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Madi Bogan has been Orange Lutheran’s leading scorer this season. (Photos courtesy Orange Lutheran Athletics).
Orange Lutheran High School’s girls basketball team will be out to bring home the seventh CIF title for the program when it takes on Marlborough Saturday at 1 p.m. at Honda Center in the CIF Division 1 championship game.
Orange Lutheran defeated Sage Hill to capture the 2AA crown last year.
“Excited to be here,” said Coach Lindsay Charity. “This is the furthest OLu girls basketball has ever gotten in Division 1 so we’ve already set program history.”
The program had never gotten past the second round in the Division 1 playoffs.
“We won division 2AA last year and I think getting to the D1 finals is a testament to how hard our girls have worked in the off season to improve as individuals and get us playing at this high level,” Charity said.
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This will be Orange Lutheran’s seventh trip to the CIF titles. The Lancers also captured CIF titles in 1981, 2011, 2015, 2016 and 2019.
The Lancers have plenty of outstanding players who have led the way.
“We’re really well balanced and on any given night different players can step up and be difference makers for us,” Charity said.
Senior point guard Madi Bogan has led the team, averaging 13.2 points a game. She also made 88 percent of her free throws.
Junior guard Princess Cassell has averaged 9.6 points a game, junior guard Shea Joko 8.4 points and three assists, junior forward Taliyah McFerson 9.8 points a game and senior center Heaven Johnson eight rebounds a game.
Orange Lutheran (23-7) opened the playoffs with a 49-40 victory over Brea Olinda. Orange Lutheran then defeated Sonora 69-54, Harvard Westlake 65-60 and Chaminade 78-68.
Fourth-seeded Marlborough (22-8) defeated Vista Murrieta 54-36, Woodbridge 55-35, Oaks Christian 41-30 and Rosary Academy 63-44.
“(It’s a) strong program, well coached and disciplined, think it will be a very tight game,” Charity said of the Marlborough team.
The coach said the key will be for Orange Lutheran to “play our game, not letting them dictate what we do, finishing around the rim, and getting them out of any offensive rhythm.”
Charity will be at Honda Center as a fan Saturday rooting for the Lancers. She’s been on maternity leave since the birth of her daughter, Brooklynn on Jan. 31. Associate head coach Alexandra Helmage has been leading the Lancers and will be coaching the team Saturday.
“Hopefully in 14 to 18 years baby Brooklynn will help get us back to another championship game,” she said.
—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com
