For the first time ever the City Section girls water polo playoffs will feature two brackets: the Open Division, comprised of the top four teams; and Division I, which features the remaining 12 teams in a single-elimination format.
After finishing undefeated in the Western League, Palisades earned the No. 2 seed in the Open Division behind West Valley League co-winner and reigning Open champion Birmingham, which beat the Dolphins 19-11 in last year’s final.
Palisades (14-7) will host No. 3 Granada Hills (11-2), which tied for first place in the West Valley with Birmingham, in the semifinal round next Tuesday at 3 p.m. at Maggie Gilbert Aquatic Center. Birmingham (14-13) hosts Western runner-up and No. 4 seed San Pedro (7-7) in the other semifinal. The two winners will meet for the championship next Thursday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m. at LA Valley College. Palisades is riding a three-game winning streak, outscoring league rivals San Pedro, LACES and Venice by a combined total of 54-22.
Since Palisades’ girls water polo program started in 2011-12 the Dolphins have failed to make the finals only twice—their inaugural season when they lost their playoff opener to Huntington Park in overtime and 2015-16 when they were upset by Birmingham 13-7 in the semifinals.
The Dolphins are seeking their third City title, having won Division I to cap the 2018-19 and 2021-22 seasons, beating Birmingham in the finals both times.
Eagle Rock holds the section record with six titles—including five finals victories over Palisades—and Birmingham is next with four titles. Palisades and Cleveland each have two. Palisades made the SoCal Regional Division III finals in 2022.
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