Wilson edged in D1 title game in sudden-death OT
IRVINE ❯❯ Santa Margarita senior Kamryn Barone, from Pennsylvania, found herself in the spotlight of Southern California girls water polo Saturday night.
She had the ball for a penalty shot to win the CIFSS Division 1 championship in sudden-death overtime against the No. 1 seed with a storied history, in front of a crowd in a frenzy from the action.
It was everything Barone dreamed it would be.
The attacker capped a stellar match by scoring the penalty shot — drawn by Natasha Kieckhafer — to lift the No. 2-seeded Eagles to a 15-14 victory over Long Beach Wilson in a dramatic final at Woollett Aquatics Center.
“All my dreams came true,” said Barone, who had been playing club water polo in Orange County the past few summers before enrolling at Santa Margarita for this school year. “It's crazy. It's everyone's dream to get that final goal in overtime, and to finally do it, is amazing.
“And to end it with jumping in with your teammates, it's awesome,” she added.
The Stanford-bound Barone finished with eight goals but had plenty of help. The UCLA-committed Kieckhafer drew the penalty shot with a strong turn move on the counterattack.
Santa Margarita goalie Sophia Bunnell made a key save early in sudden-death overtime, blocking a shot at center by hard-shooting Jermonie Billingsly.
And there was the passing of left-hanader Bianca Temesvary to Barone in crunch time.
Barone scored twice in the final three minutes of the fourth period to tie the score 12-12 and force overtime. She scored on a counterattack with 2:51 left off an assist by Temesvary and again with 34 seconds remaining off a drive and assist by the junior.
Long Beach Wilson (229), which had defeated the Eagles (18-11) twice earlier in the season, opened a 1412 lead with 2:34 left in the second three-minute overtime but Santa Margarita came back again.
Hannah McClaskey, a transfer from San Juan Hills, scored from center with 1:19 left and Barone scored on a power play with 18 seconds left off an assist by Temesvary to force sudden-death overtime. Barone also drew the exclusion on the play.
“That shows how much heart and determination the girls have,” Santa Margarita coach Brian Weathersby said of his team's rally.
Weathersby improved to 4-0 in section finals leading the Eagles, who won their first title since 2019.
Katherine and Maya O'Dea, daughters of Long Beach Wilson coach Barry O'Dea, scored on perimeter shots to give the Bruins a 14-12 lead.