Joliette St. Hubert Leads Birmingham to Another Girls’ Water Polo Championship
Birmingham Dominates Granada Hills in City Section Girls Water Polo Championship
A new era is unfolding in City Section girls water polo as the Birmingham Patriots claimed victory over Granada Hills, finishing 18-9 in a decisive matchup held at Valley College on Wednesday night. This win marks Birmingham’s second consecutive championship and their third in four years.
Leading the charge, Joliette St. Hubert netted eight goals, complemented by Alejandra Barragan’s six goals. Head coach Vincent Kezman, who secured his fifth title since taking the helm in the 2014-15 season, praised his players’ dedication. “The girls love the sport, and they committed to playing in the offseason on the same club team. They wanted to be back here this year,” he said.
Though Birmingham started slowly, holding a narrow 2-1 lead at the end of the first quarter, the team swiftly gained momentum, scoring five consecutive goals in the second quarter and another five to kick off the second half. This barrage gave them a commanding 15-4 lead heading into the final quarter.
"We knew what to expect playing them,” said Barragan, one of 14 underclassmen on the varsity roster. “Winning [City] as a freshman was a little nerve-wracking, but it’s fun to do it again.”
For Granada Hills, Alexandra Bierman scored five goals in their effort to capture a second consecutive section title after defeating Cleveland in last year’s Division I final. The Highlanders, who trailed significantly, had previously faced their league rivals Birmingham in two tight contests, including a one-goal loss in their second league meeting on January 30.
“It hurts more to lose to a team in your league,” Kezman noted. “We didn’t underestimate them. The last game was very close because we got in foul trouble, and we weren’t going to let that happen again.”
Since the reintroduction of the sport in 2009, the Eagle Rock team has won seven City titles, while Birmingham has claimed six, including the last two in the Open Division. Palisades holds three titles, and Cleveland has two.
St. Hubert reflected on the challenge of facing league rivals in finals, saying, “Hard to say if I’d rather play a team outside of our league in the finals… it’s 50-50.” She also expressed pride in her sister, freshman goalie Eli, who made 10 saves during the match. “I think we did pretty good. Our strategy was to double-team No. 7 and make other players shoot.”
In another championship fixture, San Pedro edged past Palisades 8-7 in the Division I final, with Tatum Mahi scoring five goals, including the decisive shot from five meters with just 40 seconds remaining. Coach Stephanie Cuevas highlighted Mahi’s reliability, saying, “She takes all the five meters, and I trust her with every play.”
The Pirates, buoyed by Camilia Chavez’s three goals and goalie Kalia Razevich’s 15 saves, improved to 12-3, marking a significant turnaround after a 10-goal defeat to Palisades in last year’s Open Division semifinals. Meanwhile, the Dolphins, appearing in their ninth consecutive final and twelfth since 2013, saw Bailey Gair and Jordan Detwiler each score three goals.
