SOUTHERN SECTION WATER POLO PLAYOFFS : Long Beach Wilson Halts El Toro’s Streak
El Toro’s 23-game playoff winning streak in water polo came to an end Tuesday, but the Chargers did not leave without a struggle.
Third-seeded Long Beach Wilson defeated El Toro, 10-7, in overtime, in an intense game that culminated with a poolside shoving match that had to be broken up by the coaches.
The two-time Division I defending champion Chargers rallied from a three-goal deficit with 4 minutes 36 seconds remaining in regulation.
Senior Allen Basso, who scored a game-high six goals, connected on two penalty shots to cut Wilson’s lead to 7-6. Basso then stole the ball at mid-pool and broke away for the tying goal with 25 seconds left.
El Toro goalkeeper Greg Stoll, who had 18 saves, then stretched out of the water to knock away a looping shot with a second to play.
The Chargers (16-12) seemed to have nothing left in the overtime as Wilson’s Adam Wright scored on the opening possession and Pat Cochran secured the game on a penalty-shot goal with 49 seconds left.
El Toro, which won the championship in overtime games the last two years, lacked the seniors to pull out another victory against Wilson. Wilson lost to the Chargers, 10-9, in the semifinals last year.
“In overtime, you need to a team full of seniors to have a chance to win,” El Toro Coach Don Stoll said.
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
