PREP WATER POLO PLAYOFFS : La Habra Dominates Saddleback in Division II

La Habra’s Dan Ploog made sure Saddleback’s first playoff appearance in 14 years didn’t last long. He scored six first-half goals, leading La Habra to a 13-8 victory over Saddleback in a Division II water polo playoff game Friday at La Habra.

La Habra, seeded fourth, advances to play Tustin in a second-round game Wednesday.

Ploog scored three goals in a 3-minute, 7-second span of the first quarter, helping La Habra take a 4-2 lead. He scored his sixth goal on a penalty shot with 49 seconds left in the second quarter, and Brian Karol added a goal with 10 seconds left, giving the Highlanders (20-6) an 8-3 halftime lead.

Despite the victory, La Habra Coach Jeff Hopkins said his team didn’t play very well.

“It wasn’t one of our better performances,” Hopkins said. “We pressed on offense too much. But the guys played hard. Even in a game like that, where we didn’t adapt to the referees, we still got the job done.

“It was an ugly game, but I’d rather have an ugly game this game than in the next round.”

La Habra maintained its five-goal lead in the third quarter, and took a 12-5 lead on a fast-break goal by Ploog with 2:49 left.

Hopkins then put his second-string players in the game, and Saddleback staged a quick three-goal rally to pull within 12-8 with 1:41 left. Hopkins then re-inserted his first string, and Karol capped the scoring on a goal with 40 seconds left.

Saddleback (16-8) was led by Bret Trezise, who had four goals.