Foothill Girls Win Tournament

Noel Umphrey scored on an outside shot from beyond seven meters with 42 seconds left to lift second-seeded Santa Ana Foothill to a 9-8 girls’ water polo victory over top-seeded and previously unbeaten Newport Harbor in the championship game of the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions on Saturday at Santa Barbara High.

Grace Reynolds and Kelsey Holshouser each had three goals to lead the Knights (12-2), who won the tournament for the fourth time in the event’s six-year history.

The Knights, ranked No. 2 in the Southern Section Division I coaches’ poll, also stopped a 20-game winning streak by top-ranked Newport Harbor (13-1) that dated back to the last time Foothill edged the Sailors, 7-6, in the championship semifinals of the Irvine/Southern California Championships on Feb. 7.

The teams were tied, 3-3, after the first quarter in their latest meeting, but Foothill took a 6-4 halftime lead on second-quarter goals by Emily Klug, Holshouser and Kmaile Mahuna’Alii.

Newport Harbor pulled within 8-7 by the end of the third quarter and tied the score at 8-8 in the fourth on a goal by Ashling Taylor while the Sailors had a man-advantage in a six-on-five situation. Kally Lucas assisted on the goal.

Lucas, Taylor and Anne Belden each scored twice, and Melissa Wheeler and Laurel Laidlaw added single goals for Newport Harbor.

Foothill’s Reynolds was named the tournament’s most valuable player.

Third-seeded Santa Barbara, the tournament’s defending champion, fell to Foothill, 5-4, in the semifinals, but Bridgette Bugay scored the decisive goal in a six-on-five situation with 2:15 to play as the Dons edged fourth-seeded Santa Margarita, 6-5, in the third-place game.

The Dons (12-4) also got two goals and four steals from Nicole Louie, and Sarah Frost added a goal and three assists.

Darby Anderson and Brooke Figge each had two goals and Kacey Anderson had three assists for the Eagles (11-4), who lost to Newport Harbor, 5-2, in the semifinals.

Lauren Peterson

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Girls’ Basketball

Rhaya Neabors scored 10 points and her twin sister, Rheya Neabors, added nine points to lead Fullerton Troy (14-2), ranked No. 3 by The Times, in a 51-26 nonleague victory at Brea Olinda.

Jeannette Pohllen led Brea Olinda (9-5) with 10 points. Jenni Lane added six points off the bench.