WATER POLO PLAYOFFS : With Practiced Efficiency, Royal Survives

Once again a well-prepared team proved the adage that practice makes perfect.

This time the Royal High water polo team made its case with an 11-9 victory over Santa Barbara in the Southern Section Division IV semifinals Saturday at Pepperdine University. The Highlanders advanced to the championship match for the first time and play San Marcos in the Division final Wednesday.

On Saturday, Bill Bruininga picked up the rebound from a Kris Kunkel shot that hit the goal post and drilled it into the net with 33 seconds left in the match to put the Highlanders ahead, 10-9.

Bruininga then stole a Santa Barbara pass and scored an empty-net goal with three seconds left.

The Dons (19-9) had tied the match, 9-9, on Shaun Moore’s goal with 1:33 remaining. But Bruininga and the ready Highlanders (25-4) took over from there.

“We have practiced [being in] this situation all year,” Royal Coach Steve Snyder said. “It wasn’t chaos. Everyone had their assignments.”

Bruininga and Chris Richeson led the scoring with four goals each. Goalie Kyle Finley had 15 saves, giving him a school-record 302 this season.

After taking a 5-1 lead in the first quarter, the Highlanders, who had 17 steals, used aggressive play to survive a 3-0 Don run at the end of the first half that trimmed the Highlander margin to 6-4.

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Whittier 15, Burroughs 8--Even before Burroughs started its Southern Section Division III semifinal against second-seeded Whittier, it was clear the Indians were in the playoffs for the first time.

The host team at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center, unseeded Burroughs had the pool set up with the wrong dimensions, the bleachers with poor sight lines and problems with the public-address system.

Things didn’t get any better once the match started--30 minutes behind schedule--and the Cinderella playoff ride ended.

“I tried to tell them that it was going to be different at this stage,” Burroughs Coach John Kunishima said. “But they didn’t look like they stepped up.”

The Indians (19-7) played even with the Cardinals (23-4) at the outset, pulling within 3-2 with 2:25 left in the first quarter, then went without a goal until Greg Paggi scored from the two-meter hole on the last play of the third quarter.

Alfonso Tucay, the Indians’ leading scorer, led a sputtering offense with three goals. Damon Wierbills had two, both in a 3-0 run against Whittier’s second-string at the end of the match.