Briefly In Sports

Dries on Holiday Cup roster

Laguna Beach High alumna Annika Dries is playing for Team USA this weekend as part of the annual Holiday Cup women’s water polo tournament, at Corona del Mar High.

Dries, a freshman at Stanford who helped lead the Breakers to the CIF Southern Section Division II title last year, is on the roster for the United States in the tournament, which started Wednesday and continues through Sunday.

Team USA tied 2008 Olympic gold medalist The Netherlands, 6-6, in its opening game Wednesday. The American women played Italy Thursday and play at 8 p.m. tonight against Russia, at 5 p.m. Saturday against Australia and at 3:30 p.m. Sunday against Canada.

The United States has won the tournament six times in its nine-year history.

Jaffe a finalist for Teen Scholar award

Laguna Beach High senior Alec Jaffe was among nine boys from around Orange County honored Sunday at the Orange County Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Dinner of Champions.

Jaffe was a finalist for the prestigious Teen Scholar award, won by Newport Harbor baseball player Ryan Albert.

Jaffe, who finished second in Breakers football rushing annals with his 1,412 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns this year, holds the single-game rushing record of 361 yards. He is also on the principal’s honor roll and superintendent’s honor roll, and was part of the 2007-08 CIF State Academic Champion football team (highest cumulative grade-point average in state).

Jaffe was also the founder of “Help for Hope,” a charity concert for the City of Hope.

Laguna Beach resident Madison Gordon-Lavaee, a senior for Sage Hill volleyball, was a girls’ nominee for Teen Scholar at the event.

Laguna at Ocean View tournament

The Laguna Beach girls’ soccer team tied University, 3-3, Tuesday at the Ocean View Tournament.

The Breakers previously fell to Valencia, 1-0, at the tournament on Monday, despite Victoria Ellis’ eight saves.

Laguna played host Ocean View on Thursday and next has a home game against Pacifica on Tuesday. The Breakers (0-5-2) are still looking for their first win of the season.

Girls’ hoops falls to Sailors

Despite a team-high 11 points from junior Emily Writer, the Laguna girls’ hoops team fell to Newport Harbor, 49-28, in a home game Wednesday.

Senior guard Sandra Lopez added six points and freshman guard Lola Cowie had five for the Breakers, who lost to the Sailors for the second time this season.

The Breakers (1-3) play host to Capo Valley Christian at 6 p.m. tonight.

Lightning Lollipops nearly make semis

This past weekend, Dec. 5-6, the Lightning Lollipops of Laguna Beach, local girls’ Under-10 soccer champions of AYSO Region 86, competed at the regional Orange County Championships and just missed the cut into the Final Four.

After a crushing, 6-0 defeat to the Blue Lightning in the first of a three-game series, the girls went on to win the next two games, ending the championship with a record of 2-1. They placed third in their bracket and were just two goals shy of making the cut into the semifinal playoffs on Sunday.

“The girls displayed unrelenting spirit to come back and win two more games after the first crushing defeat,” Lightning Lollipops Coach Dominic Pitz said. “In all my years of coaching, I have never been more proud of a team.”

The Lollipops defeated strong champions from Ladera Ranch and Aliso Viejo.

The Lightning Lollipops are Dean Cassill, Aiden Greengard, Evie Laptin, Haylee Jarvis, Ava-Rose Lawler, Elisa Dobrow-Isaza, Mia Pitz, Natalie Bush, Sophia Costanzo, Lily Andrews, Grace Lawler, Ava Pacheco, head coach Dominic Pitz, assistant coach Ken Greengard and team mom Kerry Cassill.