Water polo gets sweep of Reedley
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune
Madera’s Bailey Hansen shoots on goal during Thursday’s win against Reedley. She scored a game-high five goals in the win.
While the Madera Coyote girls water polo team was dominant in its victory over the Reedley Pirates, the boys water polo team completed a sweep using tip shots and a five goal fourth quarter for the program’s first sweep of the season.
The girls water polo team got five goals from Bailey Hansen and cruised to a 13-6 victory after jumping out to a 9-1 halftime lead. Emily Lopez-Ibarra and Katie Ylarregui each scored two goals as seven players scored at least one goal.
Madera boys goalie Kyle Balbas recorded 12 saves to keep the Coyotes in the lead before Reedley tied it in the third. However, led by Robby Niino’s four fourth period goals, the Coyotes closed out the Pirates with a 10-7 victory.
“These guys stepped up and we kept playing,” head coach Rick Martines said. “Hopefully, we’ll keep the growth and we’ll see.”
Four of the Coyotes’ 10 goals came on lob passes with a tip-in. Blake Favors and Jake Martines each scored two goals and Garrin Hatfield added another.
“Tuesday, at practice, we were working on that in a lot,” Martines said. “We didn’t do it in our previous game. Today, they stayed calmer and moved the ball down and we were able to get inside and get it in. It was a successful day in comparison to yesterday. And not having a practice, I’m real proud of our guys. There are things we still have to work on.”
Madera Girls 13, Reedley 6
The Coyotes had most of their match in control with an eight-goal lead at the half. Reedley outscored the Coyotes 5-4 in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the halftime deficit. Within the first two minutes of the match, the Coyotes held a two goals lead.
Lopez-Ibarra started the scoring with a goal in front. With a man advantage, Lola Gill scored from in front for the 2-0 lead.
Just 39 seconds later, Lopez-Ibarra got the ball on the right. She sent a pass in the middle for Hansen who shot into the right corner for her first goal of the match.
After Reedley scored a goal to cut the lead to two, more than three minutes passed before either team got on the scoreboard.
With 33 seconds left in the first quarter, Hansen got the ball on the right. She sent a long shot to the far corner at the shot clock and the ball found the back of the net for a 4-1 lead heading into the second quarter.
Less than 40 seconds into the second quarter, the Coyotes added to their lead. With a man advantage, Hansen got the ball on the right and sent a skip shot past the goalie for a 5-1 lead.
Hansen assisted on the next goal. She controlled the ball at the top and found Maddie McNeil wide open in the middle. McNeil shot into the left corner for the goal and a five-goal lead.
Less than a minute later, Madera got a man advantage. Hansen got the ball on the left. She faked a shot to draw the defender’s arms up and then shot into the open net to the far corner and a 7-1 lead.
Just 32 seconds later, the Coyotes got on the scoreboard again. Ashlyn Ortega got the ball on the outside and sent a pass to Gill. Gill sent it back to Ortega who shot on goal. Her shot went off the post, but she beat the goalie to the rebound and sent the ball into the empty net for an 8-1 lead.
Lopez-Ibarra closed out the first half scoring with 1:35 left in the half. She got a pass back from Devina Cazador and shot into the upper left corner for an eight-goal lead at the half.
The Coyotes pulled back their offense in the second half. Reedley opened the second half scoring with a fast break goal.
After Madera goalie Nicole Gibbs made a block, she started a Coyote scoring chance. Ylarregui got the ball on the left. With the shot clock running out, she found the right corner for a 10-2 lead.
The Coyotes added another goal with 1:29 left in the third. Liliana Ramirez got the ball on the left and shot high into the far corner for the goal and a nine-goal lead.
Reedley closed the final minute of the third period with two goals to cut the lead to seven.
Both teams couldn’t get on the scoreboard in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter. The Coyotes got on the board with 3:45 left in the game. Makenna Baker sent the ball across to Ylarregui in the middle in a man advantage. Ylarregui shot into the upper left corner for the goal.
Reedley scored a pair of goals in a 36 second span to cut Madera’s lead to six.
The Coyotes put the finishing touches on the win with 53 seconds left in the game. Gill got the ball on the right and sent a pass to Hansen at the top. She shot into the upper left corner for her fifth goal of the match for a13-6 victory. Madera Boys 10, Reedley 7
Balbas kept the Coyotes in the match before the offense stepped up. He recorded four blocks in the first five minutes of the match.
Reedley scored the lone goal of the first quarter with a long shot inside the near corner with a minute left.
Just 44 seconds into the second quarter, the Coyotes tied the match. Hatfield faked a shot on goal, but passed to the middle for Niino. Niino tipped a shot into the back of the net for the goal.
Seventeen seconds later, Reedley scored from the left to take a 2-1 lead.
After a Balbas block, the Coyotes tied the score. Niino got the ball on the left and waited for Favors to drive on goal. When Favors got close to the net, Niino sent a ball to the middle and Favors tipped the ball into the net for a 3-2 lead.
After a pair of Balbas blocks, the Coyotes added another goal with 13 seconds left in the first half. Martines sent a pass to Favors on the left. He found the far corner for a 4-2 halftime lead.
Reedley opened the second half with a goal to cut the Coyote lead to one.
A minute later, the Coyotes got the lead back to two. Favors got the ball on the right and sent it across the goal. Hatfield rose up and tipped the ball into the net for a 5-3 lead.
Reedley bounced back with a pair of goals in a minute span to tie the match at five.
Balbas kept the match tied with a pair of blocks in the final two minutes heading into the fourth quarter.
The Coyotes scored the first three goals of the fourth quarter. Madera scored 51 seconds into the fourth quarter.
Oscar Ruiz got the ball in the middle and sent a shot to Niino on the left. Niino sent a short shot on goal off the goalie into the near post for a 6-5 lead.
Twenty-three seconds later, the Coyotes added to the lead. Niino got the ball on the right and sent a pass across the pool to Martines, who sent a floater over the goalie’s hands to the far post for a 7-5 lead.
Madera opened the lead to three less than a minute later. Favors got the ball on the right. He waited for Niino to get to the front of the net. Favors lobbed a pass to the middle and Niino batted the ball into the goal with 4:54 left in the match.
Reedley scored a goal nine seconds later to cut the lead to two. However, neither team got on the scoreboard in a three minute span.
With 1:17 left in the game, the Coyotes added an insurance goal. Niino got the ball on the left and sent a hard shot through the goalie’s arms for a goal and a 9-6 lead.
However, Reedley received a five-meter shot and scored on goal high to cut the lead to two.
Madera closed out the scoring with 47 seconds left in the match. Ruiz got the ball at midpool at the left. He sent a ball across the pool to Niino, who shot over the goalie for the 10-7 victory.
