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 succeeded in scoring a point, pushing them ahead of BHS at 8-7. At that point, BHS advanced, playing more aggressively in an attempt to gain an advantage on AHS. But the Apaches were determined, and the field players aided the goalie Ji in protecting the goal by blocking any attempts to shoot the ball into the goal.

At around 7:30 p.m. in the third quarter, BHS was awarded three free throws, all of which were blocked by AHS goalie Ji in an amazing play of defense and athleticism. BHS scrambled to score more points before the end of the third quarter, scoring once while AHS scored twice and ended the third quarter at 11-9.

During the fourth and final quarter, goalie Ji blocked a shot, which rebounded back to a BHS player who shot again. Incredibly, fueled by adrenaline and lightning-fast reflexes, Ji blocked the ball for a second time, sending it out of the BHS players’ reach. With 37 seconds left on the clock, the teams met for a timeout to discuss their final strategy. Arcadia played the last stretch of the game by keeping the ball away from the BHS players, dribbling and passing the ball back and forth to each other to prevent Burroughs from scoring. At 7:45 p.m., AHS won the Pacific League Finals with a final score of 11-9.

“This is a season where we grew immensely,” said Coach Janice Clark, head coach of the Girls Varsity Water Polo team. “At the beginning of the season, we had seven returning players to varsity and the rest of the players were brand new. Most of [the new] players had only played for one year, and the growth over this season has probably been one of the best parts about this team…[the win-loss record] for this season is 19-9 overall, and in league, [the win-loss record] is 8-1.” 

Congratulations to the Girls Varsity Water Polo team for a well-played match and a wonderful end to their 2022-2023 season! The thrilling match with Burroughs was an exciting conclusion to the season, and their determination and perseverance that led them to win the finals displayed the talent and hard work that the girls put in. With a well-coordinated and synergistic team, the crowds will definitely be looking forward to watching them play again next year!