There were no secrets in this one, but plenty of excitement.

Punahou and Moanalua went back and forth in a matchup of coaches who switched places at the end of last season.

In the end, it was a defensive switch that lifted the top-seeded Buffanblu to a 73-63 victory in the quarterfinals of the Hawaiian Airlines/HHSAA Boys Basketball Division I State Championships at McKinley High.

"It took everything we had and either team could have come out on top," Punahou coach Dan Hale said.

Punahou (12-1), the Interscholastic League of Honolulu champion, plays Kalaheo (14-3) in the semifinals tonight at 6 at the Stan Sheriff Center.

"They're a tough team," Hale said of Kalaheo. "This is the fourth time we played them this year (Punahou holds a 2-1 advantage). It's going to be another big-time battle. They have big guys inside and they like to bang it around a little bit."

Kameron Steinhoff scored 26 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, Miah Ostrowski added 25 points, and Spencer McLachlin had 18 rebounds for the Buffanblu, who led Moanalua by 11 in the first half.

"I don't think they really expected me to do this," said Steinhoff, a 6-foot-4 junior forward. "They focused on Miah and Spencer the whole game and we caught them off guard."

There were six ties in the second half with the final one at 57-57 with 4:32 left. Until then, neither team led by more than four points in the second half.

Punahou then switched from a 1-3-1 zone to a man-to-man and shut down Na Menehune.

"They were hitting everything and we had to do something," Hale said. "We had guys in their face and they were still knocking it down on us. So we changed it up a little bit, got in the man and we kind of got in a little rhythm."

Punahou hit 10 free throws over the final 4:28, while Moanalua made only one field goal in the final 3:40.

Na Menehune were truly the little guys in this matchup.

Punahou had four players 6-4 and taller. Moanalua had no player taller than 6-3.

The Buffanblu held a 42-20 rebounding advantage, including an 18-6 edge in offensive boards.

"The rebounding total ... 42-20," Moanalua coach Greg Tacon said. "Their size advantages are so evident in certain phases of the game. When the game was loose and wide, we were able to do some nice things."

Both coaches were complimentary toward their former schools.

"I wished (Punahou) the best," Tacon said. "This is my team over here — Moanalua — and I love these kids. I wish those kids the best. They'll be a part of my life forever. Just like these kids over here."

Hale said: "Some of those guys I had since they were freshmen (at Moanalua) ... The Na Menehune can hold their heads up proud. That was awesome."

Moanalua, the O'ahu Interscholastic Association's No. 5 team, held its own with the long-range accuracy of Josh Kure and quickness of Stevie Austin. Kure was 5 of 8 from 3-point range and finished with 17 points, while Austin had 16 points and eight steals.

The Buffanblu's largest lead was 23-12 after a 3-pointer by Dalton Hilliard with 57 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

Reach Kyle Sakamoto at ksakamoto@honoluluadvertiser.com.