Naperville North boys water polo continues its state championship defense against the DVC champions and the number one seed in the Hinsdale Central sectional, Waubonsie Valley. The Warriors look for a repeat performance of their regular-season victory over the Huskies in this sectional semifinal clash. Waubonsie took care of Lockport 14-6 in the sectional quarterfinal, while Naperville North defeated Sandburg 16-8. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
An even battle throughout the first half
The game is back and forth throughout the first half. After a goal from Aresni Branavitski puts Waubonsie in front, the Huskies tie the game at 4-4 with Ben Hanson getting a goal that just trickles into the net.
The further into the playoffs you get, the more important defense becomes. The Warriors look to retake the lead on a shot from Yassin El Touny, but North goalie Sharva Pandya makes the stop. He throws a pass ahead to Caden Tsao, who is looking to add his second goal of the game. Lucas Aldeli gets ready in net, but David Kowalewicz makes a great block to keep things tied heading into halftime.
In the third quarter, El Touny drops a pass into Charlie Bartzen, who whips a shot into the net to put Waubonsie back in front 5-4.
Teams continue to trade goals
The Huskies look to even things up by moving the ball around the pool. A pass goes to freshman Lazar Tokalich in the middle, and he rears back and rockets the ball into the net to even the score again.
On the other end, Waubonsie passes the ball around with quick passing until Kowalewicz rises up and fires in a goal to give the Warriors another slim lead at 6-5.
Nearing the end of the quarter, John Riordan drops a pass into Tokalich, and once again the freshman delivers the goal to tie things up.
In the final moments of the third, the North offense moves the ball well on a fast break, finding Ben Hanson, who scores in front on the one-timer. It’s the first lead of the game for the Huskies at 7-6 heading to the fourth.
Midway through the fourth, the Warriors are desperate to even things up. Kowalewicz delivers again with a long-range goal. 7-7 with the clock becoming a factor.
Axel Sujewicz comes through in the clutch
Naperville North looks to take the lead back. With less than five seconds on the shot clock, JD Sandford passes to Axel Sujewicz, who splashes the goal home to put his team in front with less than three minutes remaining.
Yassin El Touny swims the ball in and fires towards the net. The shot is deflected, but the ball drifts into the goal to tie the game at 8-8. The incredible see-saw battle continues into the final two minutes.
With just under a minute to play, Sujewicz has the ball with his left hand, skipping a shot through the defense and in for the go-ahead goal. Naperville North is one stop away from the sectional final.
Naperville North hangs on for the narrow win over Waubonsie
After a timeout, the Warriors look to find Charlie Bartzen down low, but Landon Fennema knocks the pass away and makes the steal. The Huskies call a timeout and are able to run out the final 20 seconds of the game. Naperville North pulls off the upset to defeat Waubonsie 9-8, advancing to the sectional championship for a fifth straight season. Hinsdale Central awaits in the final.
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