Harvard Speeds to Playoff Win : Water polo: Duff leads Wolverines over Anaheim Canyon, 20-12, in first-round match.

Water polo is a lot like basketball: If speed and conditioning are your team’s forte, run.

Well, swim.

Harvard-Westlake High took advantage of its attributes and beat Anaheim Canyon, 20-12, in a Southern Section Division I first-round playoff match Thursday at Harvard.

The Wolverines (21-5) scored most of their goals on counterattacks, particularly during an 8-1 run that put a close game away in the second half.

“That’s exciting water polo,” Harvard Coach Rich Corso said. “You play good defense and get the kids to anticipate and then you look for numbers--two-on-ones and three-on-twos.”

A typical exchange during the third quarter went something like this: Harvard forces a turnover or stops a shot. The Wolverines sprint quickly to the other end of the pool while their goalie fires a long pass. Canyon defenders, scrambling furiously to get back, look to see who they were supposed to be covering just as an open Harvard player scores.

“We did fine for two-and-a-half quarters,” Canyon Coach Mike Giles said, “but then we ran out of gas and they got some counters on us. We just got tired.”

Senior driver Jimmy Duff, a preseason All-American, led Harvard with six goals.

“In the third quarter we just showed that we were the better-conditioned team,” said Duff, who competes in triathlons.

Harvard, the fifth-ranked team in Division I, will play fourth-ranked Foothill, a 15-7 winner over Mission Viejo, on Tuesday in the quarterfinals at a site to be determined.

Canyon (18-7), which finished third in the Century League, was making its first playoff appearance in four years.

Led by Jeff Hamilton, who scored five goals, Canyon was ahead, 3-1, early and pulled to within 10-9 with 5 minutes 24 seconds to play in the third quarter.

That’s when Harvard put the game away. Ricki Rauth scored twice and Duff once --all on counterattacks--in the next 88 seconds.

Hamilton scored for Canyon, then the Wolverines finished the quarter with four consecutive goals.

J.J. Arden scored four goals and Rauth and Brett Hool each had three for Harvard.

Ben Lozano and Brad Schaefer each scored two goals for Canyon.