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The CIF-SS released its playoff brackets for girls’ water polo on Saturday morning, and the three Long Beach teams found out their postseason draw for 2024.
After a prosperous 2023 playoffs that saw Wilson and Millikan reach CIF title games, plus Poly and Lakewood reach the semifinals, things look a lot tougher this year.
OPEN DIVISION
The Moore League champion Wilson Bruins are in the Open Division, where they face the toughest draw of any playoff team this year. They’ll open the postseason on the road against the top seed (and defending champions) from Orange Lutheran on Thursday.
The Lancers are Trinity League champions and have a perfect 23-0 record on the season. OLu actually played Wilson back on Jan. 12, winning by a margin of 18-6.
Wilson head coach Barry O’Dea was unsure of where his team would fall for the postseason, but knew that the Bruins were firmly in consideration for the top division.
“I think we’re a top eight team,” O’Dea said following Wilson’s win on Senior Night. “We finished sixth in the country at JO’s last year. I do think that we have one of the better high school teams. We, like everybody else, have some weaknesses, and we’re going to address some of that going into the playoffs that we’re very aware of.”
Bruins senior Jermonie Billingsly said she feels good about how the team is playing as they prepare for a challenging test this postseason.
“We’re all playing really in rhythm with each other,” Billingsly said after their recent win over Poly. “We’re playing really well with each other in sync, and I think we’re ready to go for the playoffs. We’re all really excited to come out and show everyone what we’ve got.”
DIVISION 1
After a run to the D2 title game last season, the Millikan Rams are up in Division 1 and hitting the road in their playoff opener. The Rams are traveling to Montebello to take on Schurr in round one on Wednesday.
The Spartans are 21-7 and champions of the Almonte League. Oddly enough, Millikan played at Schurr on Thursday to close out the regular season, with the Spartans winning 11-7. The teams will play the rematch less than a week later, with a lot more on the line this time.
DIVISION 2
Finally, in D2 we find the No. 3 team out of the Moore League, Long Beach Poly. The Jackrabbits will need to win a wild card game to get them into the full bracket, meaning their first game will be on Monday.
Poly is also on the road, visiting Irvine High out of the Pacific Coast League. That game will also be a rematch from earlier in the season, when the Jackrabbits beat the Vaqueros by a score of 13-12 back on Dec. 19.
Should Poly win the rematch, they’ll travel to La Cañada to face the Rio Hondo League champs. The Jackrabbits played La Cañada on Jan. 20 and suffered a narrow 11-10 defeat.
