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    Laguna Beach girls water polo outlasts San Clemente in sudden-death OT for CIF-SS Division 1 crown
    • February 23, 2025

    WALNUT — Laguna Beach’s Kara Carver earned a 5-meter penalty in sudden-death overtime and popped the submerged ball to Presley Jones for the shot. Moments later, Breakers girls water polo coach Katie Teets looked toward the sky and held her face tight.

    Laguna Beach scripted a fitting ending to the CIF-SS Division 1 final Saturday at Mt. SAC.

    The senior captains, including goalie Siena Jumani, delivered when it counted to lift the Breakers past San Clemente 10-9 for its Southern Section-record tying eighth title.

    “It couldn’t have been a more fitting end,” Teets said. “Kara up on the counterattack. Presley stealing the ball, making that pass to (Carver). Kara drawing the 5 meter and then Presley finishing it. It was just written.”

    “The three seniors have been our rocks,” the coach added. “Fighters for sure.”

    Laguna Beach (20-11) needed a firm foundation to tie Newport Harbor, Corona del Mar and Santa Barbara for the most section titles in girls water polo history.

    The Breakers started the season 0-6, including a 12-8 loss to San Clemente, as they retooled against top competition while not being full strength.

    Teets and the players pushed on despite the pressure of playing for a program that produced Olympic gold medalists Aria and Makenzie Fischer and Annika Dries.

    On Saturday, the Breakers won their third sudden-death overtime game in the past month.

    “I’m so proud of this group,” Teets said. “They’ve come such a long way.”

    Jones capped Laguna Beach’s third possession of sudden-death overtime by scoring the winner with 1:09 left.

    The game-winning sequence started with the UCLA-bound Jones taking the ball ball after an offensive foul by San Clemente at center.

    Jones tossed a long pass from the back-court to the USC-bound Carver, who was so wide open on the counterattack that she was backstroking.

    “Such a fitting ending,” said Jones, who finished with four goals. “I’ve been on the same team as Kara since we were eight, nine years old. Just countless hours in the pool. I saw her on that counterattack and I knew that she was going to make something happen.”

    “I’m so proud of the way we battled not just this game, but all year,” Jones added. “We overcame a lot of adversity.”

    Carver tallied a game-high five goals and stopped two power-play chances with a field block and a steal.

    San Clemente went 3 for 7 on the power play while Laguna Beach finished 3 for 5.

    The UC Santa Barbara-bound Jumani tallied eight saves as she dueled San Clemente’s Sophia Reardon and Tera Lindberg.

    Laguna Beach also received one goal from Brooke Schneider.

    San Clemente (22-9) pushed hard to force overtime and sudden death.

    Sophomore Hazel Thrash tied the score 8-8 with a power-play goal with 53 seconds left in regulation.

    After Jones scored on a perimeter strike early in the first three-minute overtime, senior Talyn Pelkey scored from center with 57 seconds left in the second three-minute extra period to knot the score 9-9.

    Pelkey, Trash, Phoebe DeMoss and Macey Punak each finished with two goals for San Clemente.

     Orange County Register 

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