Orange Lutherans Cross Out Bonita with 59-42 Win to Deny Bearcats CIF Championship
Bonita seniors Jaclyn Smith, Taylor Anderson and Maddy Zlystra, surrounded by Coach Darren Baumunk and Principal Bob Ketterling, display mixed emotions after losing to Orange Lutheran, 59-42.
Bonita got to the CIF Finals after an amazing 26-point performance by freshman guard Nikki Wheatley against Bishop Amat. Orange Lutheran got to hold the CIF championship trophy on Wednesday night after a freakish 22-point performance by Natalie Luzar.
As Wheatley had done on Saturday, dashing through the lane carving up defenders, Luzar did to Bonita, slicing and twisting her way through the key. She was a force of nature in both the paint and from behind the arc as she helped the Lady Lancers defeat Bonita 59-42 in the CIF SS 3A Finals at the Anaheim Convention Center.
For Lutheran, it was “Do unto others as they would do unto you.”
Regardless of the final score, the cheer squad is not going to let it affect its game.
“To win, we knew we had to play a really good game, especially the way Luzar played tonight,” said Bonita Coach Darren Baumunk moments after the Lancers accepted their championship trophy at mid-court.
The championship was eerily reminiscent of Bonita’s game against Bishop Amat. In the Bonita-Amat game, Bonita benefited from a key four-point play, converting two foul shots and back-to-back technicals to essentially break the game wide open. On Wednesday, after Bonita was trailing just 37-34 in the third period, Luzar converted the rare four point play by nailing a three-pointer and subsequent foul shot to expand the Lancers lead to 41-34. More damaging for the Bearcats, Wheatley had to head to the bench after picking up her fourth foul on the freak play. At the end of the third quarter, the Bearcats trailed 44-34 after starting the second half down just three points, 24-21.
In the fourth, Bonita could get no closer than eight points.
Bonita had no answer for Orange Lutheran's Natalie Luzar.
Taylor Anderson, who finished with a team-high 18 points for Bonita, also was saddled with three fouls, which helped take some of the starch out of the Bearcats’ defense.
“Both of those two girls picked up fouls early, and that kind of hurt us a little bit because we couldn’t play as aggressive defense as we would like,” Baumunk said. “But you have to give the Lancers credit,” Buaumunk said. “They came out and made a lot of their shots.
Despite the loss for Bonita, the team finished 28-3 and made the school’s first trip to the finals in girls basketball.
Brianna Kennedy did a good job of controlling the boards and had some key early baskets to help keep the Bearcats close in the first half.
“I know our girls are really upset,” Baumunk said, “but I’m proud of our girls. This is the first time we made it to the Finals. This was a step in the right direction. Last year, we got to the semis. That was a step in the right direction. Now we get to the finals. Maybe, hopefully, soon, it will be our turn. We have to keep going. We’re going to lose some girls. At the same time we’re going to get some girls to come back.”
In her senior season, Madison Zylstra set the all-time scoring record for the Lady Bearcats and was always a stabilizing force on the court.
Together, they put together an unbelievable 28-3 season.
The Bonita student section did its best to root on the Bearcats.
The final score, Orange Lutheran, 59, Bonita, 42
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