Santa Barbara High’s boys water polo team defeated St. Francis and Claremont on Friday at the Santa Barbara Invitational.
The host Dons doubled up on St. Francis 10-5 before rallying to edge Claremont 13-12 in the later game.
Sawyer Rhodes led Santa Barbara with four goals in each game. He added seven steals and drew three ejections in the first game. In the second game, Rhodes scored the game-tying goal and the game-winner with three seconds on the clock.
Goalie Justyn Barrios then saved a shot on goal in the final second to preserve the victory. Santa Barbara trailed 12-10 with 1:50 to go.
Henry Hepp’s two goals and four drawn ejections were key to the win over St. Francis. Jack Rottman and Adam Gross scored three each in the win over Claremont.
Santa Barbara faces Campolindo in the first of two matches on Saturday.
