Courtney Gaddis scored 19 points and Kalani survived three potential game-winning shots by Punahou in the final seconds as the Falcons beat the defending Hawai'i High School Athletic Association champions, 39-38, last night at Punahou's Hemmeter Field House.

The game was part of the Punahou Wahine Spring Challenge preseason tournament.

The Falcons trailed by a dozen points midway through the third quarter but powered their way back behind solid guard play and an imposing front line.

Tressa Torres scored eight of her 10 points in the second half and Becca Lau had eight points to lead the Buffanblu, the Division I champions.

Kalani won the Division II title last season. Kalani head coach Darold Imanaka said last night's victory should give his team some momentum as the program moves up to Division I this year.

"It's huge," Imanaka said. "It's like going from JV to varsity, but these kids are beautiful. When they got down tonight, they didn't give up. This is really big for us."

The Buffanblu were playing without standout twin sisters Shawna-Lei and Shaena-Lyn Kuehu, who suffered anterior cruciate ligament tears a month apart last year. Shawna-Lei Kuehu, the Advertiser's 2006 Girls Basketball Player of the Year, is expected to miss the entire season. Shaena-Lyn was an Advertiser second-team All State selection last season.

Punahou held a 12-10 advantage after a first quarter that saw coaches from both teams complaining loudly about non-calls and questionable whistles.

The second quarter lasted more than a half-hour to complete as referees took control and the game bogged down with foul calls on 14 straight possessions. The teams combined for just three field goals in the period, including an off-balance 3-pointer at the buzzer by Janelle Nomura that extended Punahou's lead to 23-18.

The Buffanblu opened the third with a 9-2 run, capped by back-to-back scoring plays in the post by Torres, to take a 12-point lead.

After a Kalani timeout, Imanaka went big with a frontline of 5-foot-11 Gaddis, 5-11 Violet Alana and 6-2 Allison Neussi.

Assuming point-forward duties, Gaddis, a transfer from La Pietra, found Alana cutting to the basket for an easy layup. On the next Kalani possession, Chelsea Kimura was fouled by Punahou's Anna Merrifield on a 3-point attempt and converted all three free-throw attempts to cut the lead to 32-25.

"Courtney can handle the ball, score, pass — she's very versatile," Imanaka said. "No one can match up with her."

That was evident in the opening minutes of the final period as Gaddis scored 10 of the Falcons 14 points and served as the primary ball-handler in half-court sets.

But it was also Gaddis who turned the ball over on an errant pass with 32 seconds left in the game and the Falcons leading by just a point.

On the final possession, Punahou's Chelsea Deptula split two defenders but missed a layup. The Buffanblu recovered the ball with 17 seconds and called timeout. Deptula and Dara Tompkison both got good looks at the basket in the final seconds but could not convert.

Punahou head coach Mike Taylor took the loss in stride.

"Hats off to Kalani," he said. "We're still coming together. Only four of our 14 kids played major minutes last year. Tonight, we played against a real quality team and we were able to give ourselves three shots at the end to win. I'm not disappointed."

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.