shared the ball. My goal today was to keep Ayndra below 10 points. I know ’Dra is such a great player. He’s legit. That’s my boy. We play club together. My goal was to stay in front of him, not lose him, play in front of him. Make sure my lateral movement is quick, so whenever he drives, I can cut his angle off and that’s what I did today. This is only the beginning. I’m just trying to get better.”
James Taras finished with 17 points to pace the Buffanblu, but there was little they could do as Saint Louis turned an early 10-point lead into a 21-5 cushion on Jiovanni Ramos’ steal and layup with 6:18 left in the half.
