Johnson scores five times in 20-5 rout of L.A. Valley

On the fifth day of the month, Halie Johnson scored five goals and SBCC tallied a season-high 20 in a 20-5 women's water polo win over L.A. Valley on Wednesday at San Marcos High.

The unbeaten Vaqueros improved to 15-0 overall and 4-0 in the WSC. The Monarchs fell to 9-3 and 3-1.

Santa Barbara led 5-0 after the first quarter and 9-1 at the half with five of the goals coming on lob shots over the goalie's head.

Ivanna Bilaver and Kendra Carr both had four goals and three steals. Gabrielle Ritter added three goals, two steals and three blocked shots. Addison Seale had four steals, boosting her state-leading total to 47.

"We worked together really well, we were in sync," said Johnson, a former San Marcos High star who's fifth in the state with 53 goals. "We know each other and where we're going to be at certain moments. We have a good team and we play well on offense and defense."
 
"Halie finds ways to make good plays and Ivanna is very good," said coach Chuckie Roth. "Whether she's on center defender or at 2-meter on offense, she makes everybody's job a little easier. On defense, she neutralizes the other team's best player and on offense, she commands two defenders which leaves someone open and provides opportunities for us."

Mackenzie Richards had a season-high 10 saves in goal and also dished out four assists. It's the ninth time the defense has held an opponent to five goals or less.

"It was a team effort and we stayed in our zones," said Richards. "We knew which side to be on for shot-blocking. Our strength is our counter-attacks and our defense has gotten a lot better."

The Vaqueros poured in six more in the third period, stretching the lead to 15-3.

"We're focusing on the process and trying to get better every day," Roth added. "We haven't lost a game but we still have a lot to work on. We worked on our defense the last two days and I saw some improvement today."

The Vaqueros, the only unbeaten team among California Community Colleges, will play four games in the Ventura Tournament this weekend at the Ventura Aquatic Center. They'll take on American River (8:30 a.m.) and Fullerton (11:50 a.m.) on Friday.

L.A. Valley ……..….…  0   1   2   2 --  5
SBCC …………........….  5   4   6   5 – 20
 Goals – SB: Johnson 5, Bilaver 4, Carr 4, Ritter 3, Seale 1, Cosares 1, Gonzalez 1, Mroz 1. Goalie Saves – SB: Richards 10, Bruno 5.