Flames fall in D-II playoffs

The Lodi High boys water polo team fell 10-8 to Ponderosa in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II quarterfinals, but for Lodi coach Trevor Taylor, it was just the kind of game he’s been looking for.

The teams traded goal for goal through most of the game, until a pair of quick goals by Ponderosa at the start of the fourth quarter gave them just enough of a cushion.

“It was a really good matchup, kind of the way we want the whole league to be,” Taylor said. “In this section, there’s teams we crush and there’s teams that crush us, so getting into these games where there’s good competition — we’ve had some good quality games that we’ve had to earn the win. Tonight just went the other way.

“It was a fun night. I had my heart racing the whole night.”

Ryan Westerterp scored two goals for the Flames, and stole the ball a team-high six times. Alexander Elrod and freshman Victor Plunkett each had two goals as well, while Benton Peterson and Jack LeBaron had one each. LeBaron’s goal came on a penalty shot after he was double-teamed through much of the game.

“We had a lot of opportunities to put the ball in. A lot of our shots were really wide,” Taylor said. “If they took too long to set the shot up, Ponderosa’s defense was dropping in. Which is what we were doing. Once the ball’s into the power position, you know that’s where the shot’s going to come from.”

Senior goalkeeper Adam Taylor blocked eight shots.

Trevor Taylor said he heard comments from both referees and opposing coaches about how much the team has improved from the beginning of the season. And he will have a solid core of players returning in junior goalkeeper Tristan Gorham, fellow juniors Peterson, LeBaron and Grant Thompson and freshman Plunkett to go along with a strong sophomore class led by Brandon Costa and Eli Kim, who joined the varsity squad for a few tournaments this year.