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ORANGE — It was easy to dwell on the what-if scenarios before Orange Lutheran and Sage Hill met for the CIF-SS Division 2AA girls basketball title on Saturday night.

But it was impossible not to respect the present and future for both teams after the top-seeded Lancers defeated No. 2 seed Sage Hill 66-61 in a thrilling final before a boisterous crowd at Orange Lutheran.

The teams combined for 17 3-pointers to keep the score close deep into the fourth period.

Orange Lutheran (24-8), starting three sophomores and a freshman, won a section crown after losing two talented players from the class of 2024 to league rival Mater Dei.

That was the Lancers’ what-if scenario for months but their season sprung into a new, championship feeling after defeating Sage Hill (23-10).

“It had to be all-in to get that win,” second-year Lancers coach Lindsay Charity said. “Sage Hill is a great team and it took every single one of our 14 girls to pull that off. … That was a great game.”

Freshman guard Kelly Garrity (11 points) helped seal the victory by twice hitting 1 of 2 foul shots in the final 22 seconds but the Lancers had several key contributors as it rallied from a 35-32 halftime deficit.

Sophomore forward Sheridan Kennedy scored a team-high 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Sophomore guard Shea Joko made three 3-pointers in the third period en route to 11 points. And senior Mikayla Holmes came off the bench to hit two key 3-pointers in the second half.

Orange Lutheran took a 56-45 lead into the fourth quarter and then held off Sage Hill, which stayed close despite missing its first 12 3-pointers of the final period.

Senior point guard Isabel Gomez paced the Lightning with 20 points, including five 3-pointers, while sophomore forwards Kat Righeimer and Emily Eadie added 15 and 12 points, respectively.

Sage Hill, starting four sophomores, challenged for a second consecutive title in the wake of death of Kobe Bryant, who mentored the up-and-coming players on his Mambas travel team. That’s the what-if scenario that Sage Hill has united to overcome.

Last season, Sage Hill defeated top-seeded Ontario Christian 62-55 in the CIF Division 3AA final.

The teams delivered sizzling shooting in the second quarter. Gomez twice answered a 3-pointer by Orange Lutheran’s Princess Cassell with a 3-pointer of her own.

Orange Lutheran made eight 3-pointers while Sage Hill sank nine.

Both teams will play in the CIF State SoCal Regional, which starts Tuesday at host sites. The pairings will be announced Sunday.

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