PREP WATER POLO PLAYOFFS : Miraleste Smothers Edison’s Last-Minute Effort

In the end, Edison High School couldn’t get the shot it wanted.

Edison lost its Southern Section Division 3-A water polo playoff game to Miraleste, 12-11, Wednesday at Santa Monica High School after squandering its chance in the last 30 seconds to take a good shot to tie the score.

Edison’s Brent Nichols recovered an errant pass to give Edison a chance to tie and Edison called a time out to set up for a tying shot.

The Chargers (18-9) came out in a double-post offense for its last possession, but Miraleste did a good job of dropping a defensive man back to double-team each post while pressuring the man with the ball. Edison passed the ball around the perimeter and only got one pass into a post.

Finally, Brian Melstrom took a shot from six meters out on the right side with the clock down to five seconds. The shot was off to the right of the goal and Miraleste gained possession to run out the final seconds.

“We were trying to get the ball to the (post) and maybe get a kick-out,” Edison Coach Matt Whitmore said of his team’s final offensive set. “The pass was there--they were just afraid, I guess.”

Edison trailed throughout the game but never let Miraleste get away. Miraleste’s largest lead was 6-3 in the first quarter.

Miraleste appeared to be in charge with a 12-10 lead and only 2:10 remaining. But Lonnie Peek, who led Edison by scoring three of his four goals in the second half, scored just 10 seconds after Edison gained possession on a face-off to cut the lead to one goal with 1:04 remaining.

Peek, who drew several kickout-fouls and one four-meter penalty shot on the day, scored Edison’s last goal from the two-meter position by throwing the ball over his head while facing away from the goal.

Miraleste (23-3) tried to use all of the 35-second clock on the ensuing possession but threw the ball away without getting off a shot. Nichols recovered the pass for Edison’s final series.