The reigning two-time CIF champion Orange Lutheran girls basketball team is looking to make it three in a row this season. The Lancers will begin their march to the playoffs “aloha style” as they head to Oahu and the Big Island of Hawaii this week to play in the Kona Tournament. Returning six players from last season’s varsity roster, this year’s captains include junior Kelly Garrity, senior Princess Cassell and senior 2023 CIF-SS Division 1 Player of the Year Shea Joko. “We’re expecting big things from them,” says OLu girls basketball head coach Lindsay Charity. “They've all been playing in the program for the last three or four years and all are starters too. They all have experience going deep into a playoff run and understand what the beast of the Trinity League is.” The OLu squad also added four freshman players and three transfers, including sophomore post player Emalynn Vong. As a captain, Joko knows her role includes integrating the new faces into the team culture. “Since there are more new (players) than returners, my goal is to really embrace them, put them into how our culture is and what our values are, and lead them in the way that we're supposed to go,” says Joko. In addition to the Kona Tournament, OLu will play in the Troy Classic, where they will face some of the top teams in SoCal. After the team returns from Hawaii, the Lancers will host Paramount on November 28. Trinity League play begins January 2 in a home contest against Mater Dei. OLu came in at No. 3 in OC Register’s Top 10 Orange County preseason poll. While the team is looking for nothing less than another CIF-SS Division 1 title, these Lancers have already cemented their legacy in school history. “This is such a competitive group who prides themselves on being successful on the court,” says Charity. “It's going to be great no matter what they achieve this year because they've already achieved so much.”