Laguna Beach’s girls water polo team sprinted to an Orange County milestone over the weekend but the Breakers didn’t get too excited. They remained focused on another goal.
Coach Ethan Damato’s squad took sole possession of the county record for most consecutive victories by notching No. 50 in an 18-5 triumph against Los Alamitos in the CIF-SS Division 1 quarterfinals Saturday at Newport Harbor.
Laguna Beach (29-0) had been tied for the record with Foothill, which won 49 consecutive matches from 2002-4.
“To be honest, it’s not something we talk or think about as a group,” Damato said in a text of the streak. “I’m sure it’s something that will hit us when the season is over but right now, we have one goal in mind and that’s a trip to the championship game.”
The top-seeded and defending champion Breakers play No. 4 Corona del Mar (23-6) in the semifinals Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics in Irvine. The two-pool complex will play host to the semifinals in Division 1, 2 and 3, starting with Division 3 at 3:30 p.m.
The Southern Section record for most consecutive victories belongs to Bell Gardens, which won 85 straight games from 1998 to 2001. …
Troy (24-7) focused on a strong start against third-seeded Peninsula in the Division 3 quarterfinals and the strategy helped produce a 6-4 victory. The Warriors outscored Peninsula, 3-0, in the opening period.
In the first round against Norco, Troy trailed, 3-0, after the first quarter but rallied for an 8-7 victory.
“We wanted to improve on our first quarter play and the girls really did a great job with that,” Troy coach Jason Wilson said in a text.
The Warriors could use another strong start in the semifinals against No. 2-seeded M.L. King of Riverside, which defeated Troy, 12-2, in late January. King led, 4-0, after the first. The Wolves also were the last team to beat Troy, winners of 14 consecutive games. …
Newport Harbor honored Coach Bill Barnett on Saturday by placing his picture with one of his catchphrases, “Zimbo”, on a wall near the pool. Barnett missed the Sailors’ 5-4 victory against visiting San Marcos because he is recovering from hip surgery. “He definitely was in our thoughts,” said senior Rachel Whitelegge, who hopes Barnett will make Wednesday night’s semifinal against Foothill. …
Ocean View senior Nikki Langley, who has helped the Seahawks reach the Division 6 semifinals, also plays goalie for the Anaheim Lady Ducks’ 19-and-under team. She will play college hockey for Utica in New York.
The second-seeded Seahawks (24-6) will play host to Santa Monica (20-12) at Santa Ana Valley on Wednesday at 5 p.m. …
Division 4 semifinalist Mission Viejo doesn’t feature any seniors, so the Diablos will be gaining valuable experience Wednesday against Riverside Poly. Coach Jeff Rach’s team will gain more experience in the spring when it travels to Hungary for practices and nine evening matches.
