Local girls come together to compete for Huntington Beach in USA Water Polo Junior Olympics

It was a breakthrough season for the Huntington Beach High girls’ water polo team this past winter, as the Oilers were more competitive than ever. They came very close to winning their first title in the ultra-competitive Sunset League.

Five seniors, all signed to play in college, helped lead the way. Kali Hyham (bound for Bucknell), Ally Long (Wagner), Lauren Smith (Marist), Bella Vucurevic (Marist) and Anna Borton (Siena) have left quite a legacy.

Before they go their separate ways, though, they team up for the USA Water Polo Junior Olympics. The Oilers graduates are all playing for the Huntington Beach Water Polo Club 18-and-under team in the tournament’s second session, which starts Thursday at pools throughout Orange County.

But they also have some help from some unlikely places, like a Sunset League rival.

Newport Harbor graduate Lissa Westerman, headed to Hartwick College, has joined the squad. So has Sailors incoming senior center Sarah Barker.

Mater Dei graduate Ann Inoue, a Huntington Beach resident bound for Hawaii, also is on the roster. So is Mater Dei incoming senior goalie Marley Presiado, a Newport Beach resident.

Add in Huntington Beach incoming senior goalie Marina Hyham and Oilers incoming senior Maddie Bockman, and that’s 11 locals on the 15-player roster.

Huntington Beach “Orange,” coached by Tom Hyham, is looking to impress and is seeded 10th in the 18-and-under division.

“I think we’re going to do really well,” Kali Hyham said. “[Junior Olympic qualifications] we had a good showing, and we were missing some people. And we hadn’t been playing with each other for that long. We’ve gotten a lot more practices in, so I think we’re going to be even better.”

Playing with girls from Newport Harbor might have been strange for the Huntington Beach girls at first, but it made sense. Newport doesn’t have an 18-and-under girls’ team this year. Many of Barker’s returning high school teammates are playing for SOCAL, but she has found a home on Huntington Beach.

“I think it’s kind of nice,” Westerman said. “We already know how we play, so it works better. We know how Huntington plays, and they know how we play. It kind of meshes well.”

Similarly, Regency (Mater Dei’s club team) is not fielding an 18-and-under girls’ squad. Presiado said she’s having fun competing with Huntington Beach, as one of two standout goalies on the roster, along with Marina Hyham.

“It’s a lot different not being able to play JOs with my high school team,” Presiado said. “It’s just something I’ve been used to, the past three years … [but] it’s worked out really well. We all get along really well.”

As far as the Huntington Beach High graduates, there is a bit of inevitability in the air. They want to go out strong before they leave Surf City.

“We’ve all played with each other since 13 or younger, and now we’re going to be playing against each other in college,” Kali Hyham said. “We always see each other every day, but that’s ending [this] week.”

Yes, there will still be college water polo. Marist, Wagner and Siena are all in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, so the Oilers grads haven’t seen the last of each other.

First, though, a strong showing at the Junior Olympics is on the agenda.

Even if it comes playing with girls from Newport Harbor. The teams had a memorable game in Sunset League play in January, with the Sailors earning a 10-8 overtime victory.

Now, the rivals are teammates and united with a common goal.

“We’re definitely lucky to get them this year,” Long said. “It’s definitely a great addition to the team.”

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The USA Water Polo Junior Olympics Session Two runs from Thursday through Sunday, with competition in the 10-and-under coed, 12-and-under girls, 14-and-under girls, 16-and-under girls and 18-and-under girls age groups. Platinum bracket title games are scheduled for Sunday at Irvine’s Woollett Aquatics Center.

matthew.szabo@latimes.com

Twitter: @mjszabo