The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Basketball
What had been a 60-49 Ontario Christian lead was trimmed to 70-67 when Princeton-bound Sage Hill senior Emily Eadie scored the final three of her teamhigh 30 points with 15.8 seconds left.
Smith was fouled with 6.5 seconds left. She missed her first free throw but made the second to give the Knights a fourpoint cushion, making Sage Hill’s desperate attempt at the buzzer meaningless as long as Ontario Christian didn’t foul.
Ontario Christian made 11 3-pointers as a team, but Smith’s three didn’t lead the way. Senior Karsen Marshall went 4 of 7 from behind the 3-point line and scored 17 points, and senior Amanda Ajobiewe went 3 for 5 on 3-pointers and scored 10 of her 14 points in the second half.
Smith said the presence of Ajobiewe was a big difference this time against Sage Hill, since Ajobiewe did not play in the first matchup this year because she was serving her 30-day sit-out period after transferring from North High School.
The first half produced
four ties and four lead changes, with the Knights leading by as many as seven points and the Lightning holding a lead as big as five points.
Sage Hill led 32-30 at halftime and held its final lead early in the third quarter. Ontario Christian took the lead for good at 41-40 on a free throw by Ajobiewe with 3:27 to play in the third, starting a 15-4 Knights run. After the Knights’ 11-point lead, the Lightning rallied although never got closer than three points.
Senior Annabelle Spotts added 14 points, and senior Kat Righeimer had 10 points for Sage Hill.
Now Ontario Christian has a chance at a rematch against another team that’s given them trouble, as Sierra Canyon routed the Knights in the CIF Southern Section Open Division playoffs last year.
“We talked about it right now (after the game),” Tumambing said. “Let’s celebrate until 11:59 p.m. Then at midnight, our focus is on them (Sierra Canyon). We know they’re an amazing program. (They are) much bigger in size than Sage Hill, we have to be able to utilize other things to take advantage. It’s at their house. We got our butts kicked last year (80-18).”