The Santa Barbara boys water polo team lost a tough one on Saturday afternoon at the Villa Park Tournament, squandering a fourth-quarter lead against No. 1 El Toro to lose 9-8 in the semifinals.
The Dons, ranked two spots behind El Toro at No. 3, had a 7-6 lead at the end of the third quarter but got outscored 3-1 in the final frame to lose by a single goal.
Jason Masho, Ian Gamble and Brandon Cowan each scored three goals and combined for 11 steals between the three of them. Chris Dall and Brendan Kerwin-McElroy added a goal each.
In the third-place game, the Dons “didn’t show up,” according to coach Mark Walsh. Santa Barbara gave up more goals than any other match in the last three years in a 13-8 defeat to Sacred Heart.
“It was just a poor effort on our part,” said Walsh of his 11-4 squad.
Kerwin-McElroy had the best performance in that match, scoring once with 3 assists, 3 steals.
Santa Barbara opens up Channel League play on Tuesday with a home match against Ventura.
