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CORONA – Taking a six-point lead into the fourth quarter against Centennial didn’t do much to put at ease Brea Olinda girls basketball coach Jeff Sink.

“I never felt better about anything; they’re too athletic and deeper than we are, so it’s a battle all the way,” Sink said of the Ladycats’ opponent in Wednesday night’s first-round game of the CIF-SS Open Division.

Indeed it seemed the Huskies were bound to make a run that could win them what was a  back-and-forth contest for the first three periods. But Centennial’s final push came far too late, and Brea Olinda’s lead never fell below five points as it closed out a 66-58 victory.

The Ladycats will play their longtime rival, top-seeded Mater Dei, in the second round. That game, on Tuesday, will be at Brea Olinda High at 7 p.m.

Centennial (23-6) scored just four points over the first 6:08 of the fourth period and faced its biggest deficit of the night, 62-51, after Shaylissa Jarrett knocked down a 3-pointer for Brea Olinda (23-3) from the top of the key with 2:35 to play.

“Foul trouble really hurt us throughout,” said Huskies coach Martin Woods, whose team was whistled for 26 fouls and had several starters in foul trouble in the first half. “Our strength is our pressure, so we were kind of backpedaling after that.

“Going into the fourth it was kind of hard building that momentum of aggression that you do all year. We could never just get back to it.”

Arianna Knox made a 3-pointer for Centennial at the 1:52 mark to cut the lead to 62-54.

Aliyah Ahmad had a breakaway opportunity for the Huskies after coming up with a steal on the very next possession, but she couldn’t convert the layup with a defender closing in fast.

Moments later the Wildcats turned the ball over again, but Centennial couldn’t control the loose ball for another missed opportunity.

Brijanae Knox sank a deep two-pointer with just under a minute left to keep Centennial alive at 62-56 and after a stop at the other end, the Huskies had a break going. But it ended in a charging foul at the rim and Tyiona Watkins sealed the deal for Brea Olinda with a jumper with 28 seconds left.

Centennial’s aggressive press was effective early, hounding the Ladycats into five first-quarter turnovers while the Huskies built a 15-8 lead by the 1:52 mark. But from there Brea Olinda stormed back with an 11-2 run to take its first lead, 19-17, early in the third.

The lead changed hands several times in the third, as well, with the Huskies tying the game at 45 on a steal and layup by Brijanae Knox before Brea Olinda went on an 8-2 run to close the quarter.

“We wanted to make them shoot form the perimeter and then block out because they’re really tough on the boards,” Sink said. “We just didn’t execute it the whole first half. Finally I think I got their attention.”