Ferguson Helps South Rally to Defeat North, 8-6

All-star games are usually just fun-filled exhibitions, but nobody reminded South Coach Scott Hinman of Irvine.

Hinman adjusted his defense and turned Santa Margarita’s Katie Ferguson loose in the second half and the South came back to win, 8-6, in the first Orange County All-Star girls’ water polo game Saturday at Villa Park High.

Hinman even got the traditional pool dunking from his all-star squad, something usually reserved for section, league or tournament championships.

“Everyone had a great time,” said Canyon Coach Mike Giles, who coached the North with Valencia’s Dwight Osborne.

“Then Scott decided he wanted to win,” Giles said jokingly.

Ferguson, who had four goals, and Capistrano Valley’s Jessica Povey, who had two goals and four steals, led the South’s rally. Both players scored twice in the final four minutes of the third quarter to give the South the lead, 7-6, heading into the fourth quarter.

“Ferguson was unstoppable,” Giles said.

Newport Harbor’s Erin Murphy added an insurance goal with 4 minutes 52 seconds remaining, then the South’s defense and Mission Viejo goalie Jamie Mahkorn took over.

In the final 2 1/2 minutes, Mahkorn made two saves on shots from the hole by Los Alamitos’ Stacy Black and Valencia’s Brianna Foulds, who had three assists and three steals. Mahkorn finished with five saves.

Before Hinman adjusted his defense, the North took the upper hand early with Villa Park’s Morgan Meyer scoring three of her four goals in the first quarter, all from the two-meter area.

North goalie Duffie Finnegan of El Modena scored on a three-quarter pool lob at the second-quarter buzzer to give the North the lead, 4-3.