Orange Lutheran (17-7) stayed in the game for much of a sloppy first half, but when the game got up-and-down in the third quarter, the Seahawks (22-3) felt right at home. After scoring just 27 points in the first half, they scored 56 after the break.
“It was an ugly first half because of the half-court game,” Ocean View Coach Jim Harris said. “We’re not at our best in that situation. Then we finally went out and pressed, not really effective, but just the fact that we made the game a full-court game [was important]. All of a sudden a few turnovers, they missed some shots and we got some fast breaks in the transition game.”
Johnson had 11 third-quarter points as the Seahawks pulled away, as well as two assists on nice passes to Chris Martinez and Brown, the latter resulting in a three-point play. Johnson then got a three-point play of his own in transition, building the lead to 48-38 midway through the quarter.
The 32 points for Brown matched a career-high set earlier this year against La Verne Lutheran, and Johnson’s 30 was also a season-high. They also combined to go 11-of-11 from the free-throw line and seemed to take over the scoring load at different times of the game. Brown scored 10 in the first quarter, while Johnson scored 23 in the second half.
“I love the big games,” said the Stanford-bound Brown. “It’s a chance to show everyone what I’ve got. I just try to cut and move and get easy baskets, along with the rebounding. In big games, I just seem to have my shot. My shot just feels good in big games, and Mater Dei’s a great court to shoot at.”
Ryan Okwudibonye had seven points and 10 rebounds for the Seahawks, and guard Steven Yoon had seven points off the bench. James Douglas and Tyler Funk each scored 17 to lead Orange Lutheran.
