Item one on the checklist for the Wilson girls’ water polo team this year was to win back the Moore League championship. The Bruins won every league championship fro 2007 to 2017 but lost it last year to league rival Poly, and Wilson has been hungry to reclaim a title they see as theirs. They already beat Poly and on Wednesday took another big step towards this year’s league championship with a 17-5 win over Millikan.
“It was our first game back after two weeks off, I thought we played well,” said Wilson coach Barry O’Dea.
The game was back and forth early as Millikan kept it close at 3-2, but Wilson pulled away with a 9-1 run over the next two quarters to take control. Wilson’s strategy was to dump the ball inside to UCLA commit Brooke Gruneisen, who had a hat trick in the first quarter and four goals in the first half. Millikan collapsed their defense around the two-meter spot in the second quarter and held Wilson to just one goal, but the Bruins’ shooters dialed in from distance in the second half. Carolina Newton poured in four goals to lead Wilson along with Gruneisen.
Sofia Bouzarif led Millikan with a pair of goals, as the Rams now look to a game with Poly that will likely decide second place.
Wilson heads to Santa Barbara on Thursday for a major tournament that includes most of the CIF-SS’ top Division 1/2 teams.
