"Joliette St. Hubert scored eight goals and Alejandra Barragan added six as top-seeded Birmingham dominated West Valley League rival Granada Hills 18-9 Wednesday night at Valley College to prove itself the City's premier team for a second straight year and the third time in four years. Birmingham led only 2-1 heading to the second quarter before the Patriots (22-8) broke it open with five unanswered goals and added another five in a row to begin the second half to take a commanding 15-4 lead into the fourth quarter."
""We knew what to expect playing them and between the first and second quarters coach told us to work on our transition," said Barragan, one of 14 underclassmen on the varsity roster. "Winning [City] as a freshman was a little nerve-racking but it's fun to do it again." Alexandra Bierman scored five goals for the second-seeded Highlanders (10-5), who were chasing their second straight section title after beating Cleveland in the Division I final last season."
"Having squared off against Palisades in the previous six finals (each team winning three), Birmingham faced another familiar opponent this time. The Patriots had won both league meetings with Granada Hills, but the second on January 30 was decided by one goal. "It hurts more to lose to a team in your league," Kezman said. "We didn't underestimate them. The last game was very close because we got in foul trouble and we weren't going to let that happen again.""
Birmingham repeated as City Section girls water polo champion with an 18-9 victory over Granada Hills, asserting City dominance for a second straight year and third time in four years. Joliette St. Hubert scored eight goals and Alejandra Barragan added six as Birmingham built separation with two five-goal runs and held a 15-4 lead entering the fourth quarter. Barragan credited offseason club play and midgame transition adjustments. Alexandra Bierman scored five for Granada Hills, which had recent Division I success. Coach Vincent Kezman noted league familiarity and emphasized avoiding earlier foul trouble.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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