Paloma scores early, often in water polo playoff victory

By Paige Mendez, Correspondent

The Paloma Valley girls water polo team scored a 14-3 victory over Montclair High Tuesday afternoon in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 5 playoffs.

The Wildcats scored early and often in earning a second-round appearance Thursday at home against Ramona at 4 p.m. With Liberty’s loss on Tuesday in another CIF opener, Paloma Valley is the only local team remaining in the water polo playoffs.

The Wildcats were quick to get on the board with a goal just 15 seconds in by sophomore Chloe Bustos. By the half, Elsie Sisson, Hannah Welch and Alyssa Dixon had each found the back of the net for the Wildcats -- Dixon finding it twice – to make the score at halftime 5-0.

Giana Bailey, who started as goalkeeper for the Wildcats, held Montclair to zero goals for the next two minutes as well, until the Cavaliers scored their first goal of the game. By that point, Dixon had found the net for the third time and kept the Paloma lead cushioned.

Bustos scored her second goal by the end of the third and Kaylee Gutierrez got on the board as well, leaving the score 8-1 going into the final period.

The Wildcats then unleashed it on the Cavaliers and scored four goals in less than three minutes. Bustos, Sisson and Gutierrez accounted for one of those goals apiece, while Emma Leon joined the scorers as well.

At this point, Paloma was up 12-1, but Montclair scored two more goals before the two-minute mark. However, sophomore Sofia Jackson made up for that quickly with two goals scored in less than 50 seconds, securing a big 14-3 victory to move on to round two of the playoffs.

Leon said her team’s ability to share the glory is what sets them apart from others and the reason they have been so successful.

“We’re just different; it’s hard to explain,” Leon said. “We truly all love being together and we communicate what needs to be communicated.”

Having seven different athletes score, ranging from sophomores to seniors, head coach Joe Ellett, said he was proud that so many of his athletes got time to play in a CIF-level competition.

“That was my hope from the start, to get all the players in to play in this game,” Ellett said. “We were able to get a lot of younger kids in there at the end and they got a little taste of CIF spirit, so that was cool.”

As the team moves forward in the playoffs, Leon is soaking up the last weeks of her senior season, and hopes she can leave her team with something meaningful.

“I just hope they remember that it’s just a game,” she said. “At the end of the day if we get to learn to work well together then it’ll be worthwhile and fun and we’ll do well.”

Leon is one of eight seniors on the team this year looking to secure a title before their time in the Paloma pool ends.