Dons girls water polo team edges Temple City in CIF quarterfinal thriller
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - There was no panic with Santa Barbara High School girls water polo, not with the best player in the pool on their side.
Super-sophomore Jules Horton scored back-to-back highlight-reel goals late in the third quarter to give the Dons an 11-10 lead and they never trailed again.
Santa Barbara edges Temple City 13-12 in a home CIF-Southern Section Division 2 quarterfinal game.
The Dons will host Murrieta Valley in a semifinal on Tuesday.
The visiting Rams jumped out to a 5-2 lead late in the first quarter but the Dons only trailed 6-5 at half after freshman Violette Bailey scored with just seconds remaining before the break.
Another talented Dons freshman Luna Morancey got rolling in the second half.
Her second goal of the third quarter tied the game at 9.
After the Rams went back in front 10-9 Horton displayed her skill.
She turned her defender and then turned another defender who came over to help and got off a point blank shot in front of the cage that she buried in the back of the net to tie the game at 10.
Moments later Horton turned her defender again and then unleashed a rocket that skipped past the keeper for an 11-10 lead.
Horton finished with 4 goals.
Luna Morancey also had 4 goals, scoring two more in the fourth quarter.
Her final goal put the Dons up 13-11 with 1:53 to play.
Temple City responded with an outside goal with 1:30 remaining.
The Rams had the ball in the closing seconds but they never got off a shot as Rose Nelley poked away an entry pass to the set and Morancey swam over and grabbed the ball.
The Dons celebrated the win that puts them into the final four of Division 2.
