Long Beach Wilson girls water polo team edges Corona del Mar to win So Cal Championships crown for first time since 1998

Long Beach Wilson has endured seven losses this season, all coming against the top five girls water polo teams in Southern California, especially in the elite tournament fields.

But with none of those programs competing in the So Cal Championships, the Bruins took advantage of the opportunity and captured their first title at the event since 1998 with a 7-6 victory against host Corona del Mar.

Long Beach Wilson (19-7) produced the first three goals of the fourth quarter and held Corona del Mar (19-6) scoreless for a stretch of nearly seven minutes in the second half to rally for its sixth consecutive victory since a 14-8 loss Jan. 17 against top-ranked Mater Dei.

Iris Hiskey and Katherine O’Dea both scored twice for the Bruins, with CiCi DeLuca, Angeliki Arroyo and Reece Haga adding goals for Long Beach Wilson, which also defeated Santa Margarita, Dos Pueblos, Marlborough and JSerra to capture the championship.

Long Beach Wilson girls water polo team | Photo courtesy of Long Beach Wilson

The Bruins produced a 10-4 semifinal victory Saturday against JSerra, with Corona del Mar earning a 14-7 win against Alta Loma to reach the final.

It marked the second year in a row Corona del Mar lost in the tournament final, including a 16-7 setback last season against Orange Lutheran.

Josie Alaluf, who had a match-high three goals Saturday for Corona del Mar, produced back-to-back scores in the third quarter to give the Sea Queens a 5-4 advantage with 1:40 remaining against Long Beach Wilson.

Hiskey tied the score at 5-5 with 5:32 left in the fourth, with Haga placing the Bruins in front 90 seconds later. O’Dea produced what wound up being the deciding goal with 2:47 remaining to give Long Beach Wilson a 7-5 advantage.

Reagan Weir pulled Corona del Mar within 7-6 on her second goal with 1:44 left, but Teagan Shandrew-Pearsall – who recorded six saves – and the Long Beach Wilson defense managed to protect the lead the rest of the way to secure the program’s first victory against the Sea Queens since 2022.

Gabby MacAfee had 13 saves and Didi Evans also scored for Corona del Mar, which also endured a scoreless drought of more than 10 minutes during a stretch across the first three quarters.

Both teams conclude the regular-season schedule Tuesday, with Long Beach Wilson squaring off against Lakewood and Corona del Mar matching up against rival Newport Harbor in the annual Battle of the Bay.