The Los Alamitos High girls lacrosse team captured its fourth consecutive US Lacrosse Southern Section championship with a 19-9 win over Palos Verdes High on Saturday at Mission Viejo.
The Griffins had captured their fourth Orange County title on Wednesday with a 12-6 win over Corona del Mar. On Saturday, the Griffins jumped out to and early 4-1 lead over Palos Verdes and held off a few rally attempts by the Sea Kings. The Griffins took control in the second half with a 5-0 run that put the Griffins up 17-6.
The Los Alamitos High girls lacrosse team captured its fourth consecutive US Lacrosse Southern Section championship with a 19-9 win over Palos Verdes High on Saturday at Mission Viejo.
The Griffins had captured their fourth Orange County title on Wednesday with a 12-6 win over Corona del Mar. On Saturday, the Griffins jumped out to and early 4-1 lead over Palos Verdes and held off a few rally attempts by the Sea Kings. The Griffins took control in the second half with a 5-0 run that put the Griffins up 17-6.
“The girls played their hearts out, they won the draw controls, which is what we said possession wins the game … and they did that, they worked their butts off,” Head Coach Liz Connelly said.
The Griffins led 8-5 at halftime, but came out in the second half with three quick goals to put pressure on Palos Verdes. Caitlin Derry scored off a free possession shot that put the Griffins up 9-5. Jenny Lange followed that with a quick shot off a centering pass from Derry.
Haley Fessenden scored an unassisted goal to push the lead to 11-5. The Sea Kings were able to answer with a goal from their leading scorer Becca Golding, but the Griffins went on their 5-0 run to all but seal up the title.
Leading scorer Keaton Otake had three goals during the run and four for the game. Lange had three goals, while Julie Crowell and Bailey Brannon each added two for the Griffins. Los Alamitos finishes the season with an 18-2 record.
The Griffins had to deal with a little added obstacle as several regular starters were not allowed to play in the first half due to disciplinary reasons. Connelly said several players had broken team rules and that she had made the decision in conjunction with the administration, to hold the players out of the first half.
She said the team had accepted the action and agreed to put it behind them. Players were not allowed to talk to the media after the game.
“We all agreed to move on carry the lesson with us, learn from it, and keep going forward,” Liz Connelly said.
Connelly also said that the Griffins have not used a specific starting lineup on a game-by-game basis, but rather have relied on 24 players to step into starting roles when needed. That depth certainly seemed apparent as the Griffins controlled the game from the start, despite the revamped lineup.
Bailey Brannon scored the first two games of the goal to put the Griffins up 2-0. The Sea Kings answered with a goal, but the Griffins followed with goals by Lange and Aubree Mejia to push the lead to 4-1.
The Griffins would later go on a 3-0 run to push their lead to 7-2 just 6:23 into the first half. Palos Verdes (15-3) had defeated Mira Costa to win the North title on Wednesday.
