San Marcos reached the final of the Bonita Girls Water Polo Tournament and ran out of gas, falling to St. Lucy’s 12-7 on Saturday.
“We had only one sub all weekend,” San Marcos coach Chuckie Roth said. “We didn’t sub for the past four games, the kids played every minute of every game. It caught up with us, honestly.”
The runner-up finish was the Royals’ highest finish at the 32-team tournament.
“We started slow. We were down 4-0 in the first period and 8-1 going into the second half,” Roth said. “We came out slow and didn’t play our game. It was our worst play in water polo in probably the most crucial time. But we rebounded in the second half.”
St. Lucy’s is the No. 1-ranked team in CIF Division 3.
Hannah Koper scored three goals and Rose Koper had two goals for the Royals (12-8).
The Koper sisters and Brittny Hummel were named to the all-tournament team.
San Marcos started the day by beating Martin Luther King of Riverside 9-6. Rose Koper and Hummel each scored three goals and Hannah Koper added a pair of goals.
In the semifinals, the Royals defeated host Bonita 8-5. Hannah Koper scored three goals and Rose Koper and Hummel added two goals apiece,
Halie Johnson scored a goal in all three games on Saturday.
“Halie played great all weekend,” Roth said. “She’s making us a better team.
“We played well,” Roth added. “We learned a lot about ourselves. I’d rather learn that now than in the CIF playoffs.”
The Royals return to Channel League play on Tuesday when they host Santa Barbara.
