PUKALANI, Maui — Bradley Lawson fired 28 kills to lead 'Iolani over favored Punahou, 25-22, 22-25, 25-20, in last night's Division I finals of the New City Nissan/HHSAA Boys Volleyball State Championships at King Kekaulike High School.

The 6-foot-7 senior was a one-man wrecking crew, hitting from the left, hitting from the right and hitting from the middle — often against a triple block — to carry the Raiders (16-4) to only their second state boys volleyball title.

Lawson was most effective hitting out of the back row, and ended the night with an impressive .430 kill percentage. Teammate Nick Christman finished with five kills.

"He's a difference maker. He can just take a game over and he showed that tonight," Buffanblu head coach Rick Tune of Lawson. "All you can do is your best. You can't account for a great player, and he's a great player."

Punahou (18-1) featured a more balanced attack, with Henry Cassiday collecting 17 kills, Taylor Crabb 10 and Maddison McKibbin eight.

That had worked just fine for Punahou when it swept 'Iolani in their two meetings during the Interscholastic League of Honolulu season. Punahou entered the state tournament unbeaten and the top seed.

But 'Iolani head coach Mike Among employed a different strategy for last night's championship match, switching blocking assignments and moving Lawson around the court, instead of positioning him mostly on the left side. The Raiders also tried to distract Punahou's servers by having Lawson and libero Skyler Tajima make a quick switch in receiving positions right before serve.

"They were switching off their blockers and it confused us, and Brad was moving all over the place," said Punahou setter Erik Shoji, who finished with 13 digs and 18 assists.

Both Shoji and Lawson are headed for Stanford in the fall.

Among called Lawson "the best player in the country."

"He's had to struggle with injuries and illness, and the load of being 'the man' on the team and everyone knowing we were going to him," Among said. "But he blended with the rest of the guys and is a one-team player. He doesn't put himself above anyone else."

Among also credited his team's defensive play, including 18 digs by Tajima.

Punahou has claimed 27 state titles in boys volleyball in 38 years, while 'Iolani had won in 2003 before last night.

"It would have felt great to beat anybody, but to beat that dynasty makes it sweet," Among said. "They are a special team."

Lawson said his team managed to beat their ILH rivals by improving its transition game and being more focused and disciplined than during their previous matches.

"It's pretty amazing," Lawson said of winning the state championship. "Since I've been here, we've only beaten them once in four years."

The first game of the match was a see-saw affair, with the score tied on 11 occasions.

In the second game, 'Iolani struggled with its passing, providing fewer opportunities for Lawson to dominate.

In the final game, the score stayed tight until 'Iolani moved ahead 15-10, largely on Lawson's firepower. At one point, he blasted three kills in a row from two different positions on the court.

Earlier yesterday, Roosevelt captured third place by beating Kamehameha, 25-20, 25-22.