Up-Tempo Is Perfect Rhythm for Calvary

If the pressure of the moment wasn’t tough enough for Orange Lutheran in its Division IV-A semifinal girls’ basketball game Saturday, second-seeded Calvary Chapel threw in the full-court blend as well.

The sudden change in tempo during the second half was enough for Calvary Chapel to erase a double-digit deficit and beat Orange Lutheran in overtime, 54-50, at Brea Olinda High. It was Calvary Chapel’s third victory against its Olympic League rival.

“We worked on it in practice, we knew it was going to come, we handled it almost all night, except for one little stretch and that was the difference in the game,” said Orange Lutheran Coach Tony Matson. “They do it off and on and we knew they were going to do it off and on. You never know when it’s coming and that played a mental factor as well.”

Orange Lutheran (16-9) turned the ball over just seven times in the first half, but Calvary Chapel’s defense forced 10 in the second half and four more in overtime.

The Lancers, who start two freshmen and a sophomore, took their biggest lead, 34-23, early in the second half, but Calvary Chapel whittled it to five by the end of the third quarter. The Eagles (19-7) then turned up the heat and forced two consecutive turnovers, the second coming off an inbounds pass and resulting in a layup by Richel Werdel that gave Calvary Chapel its first lead, 40-39.

Werdel made three consecutive jumpers to keep the Eagles ahead by a point with a minute to play, but Monica Shulte made one of two free throws with 50 seconds left to send the game into overtime.

With the score tied and under a minute to play in overtime, Orange Lutheran couldn’t come up with a key rebound after Werdel’s straightaway jumper came up short. Three Orange Lutheran players were in position for the rebound, but it was mishandled and Werdel got it back. After a Calvary Chapel timeout, Fabre made a bank shot, giving the Eagles a 52-50 lead.

Orange Lutheran had some chances to tie, but Krystal Miller lost a dribble off her knee in the backcourt with 21 seconds remaining. After Kristen Boenau stole Calvary Chapel’s inbound pass with 12 seconds left, Nicole Grady missed a layup and Schulte’s three-point shot missed everything.