Tough day for CdM

WHITTIER — Members of the Corona del Mar High girls’ water polo team were dropping like flies Friday.

Unfortunately for CdM, the shots weren’t.

Slow starts plagued the Sea Kings in both their girls’ under 18-division losses at the USA Water Polo National Junior Olympics at Whittier High. Corona del Mar fell to the Los Angeles Water Polo Club, 9-4, before losing to the Florida Riptides, 12-5.

CdM finishes behind both teams in the three-team platinum division pool. The Sea Kings, seeded No. 25, should now finish somewhere from 17th to 24th in the tournament. They’ll play again at 8 a.m. today, back at Whittier High.

“Our reaction time on defense was too slow,” said Coach Christina Hewko after her team fell behind 5-0 after a quarter to No. 6-seeded LAWPC, and 5-2 after a quarter against the No. 14 Riptides.

“I mean, I don’t want to make excuses,” Hewko said. “But we’ve been going hard the whole summer, too. I think it’s just catching up to them; they’re a little worn out.”

Both games weren’t competitive in the second half, although CdM was also short-handed. Incoming junior Diana Murphy suffered a rotator cuff injury last weekend, and senior-to-be Maddie Schwartz hyperextended her elbow Thursday. Genevieve Weed, who will be a sophomore, had a different issue and couldn’t suit up for the afternoon game.

“The chlorine’s terrible here and her eyes are really sensitive,” Hewko said. “She couldn’t see.”

Weed, Pippa Saunders, Ally McCormick and Cassidy Papa each scored once in the early game against LAWPC. Papa and Saunders each had three steals to lead the defensive effort, along with goalie Alex Musselman and her nine saves.

LAWPC got three penalty shots in the first quarter alone, but Musselman blocked two of them.

Papa led the scoring in the later game with three goals. Devon Greenlee and McCormick also scored a goal each.

“If we would have shut them down in the first quarter, we would have been about tied the rest of the game,” Papa said. “It’s just frustrating. Everyone on our team is getting hurt, injured or sick. We’re just dwindling, but I believe our team can do better [today]. Hopefully we can come out stronger.”

Former Coach Aaron Chaney, who resigned in April after nine seasons to move back to Hawaii, will be coaching CdM today at the Junior Olympics. Coach Sam Bailey is out of town and Hewko will be at a wedding.

Chaney is going to the wedding, too, but he’ll be getting there later. The Sea Kings just hope they can start scoring earlier.

“[Having Chaney today] will definitely add some spark and everything,” Papa said. “We love Chaney.”