San Marcos Beats Clock, Buena : Water polo: Bulldog defense lets down at crucial times in 8-6 Channel League setback.

VENTURA — Although Buena High’s water polo team was outscored by four goals in the first quarter of its 8-6 Channel League defeat to top-ranked San Marcos on Thursday at Buena, it was not in the first seven minutes of the match that the Bulldogs lost.

It was in the last five seconds of too many San Marcos possessions.

“We did a good job defending them until the last five seconds of the (35-second) shot clock,” Buena Coach John Siman said. “Then, at what I call crunch time, they picked it up and we didn’t.”

A perfect example of what Siman is talking about came with 2 minutes 24 seconds to play in the match, just after Buena had rallied from a 4-0 first-quarter deficit to pull to within 7-4.

As the shot clock wound down to three seconds on a San Marcos possession, Buena players, thinking they had forced a turnover, took off to set up their offense at the other end of the pool. But San Marcos hole-man Jeff Kircos grabbed the ball and flipped it into the net just before the shot clock expired. Kircos, an All-American, scored six goals.

“We lowered our level (of intensity) and they lifted theirs up,” said Buena’s Jeff Malas, who scored four goals.

Most of San Marcos’ goals, particularly the first four, came on Buena defensive letdowns as the shot clock wound down.

“In the first quarter we were playing really good defense except at crunch time,” Siman said. “And in the second, third and fourth quarters, we played really solid . . . except at crunch time.”

Buena gave up only single goals in the second and third quarters, both by Kircos. Buena pulled to within 6-3 on a breakaway goal by Malas with 5:53 to play in the fourth quarter.

After another goal by Kircos, Buena’s Aneel Chima scored a 6-on-5 goal to make the score 7-4. But Kircos’ fifth goal, the buzzer-beater, ended Buena’s hopes.

Buena made the score more respectable with Malas’ goal at the 1:41 mark and one by Ty Tatsch with three seconds to play. Buena’s Curtis Tolmie had 15 saves.

San Marcos (15-6, 6-0), which is ranked No. 1 in Division IV of the Southern Section, remained alone atop the Channel League.

Although the Bulldogs (10-11, 3-3) are ranked sixth in Division IV, they need to finish in the top three in the Channel League to make the playoffs. Buena is third, one game ahead of Dos Pueblos.

Despite Buena’s ranking, a fourth-place finish would rule out an at-large playoff berth because the Bulldogs would have an overall losing record, Siman said.

The Bulldogs could have made things easier for themselves had they not lost to second-place Santa Barbara, ranked No. 2 in Division IV, and San Marcos this week.