Buhach Colony girls water polo defeats Garces to advance to NorCal championship game
The Buhach Colony High School girls water polo team will play for the Northern California Division III championship.
The Thunder advanced to the championship game with an 8-5 win over Garces of Bakersfield in the semifinals on Friday morning at the University of the Pacific.
The third-seeded Thunder (28-5) outscored No. 2 Garces 5 to 2 in the second half to break open a 3-3 tie at the half.
“We were getting our shots off but we needed to tighen up on the defensive side of the ball,” BC coach A.J. Abril said. “After the first quarter we said let’s play 7 minutes at a time and win the next three quarters. We had the right matchups in place and Abi Perez made some incredible blocks in the cage.”
Eliza Marquez led the BC offensive attack with three goals. Kylley Abril and Macie Drum added two goals each. Abril added two assists and five steals and Drum came away with seven steals.
Perez topped ll shots in the cage to anchor the Thunder defense.
Buhach Colony will face No. 4 Stevenson, which upset top-seeded Archbiship Mitty 13-9 in the other semifinal on Friday. Saturday’s championship game is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the University of the Pacific.
“There was a ton of support in the stands for our game,” A.J. Abril said. “Everyone at home and at school was all about Thunder aquatics today. They felt the energy. The team has embraced the moments. Through teamwork and hard work they have created memories that will last a lifteime.”
This story was originally published November 17, 2023 at 4:50 PM.
