A review of the girls water polo season heading into Sunday’s 9 a.m. release of the CIF-SS playoff pairings:
Crestview League (Div. 1): Julia Sellers (55 goals) was one of six players on champion Foothill with at least 25 goals. Marcela Portales paced runner-up Villa Park with a county-leading 142.
Empire (Div. 6): Cypress was ranked No. 9 in the preseason divisional poll, eight spots behind No. 1 Pacifica. But the Centurions went 5-0 in the league while unranked Tustin and goalie Amy Albus beat Pacifica, 9-3, for second place.
Freeway (Div. 3): Troy finished undefeated in league for a fourth consecutive season to run its league winning streak to 42. Sunny Hills and La Habra split matches to tie for second but the Highlanders won a coin toss for the No. 2 seed.
Garden Grove (Div. 7): Los Amigos, featuring three left-handers, made cheers of “Lobos! Lobos!” ring en route to the title. Garden Grove edged an improved La Quinta for second but the Aztecs still reached CIF.
Golden West (Div. 6): Ocean View and center Shannon Graham dethroned defending champion Segerstrom. Loara edged Westminster, 7-6, in a playoff for third on Friday. Senior captain Alanna Torres scored on a counterattack with 16 seconds left to send the Saxons to CIF. “I’m pretty proud of what the girls did,” said Loara coach Pedro Jiron, who took over a dormant program three years ago. “They pulled together.”
North Hills (Div. 5): The Aztecs and junior center Megan Dahlson brought home their first league crown since 1999. El Modena finished second to reach CIF.
Orange (Div. 7): Santa Ana Valley not only beat Savanna for the league crown but captured it unofficial city championship with victories against Saddleback, Segerstrom, Santa Ana and Godinez. Coach Fred Lammers has already ordered the patches.
Orange Coast (Div. 1): Top-ranked Laguna Beach (27-0) and Makenzie Fischer (122 goals) outscored opponents, 460-109. Saddleback and Costa Mesa placed second-third, respectively.
Pacific Coast (Div. 1): Corona del Mar and Maddie Musselman (85 goals) continued to rule while improved Beckman and University placed second-third. The Trojans edged Irvine for third based on goal-differential.
Sea View (Div. 4): Mission Viejo went 8-0 in a deep league that needed a coin-flip and playoff to slot Trabuco Hills second and Laguna Hills third. The Diablos captured their first league crown since 2007.
South Coast (Div. 2): A coin flip might have settled the No. 1 seed between El Toro and San Clemente but third-place Dana Hills upset the Tritons late to clear the way for the Chargers.
Sunset (Div. 1): Newport Harbor gave retiring Coach Bill Barnett a final league crown while Los Alamitos and Edison grabbed second-third.
Trinity (Div. 1): Orange Lutheran broke through for its first league title. Mater Dei and Rosary finished second-third in an intense race that pushed Santa Margarita to fourth and out of the playoffs.
Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com
