The Enumclaw High School Girls Water Polo Team advanced to the final eight of the State Championships with a 13-9 win over Bellevue on Wednesday, May 21, at Curtis High School. The win, combined with a 24-5 loss to Gig Harbor later Wednesday night, put the Hornets in second place in Group B. With that placement, Enumclaw will face the winner of Group C, Newport, in their next game, at 6:30 on Friday, May 23, also at Curtis High School.
In Wednesday's opening game against Bellevue, Hornet Bailey Sexton put Enumclaw up 2-0 early, with two goals in the first 76 seconds. Bellevue rallied several times, closing within one goal, 6-5, late in the second period, and staying within two for most of the game until Megan Lesmeister scored on a power play with 1:11 left to put Enumclaw up by three. Hayley Sonneson scored on a last-second shot to give the Hornets the four point win.
Lesmeister scored six for Enumclaw, Sexton scored four, Hayley Sonneson scored two, and Grace Sales scored one, against Bellevue.
The Hornets' second game Wednesday put Enumclaw against perennial State Champion Gig Harbor. Tides' All-American Julia Ponce scored 11 seconds into the game, but Enumclaw's Megan Lesmeister scored 13 seconds later to tie the game at 1-1. The powerful Tides offense then scored 11 in a row before Hornet Bailey Sexton scored Enumclaw's second goal, early in the second quarter. The tired Hornet squad, playing with just a one-game rest, couldn't keep up with the deeper Tides, and finished with just five goals, against Gig Harbor's 24.
Lesmeister and Sexton each scored two, and Anna Davenport scored one for the Hornets in the loss.
