GWPolo: Bonita wins, St. Lucy's ends

Girls Water Polo
Semifinals
Division VI
Bonita 11, Elsinore 3
Game Highlights: Andy Rosenberg has coached the Bonita High School boys water polo team in a CIF-Southern Section championship game, and now he will get the chance to lead the Bearcats girls team in one, too. Amber Pezzolla scored six goals and sister Megan Pezzolla had six saves as the Bearcats advanced to the Division VI championship game with an 11-3 victory over Elsinore at Lakeside High. Bonita, which also got three goals from Meghan Turner, improved to 25-5 and will face either Malibu or Chadwick for the divisional title at 10:40 a.m. on Saturday at Woollett Aquatic Center in Irvine. Elsinore, getting two goals from Holly Thoman, finished 24-6.
"We did a good job on defense," said Rosenberg, in his first season coaching the girls team after last guiding the boys team, a CIF-SS title game in 2000, "and that's always going to be the key at this point in the playoffs

Division III
Corona Santiago 9, St. Lucy's 8
Game Highlights: A thrill ride that went back and forth ended with Corona Santiago sneaking past second-ranked St. Lucy's 9-8 in the CIF-Southern Section Division III girls water polo semifinals on Wednesday at Mt. SAC, ending the Regents' hope of playing for their first title in school history. It was a sour ending for ninth-year coach David Miller, who is retiring after leading the Regents (29-3) to their first outright Sierra League title ever, and just their second semifinal since 2003. Sierra Smiley, who led the Sharks with four goals, came up with a huge assist when she whipped a pass in front to Ashley Dorrego, who converted the go-ahead goal to make it 9-8 with 3:05 left. The Regents, getting a team-high four goals from Emily Donohoe and two from Cambria Shockley, had several chances to even it down the stretch. Donohoe sent a shot over the net with 1:19 left, then Donohoe's steal and quick outlet to Hanna Lancaster on the break ended with a great point-blank save from Sharks goalkeeper Meghan Rowland with 52 seconds left.
In the final seconds it appeared the Regents might tie it after Bianca Adams' steal and quick pass in front to Shockley, but the horn sounded to end the game before Shockley could pull the trigger. "It shouldn't of come down to the last couple seconds I guess," explained Miller. "We had our chances, we had our opportunities, it just didn't happen."