A busy month of January for the JSerra Girls Water Polo team has them poised to earn a CIF-SS postseason berth.

The Lions kicked off the month with a 12-7 road win against Clairemont High in San Diego and impressive triumphs over Tustin (15-3) and Marlborough (11-5).

JSerra ran into a three-game buzzsaw, losing to Trinity League rivals Orange Lutheran (11-3) and Mater Dei (14-6), which was sandwiched around a nonleague defeat at the hands of Foothill (7-4).

But the Lions rebounded with a stellar showing at the SoCal Championships Tournament last weekend.

JSerra kicked off the tournament with a thrilling 14-13 win over Marlborough in Pool A play at the Woollett Aquatics Center in Irvine.

Junior Sloane Paulson was the hero for the Lions, scoring a team-high six goals, including the game-winner with 1:14 remaining.

Junior Kamryn McCord also recorded a hat trick, scoring four times in the game.

The Lions rolled to a 16-5 win over Agoura that saw Paulson, McCord, junior Maddie Weston, and sophomore Kylin Barnes all posted hat tricks with three goals apiece.

JSerra knocked off Harvard-Westlake 13-10 in the quarterfinals, as McCord poured in a team-leading six goals to spark the win.

The Lions’ victorious run in the tournament came to an end in the semifinals, as they were defeated by the Long Beach Wilson Bruins 10-4 at Corona del Mar High School in Newport Beach.

Despite the loss, senior goalie Lola Birdsall turned in a spectacular effort in the cage, recording 14 saves.

JSerra finished the tournament by defeating Alta Loma 14-5, their fourth win in five tournament games.

Weston scored a team-leading and season-best seven goals, while Paulson also recorded a hat trick with three goals.

The Lions engaged in a down-to-the-wire nonleague thriller with Laguna Beach on Monday at Laguna Beach High School.

The two teams traded the lead over the first three periods, before junior Sayre Duran tied the contest at 10-10 and sent the game into overtime.

Laguna Beach found the match-winning goal in the sudden death session to secure a 11-10 victory.

JSerra closes out the regular season with a road game on Tuesday, as they take on the Santa Margarita Eagles at Santa Margarita Catholic High.

Game time is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.