While It’s Nice to Win, It’s Not a Section Title

Foothill broke Bell Gardens’ 85-game winning streak Saturday in the championship game of the Irvine Southern California Championships, but both teams refused to put major emphasis on the showdown.

“Winning this tournament isn’t the same as CIF,” said Brittany Hayes of Foothill, the defending Southern Section Division I champion. “I want another ring.”

Said Bell Gardens Coach Robert Greenamyer: “Our goal every year is to win CIF and that hasn’t changed. We got beat by a better team. Now we just have to start another streak.”

Greenamyer enjoyed the challenge his team received in the tournament and made no intimations that the Lancers, the top-ranked team in Division III, wouldn’t return next season.

“Hats off to Bell Gardens,” said Foothill co-coach Dan Klatt. “They started this whole thing. They were playing girls’ water polo before there was any girls’ water polo. They are the pioneers.”

TOURNAMENT AWARDS

Hayes was named the most outstanding field player of the Irvine tournament and Bell Gardens’ Alex Lopez was the most outstanding goalie. All-tournament selections were Cassie Azevedo (Long Beach Wilson), Katherine Belden (Newport Harbor), Patty Cardenas (Bell Gardens), Cara Chlebicki (Marina), Gabbie Domanic (Foothill), Erika Figge (Santa Margarita), Sarah Hamilton (Irvine), Kristina Kunkel (Santa Margarita), Sheetal Narsai (Bell Gardens), De De Perram (Agoura), Scotti Shafer (Carlsbad), Amber Stachowski (Capistrano Valley), Drue Wawrzynski (Los Alamitos).

El Toro’s Ke’ala Carter and Canyon’s Courtney Mathewson didn’t make the all-tournament team, but both helped their teams finish 4-1 in the tournament.

LOOKING AHEAD

Wednesday, Edison can clinch a share of the Sunset League title with a victory over Esperanza at 5:30 p.m. at the Joint Forces Training Base at Los Alamitos.

If you have an item or idea for the girls’ water polo report, you can fax us at (714) 966-5663 or e-mail us at: mike.itagaki@latimes.com

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GIRLS’ WATER POLO TOP 10

Orange County Coaches’ Poll

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Pos. School (League) Rec 1. Foothill (Century) 24-1 2. Santa Margarita (Serra) 15-8 3. Newport Harbor (Sea View) 19-7 4. Capistrano Valley (S. Coast) 18-6-1 5. El Toro (South Coast) 19-6 6. Marina (Sunset) 15-9-1 7. Irvine (Sea View) 12-12 8. Laguna Beach (P. Coast) 18-5 9. Corona del Mar (P. Coast) 14-11 10. Los Alamitos (Sunset) 18-8

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