The boys water team finished their season with a tough 12-7 loss against the Sequoia Ravens on Saturday afternoon.
The Bears started strong on defense, forcing multiple fouls on the Ravens and obliging them to resort to lob shots from six meters out. This pressure prevailed for the first half of the quarter but quickly diminished as the Ravens stormed ahead with two goals.
Multiple attempts to reach the cage from junior Evan ten Vaanholt were stunted by the Ravens’ defensive duress and quick steals, making the game primarily play out on the Bears’ end of the pool.
Top-corner blocks from senior goalkeeper Arman Azadpour kept the Ravens on their toes as they passed around the ball before scoring another shot past Azadpour’s arms. After the Ravens failed to shoot with less than a minute left, ten Vaanholt sunk the ball into the Ravens’ cage through a sneaky counter.
With 55 seconds left in the quarter, the Ravens were rattled by the Bears’ sudden surge on offense, as senior Alex Alburger made a goal from six meters out, bringing the game to 3-2. By the time the clock ran out the Ravens were able to reach the cage, ending the first quarter 4-2.
The second quarter began with vigor from the Bears through multiple attempts to catch up to the Ravens’ offense. Shots from senior Drew Wescott and ten Vaanholt were stopped in set, and the Bears earned themselves several kick-outs, which allowed the Ravens to charge ahead 6-2.
After a timeout, the Ravens upped their defense, forcing the Bears to avoid dropping the ball into set. Instead of center play, freshman Brady Henricks and senior Kieran Narayan attempted to make multiple outside shots. The quarter ended hastingly, as the Bears looked to close the 6-2 gap in the next half.
The second half seemed promising with senior JD Coolican winning the sprint, but the ball was quickly turned over, which allowed the Ravens to score again. The Ravens’ aggressive offense was met by the Bears’ persistent defense, resulting in a back and forth possession lasting three minutes.
More outside shots from the Ravens continued until the last seconds of the third quarter, when Narayan assisted ten Vaanholt to a goal, bringing the Bears to 10-3.
Entering the final quarter, the Bears were persistent in closing the 10-3 gap between them and the Ravens. Right off Coolican’s sprint, Narayan scored another goal for the Bears.
Despite the multiple kick-outs the Ravens forced on the Bears, Azadpour was able to block two more upper-corner shots from reaching the cage.
The Bears surged on offense. Senior Casey Watkins and Narayan continued to make attempts to penetrate the Ravens’ defense, coming close when the Ravens’ received a kick-out, allowing Watkins to hurl the ball toward the cage.
The teams continued to fight back and forth as the clock drained, but eventually the Ravens were able to secure two more goals from the outside, making the score 11-4.
Nearing the two-minute mark, Wescott managed to score a goal for the Bears but was immediately matched by another Raven point. After a quick timeout, the Bears snapped back with a burst of energy as junior Bryce Winters made a cross-cage goal with just under a minute left.
As the buzzer sounded, Watkins scored the Bears’ final goal after a quick rebound. He held up two fingers for his teammate, Dylan Scirpo, and the game ended 12-7.
“Even though the game didn’t go our way I’m really proud of us for battling through and winning the league after everything we’ve been through,” Narayan said. “Everyone put a lot into this season, especially the younger guys, and I think we’re set up for a good future.”
