HONOLULU — A new year and new format in Interscholastic League of Honolulu boys basketball has so far yielded familiar results: Saint Louis on top.

The Crusaders, who achieved dynasty status with their third straight Division I state championship last February, traveled into hostile territory on Thursday and remained unblemished in the state’s toughest league with a 52-44 win against Punahou at Hemmeter Fieldhouse.

Saint Louis guard Shancin Revuelto and Punahou forward Ethan Chung engaged in a game-long shootout, with both players tallying five 3-point hits and 19 points.

But otherwise, the Crusaders (9-0) were just a tad more balanced and had the endgame poise. Keanu Meacham scored 12 and Caelan Fernando had eight for the Saints.

The Buffanblu (6-2) were forced into foul-taking mode in the final minute-plus.

“There’s so much talent on that roster, and they’re playing well,” Saint Louis coach Dan Hale said of Darren Matsuda’s Buffanblu. “We just had to make sure we do what we do. This is why our league is so tough, is because you gotta come into a place like this. But we hung in there, and that’s really what you have to do. At some point, it’s not even about Xs and Os. It’s about just sucking it up and being able to play as hard as you can. We were fortunate today.”

In a new format this year with three state berths, not two, up for grabs out of the ILH, the top two teams in the 12-game regular season get two of the berths and will play each other for the overall ILH championship on Feb. 12.

Teams that finished fourth through seventh will face each other in a single-elimination, four-team bracket, with the team that emerges from that group facing the third-place team from the regular season for the third and final state berth.

Saint Louis is two games clear of the field in the loss column with three remaining. Up next is a date at Maryknoll (2-5) at 1 p.m. Saturday.

A rematch of last year’s state final, won 48-39 by the Crusaders, swung Punahou’s way early as they collapsed on the Most Outstanding Player of the last two state tournaments, forward Pupu Sepulona. The Buffanblu claimed an early eight-point lead.

Dan Hale’s squad has again proven its staying power. Saint Louis is balanced and unselfish. It has gone 26-1 for the full season, with the lone loss against Laguna Creek (Calif.) in a tournament in Buena Vista, Calif., on Dec. 26.

Sepulona did not mind that he was held to a season-low five points.

“(This win) meant a lot. Coming into here, this is a hostile place to play, this is Punahou’s ground,” he said. “We had to come in here with the right mindset.”

Punahou’s 6-foot-6 sophomore forward Tanoa Scanlan has been on a tear this season, with a 30-point performance against Kamehameha, 26 against Maryknoll and two more 20-point games in the ILH. But he was held to six against the Crusaders, his season low in league play.

“He’s the scouting report,” Hale said. “We definitely knew where he was. He still got some of his and he’s going to because he’s so talented. We run all kinds of defenses at him and he’ll still get it. But overall we did well, made him work for his shots.”

Saint Louis is in a bit of a different mode with its star, Sepulona, who has made football his primary sport and accepted a scholarship offer to Utah. It only got him back from football season for the start of ILH play a few weeks ago.

Sepulona acknowledged he’s not quite in the same basketball shape of his past self. As a defensive end who required opponents’ attention, he helped the Crusaders to the Open Division football championship in late November, and is still slightly heavier at this time of year than he has been.

Hale is grateful to have him back; he’s noticed him steadily rounding into basketball shape.

For his part, Sepuolona said it’s been a relief to have his future secured. Now he can focus on having fun to end his high school career.

“Before (this season) I focused mainly on football, so transitioning to basketball was hard for me,” he said. “But throughout the season, I’m getting the flow and I’m going to end my senior year with the sport I love the most.”

Punahou continues ILH play at home against University Lab on Tuesday.

Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.