STOCKTON — What a finish.
Top-seeded Ripon held on for a thrilling 11-10 win over Valley Christian in the semifinal round of the NorCal Division III boys water polo playoffs Thursday at St. Mary’s High.
Ripon led or 3 ½ periods until the No. 4 Warriors tied the game with 3:51 left in the match and again with 31.6 seconds remaining.
Following a timeout, the Indians worked the ball to standout Brody Biedermann, who was covered like a glove. He spotted an open Mathew Lee, who found the back of the net for a one-goal lead with 5.6 seconds showing on the clock.
But the match was not over. In the short time remaining, Valley Christian worked the ball the length of the pool and got off a shot that Ripon goalie Andrew Hanker blocked for one of his eight blocks.
The Warriors covered the rebound but were called for a penalty when the Indians defense forced the ball under water while in Valley Christian possession, giving Ripon the victory.
Ripon now faces Los Altos on Saturday morning for the NorCal championship at 11:30 at Sacred Heart Prep in Atherton.
“There was a play called at the end,” Indians coach Erik Zador said. “Sometimes plays just don’t go as planned, but they handled themselves really well and we had a young man Mathew (Lee) step up and was able to put a ball away, which was very much needed.
“Saturday is a big day. We play Los Altos, which beat Merced by two. Just like Valley Christian, we do not know anything about them, so it should be a really good game.”
Lee scored a goal earlier in the contest along with an assist and a steal.
“I was wide open on that last one, I saw my opportunity and I took the shot,” Lee said.
Biedermann tallied four goals, three assists and three steals.
“Matt (Lee) was open, he is a good shooter so I trusted him to take that shot,” Biedermann said. “And I was guarded so I just threw him the ball.”
McKeane Beier also scored four goals, along with four steals and an assist.
“We have never been this far in NorCals,” Beier said. “We all stepped up as a team and played our part.”
Teo West scored the other goal for Ripon (27-6), adding an assist and a steal.
Chase Blitzer and Darius Deac scored three goals apiece for the Warriors (12-17) from San Jose.
The Indians shot out to a 4-1 first-period lead behind three goals by Beier. By halftime, Valley Christian had closed to within 6-5.
Ripon bumped its lead up to 9-5 after three periods with a goal by Biedermann, Lee and Beier, only for the Warriors to score four straight to tie the game with 3:51 left in the game. West hit his goal on an assist from Biedermann 21 seconds later, and following Valley Christian tying the game one more time, Lee put the game away in the closing seconds.
