Newport Harbor finishes strong to edge Laguna Beach

The Newport Harbor High boys’ water polo team has been playing some strong defense lately.

Heading into Tuesday’s nonleague game against Laguna Beach, the Sailors had allowed two, two and one goal respectively in their last three games. The effort was good enough to earn wins against Fountain Valley, Corona del Mar in the Battle of the Bay game and El Toro.

The Breakers surpassed those totals in the first quarter. They weren’t going to roll over quite as easily.

In the end, though, it was the Newport Harbor defense that helped the Sailors earn a 9-7 win at home.

In a physical game, Newport Harbor (17-3) executed better on the power play than Laguna Beach (8-9). The Sailors converted six of 12 opportunities with the man-up advantage, while holding the Breakers to two for 10 in such opportunities.

“I thought our perimeter defense today wasn’t the best, but with our five-on-six we were able to back that up,” Newport Harbor coach Ross Sinclair said. “That was something that we needed.”

The Sailors, ranked No. 5 in CIF Southern Section Division 1 and 2, avoided the upset against the No. 12-ranked Breakers. With the top eight teams at the end of the season headed to the Division 1 playoffs, Newport Harbor has solidified itself in that mix. Laguna Beach appears ready to vie in Division 2, where the Breakers lost in the title game last year.

Seniors John Rankin and Ryan Brosnan led the charge for the Sailors, scoring twice each, while Jackson Westerman, Jack White, Makoto Kenney, Jason Grew and Charlie Covina had one goal each. Senior goalie Max Sandberg made 10 saves.

Newport Harbor never trailed, but the score was tied at 3-3 after the first quarter and 7-7 headed into the fourth. The Breakers battled back from a 6-3 deficit late in the second quarter, tying the score with 49 seconds left in the third on a power-play strike from Riley Bumgardner.

“They play hard and they don’t stop moving,” Sinclair said. “Any team that has energy is going to be a tough matchup, no matter what.”

But the Breakers missed on all three of their power-play opportunities in the final quarter. Meanwhile, Rankin scored on a power play drawn by Westerman with 4:49 remaining, giving the hosts an 8-7 lead. The Sailors added another power-play strike, with Brosnan feeding Covina for a goal from the right with 2:04 left.

Still, Laguna Beach coach Trevor Lyle was happy with his team’s effort.

“I’m hoping that we’re starting to click on all cylinders here coming to the end of the season,” Lyle said. “We were really looking to put together a consistent four quarters, and I feel like we did that today.”

Senior center Larsen McCarroll led the way for the Breakers with two goals, while Colton Gregory, Sebastian Jacobs, Peter Weiland and lefty Will Clark also had one goal each.

Sophomore goalie Caden Capobianco had 10 saves and three steals for Laguna Beach. Capobianco has filled big shoes following the graduation of Gordon Pike, a Daily Pilot Dream Team selection at goalie a year ago.

“The sky is the limit,” Lyle said. “Him being a sophomore, early on in the season he was getting comfortable playing at the varsity level consistently. He’s just gotten more and more comfortable at our defenses, understanding where the shots are coming from … The defense is starting to come together and he’s playing some great water polo.”

Both teams return to league play on Wednesday, with Newport Harbor playing host to Marina in a Sunset League game at 5 p.m. Laguna Beach plays Godinez at Santa Ana Valley High at 6 p.m. in an Orange Coast League contest.

The Sailors travel to San Jose this weekend for the Memorial Cup, hosted by Bellarmine College Prep, while the Breakers are the top seeds in the Steve Pal Memorial Tournament. The Breakers begin the two-day tournament with games Friday at Beckman High.

matthew.szabo@latimes.com

Twitter: @mjszabo