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NEWPORT BEACH The Holiday Cup girls water polo tournament returned Friday with a heavy heart and an inspiring new name but Corona del Mar executed an old game plan that would have impressed the event’s namesake.
Even if Santa Margarita wasn’t full strength.
Third-ranked Corona del Mar pressed and countered — the winning principals of late Newport Harbor coach Bill Barnett — and outscored the visiting No. 5 Eagles by eight goals in the second half en route to a 14-5 victory in the quarterfinals of the Bill Barnett Holiday Cup.
The strong, early-season tournament has renamed itself in honor of Barnett, who died Monday at age 76 from acute leukemia. The two-time Olympic men’s coach and silver medalist spent almost 50 years at Newport Harbor, leading the Sailors to 15 CIF-SS Division 1 titles between the boys (10) and girls (five).
“He was such an amazing part of our community,” Corona del Mar girls coach Justin Papa said.
Jim Sprague, Barnett’s chief rival at Sunny Hills in the 1970s and 1980s, said this week that his friendly foe made the counterattack – water polo’s version of the fastbreak – a popular tactic.
Corona del Mar (6-1) did its best to keep the strategy in vogue as it advanced to Saturday’s 11:45 a.m. semifinal against Foothill at Newport Harbor.
The Sea Kings netted four counterattack goals in the second half as they outscored Santa Margarita (7-1) – minus standout Honnie Vandeweghe (illness) – 9-1. They finished with six counterattack goals overall thanks to their defense, which received nine saves by goalie Maya Avital.
Stanford signee Sophie Wallace scored two of her game-high four goals off counterattacks while Grace Myers netted another en route to three goals. Myers, a sophomore, also had two assists in Corona del Mar’s 6-0 third period.
Wallace also finished two assists and two steals.
“The counter looked great tonight,” Papa said. “We pride ourselves on being a second-half team … I was most proud of our defense.”
Junior Megan Peterson punctuated the third period by scoring off a counterattack sparked by a save from Avital, a first-year starting junior.
Earlier in the period, a steal at center by junior Kira Hoffman led to another counterattack. Senior Carter Britt also was an active defender for the Sea Kings.
And for a Corona del Mar team prepping for the challenging Surf League, the performance ensured more top competition Saturday. Foothill edged Corona del Mar 7-6 earlier this month.
“The opportunity to play high-level games is the best way to get better,” Papa said. “It’s always a fun game against Foothill.”
Freshman Ella Schneider scored twice and Harvard-bound goalie Alexis Kieckhafer added six saves for Santa Margarita, prepping for the difficult Trinity League. Eagles coach Brian Weathersby was pleased with his team’s play in the first half, which ended with Corona del Mar leading 5-4.
In another quarterfinal:
No. 1 Laguna Beach 10, No. 9 Newport Harbor 4: Underclassmen Tea Poljak, Rachael Carver and Molly Renner each scored twice to lead the defending champion Breakers (9-0), who play Orange Lutheran in the 10:40 a.m. semifinal at Newport Harbor. The Lancers handled rival Mater Dei 13-3 in another quarterfinal.
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