Preparation breeds results for Sailors

Bryce Alderton

The Newport Harbor High girls water polo team spent hours this week

watching video footage of Montebello, its CIF Southern Section

Division I semifinal opponent Friday night at Irvine High.

The second-seeded and defending Division I champion Sailors, in

turn, translated knowledge into action, withstanding No. 4-seed

Montebello, 12-7, behind stellar goaltending from seniors Kendal

Nelson and Elizabeth Layton and an effective counterattack en route

to their fifth straight win.

The Sailors (27-3) will go for the repeat against Sea View League

rival Foothill, a 5-2 winner over top-seeded Santa Margarita, in the

final at 8:15 Tuesday night.

The Sailors, though, weren’t looking ahead to their fourth meeting

with the Knights this season -- Foothill holds a 2-1 edge -- and a

rematch of last year’s Division I title game.

“We prepared more for this game than any other,” said Nelson, who

made nine first-half saves while Layton added eight in her usual

final two quarters. “We were ready with everything on offense and

defense, six-on-fives ... we knew [the Oilers’] plays. We had so much

speed, it’s hard for anyone to counteract that.”

Montebello Coach Sergio Macias said Newport boasts the best

counterattack of any team his players faced this season. The Sailors

defeated the Oilers, 14-8, in December.

“We played a much better game [Friday] and put up a fight,” Macias

said. “But overall, Newport is better, stronger and counters well

with [senior Anne Belden]. [Nelson and Layton] played a great game.”

Belden, a returning first-team All-CIF honoree, scored two goals

and added three assists while senior Ashling Taylor and junior Leah

Robertson led the Tars with three goals apiece.

Robertson won three sprints and drew two exclusions, including one

19 seconds into the game at four meters. Belden gave the Sailors a

1-0 lead on the penalty shot, but Montebello (22-8) scored the next

two goals to take its only lead at 2-1 with 4 minutes, 28 seconds

left in the first quarter.

The first-half featured four ties before Newport took the lead for

good at 5-4 on Belden’s throw from the perimeter off an assist from

Taylor in set.

Senior Amanda Barto boosted the Sailors’ lead to 7-4 with two

goals to close the half, the final coming with five seconds left on

an assist from Laurel Laidlaw.

“We got great play from our substitutes from the bench like

[Barto] and [senior Bryndis Klein],” Newport Coach Bill Barnett said.

Junior Kally Lucas (two steals) collected her second exclusion

late in the first period while Belden also played much of the contest

with two ejections.

Sophomore Priscilla Orozco trimmed Newport’s lead to 7-5 with 3:50

in the third quarter and nearly cut the Sailors’ edge to 7-6 on a lob

that missed the cage’s inside corner by inches.

Senior Melissa Wheeler drew an exclusion and Klein took a pass

from Robertson and upped Newport’s lead to 8-5 with 1:02 in the third

quarter.

The Oilers came within three goals once more -- at 10-7 -- before

Taylor and Wheeler capped the scoring. Belden, Wheeler, Robertson and

Laidlaw all tallied two assists.

CIF Division I

Semifinal

Newport Harbor 12,

Montebello 7

Score by Quarters

*--*

Newport 4 3 2 3 -- 12

Montebello 3 1 1 2 -- 7

*--*

Newport -- Taylor 3, Robertson 3, Belden 2, Barto 2, Wheeler 1,

Klein 1. Saves -- Nelson 8, Layton 10.

Montebello -- Diaz 3, Carrillo 3, P. Orozco 1. Saves -- Connell 7.