Wilson Wins Top Division

Long Beach Wilson wasn’t about to let one Mann get in the way of its sixth Southern Section boys’ water polo title in the last seven years.

The top-seeded Bruins defeated Corona del Mar, 14-11, in the Division I final Saturday night at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach, surviving an eight-goal effort by John Mann.

Wilson (31-0) didn’t take control of the game until midway through the fourth quarter, when it scored two goals 30 seconds apart to take its first three-goal lead, 14-11.

Second-seeded Corona del Mar (21-8) had a 5-2 lead during the second quarter.

Anaheim Servite, the top-seeded team in Division II, had a tough time early before pulling away to a 15-8 victory over unseeded Los Alamitos.

Servite (29-2) trailed, 5-3, before scoring four goals in the last 1:21 of the first half -- the final one a length-of-the-pool shot by Trevor Clark.

Los Alamitos (17-16) scored on its first two possessions of the second half to tie the score, 7-7, but Servite scored five unanswered goals to take a commanding 12-7 lead.

The top-seeded teams in Division III, IV and V weren’t as successful. Manhattan Beach Mira Costa upset South Pasadena, 9-7, in Division III, La Verne Damien won its first section title with a 10-9 victory over two-time defending Division V champion Riverside Poly, and Santa Maria Righetti toppled Ventura, 10-9, in overtime to win Division IV.

Ventura’s Luke Bannan tied the score, 7-7, with eight seconds remaining in regulation, but Matt Dale scored two of Righetti’s three goals in overtime to lift the third-seeded Warriors (27-5) to their third title in the last five years.

Damien (29-2) and Riverside Poly (27-5) were tied seven times before Damien’s J.P Wright stole the ball at mid-pool and fired a pass to teammate Philip Giudice, who scored to give the second-seeded Spartans a 10-9 lead with 59 seconds left.

Mira Costa (24-7) won its second title in three years, taking a two-goal lead on Travis Buchannan’s goal late in the first half and keeping South Pasadena at bay. . South Pasadena (25-8) was trying for its first section title since 1994.

Bonita won its second consecutive Division VI title with a 15-8 victory over second-seeded Hacienda Heights Los Altos. Nick Corjon scored three of his team-high four goals in the first half as the top-seeded Bearcats (24-10) built a 7-2 lead.