Ramos and the Timberwolves made the most of their final home game of the season last Thursday, Nov. 7.

She handled most of the scoring duties for her team in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III quarterfinal, converting on 11 of her 12 shot attempts, as third-seeded Sierra warded off Valley Oak League rival Sonora 14-8 at Manteca High’s R. Stephen Winter Pool.

The T’wolves advanced to the semifinal round for the first time in program history.

“It’s super cool, because I’m a senior and it’s cool to experience everything,” Ramos said. “I want to leave it off on a good note. We’ll see how far we can make it.”

Sierra dropped its semifinal to No. 2 Ponderosa of Shingle Springs on Tuesday, 11-6. The Timberwolves conclude their historic season with a program-best 21-9 record along with a first VOL championship.

“Gianna Ramos has been a huge influence on the success of Sierra's water polo program,” Sierra coach Lauren Koury said. “Her dedication to mastering her skills year-round, work ethic and being coachable during all aspects of the game has been remarkable. She has been a role model that we hope all athletes embrace across our sport.”

Ramos had to play with full effort on both ends of the pool against upset-minded Sonora, contributing two steals on defense. The 11th-seeded Wildcats had just stunned No. 6 Roseville two days prior.

It was a physical battle, and Sierra held a slender 6-5 halftime lead. Their VOL entanglements were not so closely contested, with the Timberwolves outscoring Sonora 34-11 in the two games.

“It was obvious they worked hard to get ready for this game,” Ramos said. “It just came down to who wanted it more.”

The T’wolves separated in the second half by scoring four of the first five goals, all four from Ramos. She put away a transition opportunity late in the third quarter after a big-time stop from fellow senior Keira Brink. The Sierra goalie deflected a point-blank shot from Lexie Erbe, collected the loose ball and lobbed it across the pool to the sprinting Ramos.

“I’m always looking to counter, and they usually go in if it’s a pass to Gianna,” Brink said.

Ramos put the finishing touches of her sterling performance with three more goals in the fourth period.

“Regardless of the game score, Gianna is always willing to go take criticism and go right back to work,” Koury said. “G's passion to make anything happen on offense and leadership on defense has shaped our team culture and eagerness to win.”