The Lightning jumped for joy all the way to their bench after the last-gasp, pull-up jumper came up short.
“It was a great moment of joy for the kids, especially for the seniors,” Sage Hill coach Jethro Julian said. “It was so dope, just to see them celebrate, like, cheer for one another. They finally came together as a team. I see that. Some girls were crying. It was just like a moment of joy. It was a great moment.”
Uphoff scored 15 points, and Eve Fowler added 11 points to give the Lightning three players to score in double figures.
Sierra Canyon beat Ontario Christian, 69-62, in the CIF Southern Section Open Division final on Feb. 28 at Toyota Arena.
Sage Hill, which was knocked out of the section playoffs in an 86-54 semifinals loss to Ontario Christian, will get a shot at redemption in the regional championship game. That game is scheduled for Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Ontario Christian.
Ontario Christian topped Etiwanda, 80-66, in the other regional semifinal game.
“Ontario Christian is still Ontario Christian,” Julian said. “They have a lot of really, really good players. For us, it’s same mindset, same thing going in again, and just try to compete with them, because that’s all what we can do.
“Right now, I’m happy for the girls, happy for the program. That was a big, big win for Sage Hill. I think that was the first time they beat [Sierra Canyon]. … I heard it was the first time in school history, so that was pretty huge.”