La Cañada girls’ water polo earns CIF home opener
Only one area girls’ water polo team was granted a home playoff game to open the postseason and that was Rio Hondo League champion La Cañada High.
The Spartans were one of two city teams along with Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy to earn postseason berths when the CIF Southern Section girls’ water polo playoff pairings were released Saturday morning.
Originally, La Cañada was scheduled to play Wednesday, but that was changed by the CIF. Now the No. 5-ranked Spartans, who advanced to the Division V semifinals last season, will host Dana Hills on Thursday at Pasadena City College at 5 p.m. in the first round of the Division II playoffs.
The Spartans enter the postseason with a 20-7 record and an unblemished 8-0 mark in league.
Unranked Dana Hills finished 16-13 and 4-4 within the South Coast League to place third behind champion San Clemente (17-12) and El Toro (15-10), both of which are taking part in the Division I playoffs.
“The only expectation we put on ourselves going into the postseason is to continue to strive to be the best version of us,” La Cañada first-year Coach Nicole Davidson said. “We have already exceeded every expectation in the way we have handled the incredible jump from Division V to Division II and the season we have had.”
Though La Cañada did not face Dana Hills, the Spartans finished 1-1 versus El Toro, having seen them in the Villa Park Tournament and Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions, while La Cañada topped San Clemente, 11-10, at Santa Barbara.
Since Jan. 17, the Spartans have been on an incredible 12-2 run with their losses coming versus No. 4 seed Schurr (10-8 score) and No. 3 seed Martin Luther King (5-2).
Should La Cañada win, it would face Almont League champion Schurr (26-2), the No. 4 seed, or Palomares League champion Bonita (23-6) in Saturday’s quarterfinals.
“Now we’re just trying to earn the chance to extend our season and enjoy more time together,” Davidson said.
Flintridge Sacred Heart will get going first, as the Tologs earned a Division V wild-card berth and will travel to face Valle Vista League representative San Dimas on Tuesday at 5 p.m.
“I really like the match-up,” Flintridge Sacred Heart Coach Carlos Ponce said. “We know that San Dimas is a very good opponent and had a No. 2 seeding in its league, but our team has been playing very well of late and I look forward to the game.”
Flintridge Sacred Heart tallied a 14-14 record and finished fourth in the Mission League with a 4-5 mark. The Tologs are making their third straight postseason trip.
San Dimas posted a 15-14 record and tied for second in league with Hacienda Heights Wilson at 5-3. Though the squad is certainly formidable, there’s at least one obvious advantage to playing the Saints, as the Tologs will not be forced into a six-hour-plus round trip.
In the 2014-15 playoffs, Flintridge Sacred Heart opened the postseason at top-ranked Arroyo Grande, while the Tologs traveled and lost at Santa Maria Righetti last season.
“It’s going to be a 30-minute ride and not 3 1/2 or four hours one way,” Ponce said. “We’ll have a nice charter bus and taking a much shorter trip.”
In the quest for a first-ever postseason victory, Flintridge Sacred Heart enters the playoffs with some momentum. The Tologs finished off a 2-1 run in the Mission League tournament that concluded with a 7-3 victory over Sherman Oaks Notre Dame on Thursday.
“It’s huge to be playing well,” Ponce said. “I feel like things are clicking. Our offense is working and our defense is working.”
A victory Tuesday for Flintridge Sacred Heart would require a quick turnaround, as the Tologs would travel to face fourth-seeded Orange League champion Santa Ana Valley (22-7) on Wednesday at 5 p.m.
Flintridge Prep missed the postseason after posting a 4-10 record and 3-9 mark in the Prep League.
