Watch: Lev Feiman, Brentwood School upset Orange Lutheran in tense state playoff battle
ORANGE– After falling short in the Southern Section 2A semifinals last week, Brentwood School rebounded to play one of its best games of the season, opening the CIF State Division 2 playoffs with an outstanding 60-56 victory at Orange Lutheran.
OLu routed Crean Lutheran 72-52 last Wednesday in the CIFSS 2AA semifinals before defeating Sage Hill 66-61 on Saturday to win the section championship. The fifth-seeded Lancers were awarded home-court advantage in this one, and they battled till the end. But it was the 12th-seeded Eagles' night, as they led nearly the whole contest, except though the score differential only exceeded six points on two brief occasions.
In addition to having to deal with a size disadvantage and a hostile environment, Brentwood also had to deal with the loss of its top player. Amber Furch, its leading scorer, had an excellent all-around first half, notching eight points, three assists, three rebounds, and four steals, but sat nearly the entire second half after suffering an apparent hand injury early in the third quarter.
And the Eagles' young core was up for the challenge. Freshman Lev Feiman led all scorers with 16 points for Brentwood, with 11 coming in the fourth quarter in which she went 8-8 from the line. She also had career-highs of 14 rebounds and two blocks to help the Eagles battle the larger Lancers in the paint. Sophomore Jocelyn Pascual had 15 points, five rebounds, and three assists for Brentwood, and Emma Dudley added 10 points.
Sheridan Kennedy led Orange Lutheran with 14 points, Shea Joko had 12 on four made threes, Taliyah McFerson had 10, Princess Cassell scored nine, and Kelly Garrity had seven points. Despite the bitter ending to the season, OLu wraps up its 2021-2022 campaign as a Southern Section 2AA champion with one of the more promising futures in the section. Brentwood – another team that will only keep rising in the coming years – moves on to Bishop's (La Jolla) in the next round of the playoffs.