USC-bound Lucas leads the charge for Sailors

athleteofweek-kallylucasNewport Harbor senior shooting for a CIF championship before heading off to compete for Women of Troy.Kally Lucas, who has already signed to play water polo at USC next year, has had a lot of stellar games in her young career.

She distinguished herself last season as a junior on a Newport Harbor girls’ water polo squad that won the Sea View League and reached the CIF Southern Section Division I championship gameLucas led the Sailors in steals with 74 and assists with 62, and was third on the team in goals (52).

This year, Lucas picked up where she left off. The senior driver has tallied 30 goals, 20 assists and 19 steals in Newport Harbor’s first 12 games.

Last week, Lucas strung together three huge games for the Sailors. She started the week by netting five goals in Newport Harbor’s 10-7 victory over Montebello (ranked No 4 in Division I).

“Our whole team was ready to play because we knew they are a great team,” Lucas said. “We went in focused.”

Lucas was just getting started. She followed that up by tallying two goals and four assists in the Sailors’ 10-8 win over San Diego powerhouse Coronado and added four goals and two steals in the team’s 13-4 victory over El Toro (No. 6 in Division I).

“Mainly I’ve been scoring from outside -- on the drive or on counterattacks,” Lucas said. “Or from the one-spot on 6-on-5s, just a little wide of the cage.”

Lucas scored the goal that sent the game into overtime in Newport Harbor’s heartbreaking 7-6 loss to Corona del Mar on Dec. 21, and scored on a penalty shot to help the Sailors get revenge on the Sea Kings in the championship game of the Holiday Cup Tournament a week later.

Wherever she is in the pool, she feels like she can score -- and that’s what she does.

“I like to shoot,” she admitted.

Lucas said she has benefited greatly from having legendary coach Bill Barnett at the helm. Barnett has helped mold her into an NCAA Division I-caliber player.

“It’s great playing for him,” Lucas said. “He knows what he’s talking about and he’s a nice guy on and off the pool deck.”

In the pool, Barnett has taught Lucas how to get the angle she wants when she shoots. But his lessons are not confined to the pool.

“He taught me about time management and how important it is to have something you’re passionate about, like water polo is to me, but at the same time balance your time wisely,” Lucas said.

Lucas chose USC over other distinguished schools like Princeton and Loyola Marymount and will join four other Southern California standouts -- Peninsula High’s Tekla Beckmann, Carlsbad High’s Forel Davies, Huntington Beach High’s Shannon Hybl and Rosary High’s Rebecca McCall -- at the land of Troy for a Trojans team that went 25-5 last year and were third at the NCAA Championships.

Lucas will play for highly regarded Coach Jovan Vavic, who called her an “explosive driver.”

Lucas was an All-CIF Southern Section Division I second-team selection last year for the Sailors. With Lucas leading the way along with fellow returning starters Leah Robertson and Elizabeth Layton and newcomers like Calli Manderino, the sky is the limit for this year’s Newport Harbor squad.

“We want to work together, have a great work ethic and make it to the CIF finals,” Lucas said.

The Kally Lucas File

Hometown: Newport Beach

Height: 5-foot-8

Weight: 130

Sport: Water polo

Position: Driver

Coach: Bill Barnett

Favorite food: Penne pasta with marinara sauce

Favorite movie: “40-Year-Old-Virgin.”

Favorite athletic moment: “Our Sea View League game against Foothill last year. I scored five goals. It was one of my better games.”

Week in review: Lucas started the week by netting five goals in Newport Harbor’s 10-7 win over Montebello (ranked No 4 in Division I). She followed that up by tallying two goals and four assists in the Sailors’ 10-8 win over Coronado and four goals in a 13-4 victory over El Toro (No. 6 in Division I). 20060114B91MU8T1No Caption20060114it1tvjncDON LEACH / DAILY PILOT(LA)