Girls Varsity Water Polo League Finals

By MICHELLE HO

Staff Writer

Crowds roared with excitement as the first quarter of the Girls Varsity Water Polo League finals began on Feb. 2 at approximately 6:40 p.m. Darkness had already fallen, but the bright lights illuminated the pool for viewers to watch. The Arcadia High School (AHS) Varsity Girls Water Polo team played against Burroughs High School (BHS), in an exciting and intense match as both teams competed for victory. AHS won the League finals, ending with a close score of 11-9.

The opposing team started off strong, with BHS scoring 3 times within a couple of minutes. After back and forth play between the two teams, AHS was given a free throw, in which they scored their first point. After a few more scores from both teams, a timeout was called, pausing the game at 3-4.

From then on, the game was neck-to-neck. At one point, AHS made an amazing play, keeping the ball away from BHS players long enough to take a winding shot at the goal, but it was blocked by the goalie. The crowd buzzed with excitement, then disappointment as the shot was deflected. They supported the Apaches from the stands, and they chanted “Defense! Defense!” to encourage the AHS players. As the game continued, the score remained incredibly tied.

After the five minute break following the second quarter, the teams switched sides. At around 7:15 p.m., Burroughs stole the ball from Arcadia, missing their first shot at the goal but scoring on the second. After some play, AHS evened the score back out at 6-6.

At 6-7, BHS was awarded a free throw, and in an incredible defensive play, AHS goalie sophomore Elizabeth Ji blocked the shot; free throws are often difficult to block against, as no players are allowed to stand between the offensive player and the goal except for the goalie.

“I think I played pretty good overall; something that stood out to me today was that we won!” Ji said excitedly after the match.

The impressive defensive tactics were crucial to the girls’ gameplay that day, preventing the opposing team from scoring several shots and keeping the ball away from BHS.

AHS was awarded a penalty shot and suc-