Girls water polo: CdM breezes into final

Barry Faulkner

IRVINE - First-year Corona del Mar High girls water polo coach

Aaron Chaney will assure you it’s not as easy as his players make it

look.

But what the top-seeded Sea Kings did to No. 4-seeded Tustin in a CIF

Southern Section Division IV semifinal Wednesday at Heritage Park,

appeared something less than difficult.

The Sea Kings scored the first six goals and led, 12-3, after three

periods, en route to a 14-6 triumph that propelled them into their second

section final in three years.

The three-time defending Pacific Coast League champions (23-7) will

attempt to claim the program’s first CIF crown Saturday against unseeded

Empire League champion El Dorado at 3:30 p.m. at Belmont Plaza.

El Dorado (16-13) defeated No. 2-seeded University, 5-4, in the other

semifinal Wednesday.

Chaney’s squad has not outscored its three postseason foes, 46-14, and

the Golden West League champion Tillers (24-7) are among CdM’s growing

legion of admirers.

“They’re the No. 1 seed and they played like it today,” Tustin Coach

Dean Crow said.

As usual, Chaney emphasized the totality of his team’s effort, rather

than single out standouts.

“I thought everybody played well,” said Chaney, who expressed

satisfaction with his team’s defense, passing, shooting and goalkeeping.

“I thought Jessica Wells played well,” Chaney said of the senior

goalie, who had one point-blank stoppage among her six saves.

CdM junior Christina Hewko, however, dominated the stat sheet for the

winners, amassing seven goals, three assists and three steals, all of

which at least equaled team highs.

However, even Hewko, one of three All-CIF returners from last year’s

Division IV semifinalist, diverted credit to her teammates.

“We’ve come together so well as a team and were really close this

year,” Hewko said when asked about CdM’s biggest strength.

Unselfishness was apparent against Tustin, as six different players

accounted for the team’s 11 assists.

Junior Danielle Carlson, another All-CIF veteran, had three goals,

three assists and three steals for the Sea Kings, while junior Brittany

Bowlus chipped in three goals and made one steal.

Junior Daniela DiGiacomo rounded out the CdM scorers, added an assist,

and was among nine teammates to procure at least one steal.

CdM’s defense prevented Tustin from achieving any offensive flow the

first three quarters. Struggling to even get shots off from inside 15

meters, Tustin managed just one solid shot on goal the first six minutes.

Wells, however, thwarted the skip shot in the closing minute of the

first period and stretched to get her left hand in front of a Tustin shot

to extend the shutout until 1:01 remained in the half.

That’s when Tustin’s Kristen Anderson converted a six-on-five, one of

two power-play tallies for the designated visitors in the first half.

Hewko converted the second of her two penalty shots to increase an 8-2

halftime lead 22 seconds into the third quarter. Hewko later scored three

straight CdM goals within just less than two minutes, prompting Chaney to

empty his bench early in the fourth quarter.

CIF DIVISION IV

Semifinal

Corona del Mar 14, Tustin 6

Score by Quarters

Tustin 0 2 1 3 - 6

Corona del Mar 4 4 4 2 - 14

Tustin - McKee 3, Anderson 2, Bajorek 1. Saves - Gomez 2.

Corona del Mar - Hewko 7, Bowlus 3, Carlson 3, DiGiacomo 1. Saves -

Wells 6, Hill 3.