Northwood boys water polo team captures key 8-5 PCL victory over Beckman

Northwood’s Max Abravanel gets a shot off before Beckman’s Ethan Tran reaches him. (Photos courtesy Michael An).

Northwood’s boys water polo team is gearing up for the start of the CIF Division 3 playoffs.

The Timberwolves captured an 8-5 Pacific Coast League victory over Beckman to remain in second place Thursday at home.

To see the slide show, please click on the first photo

Northwood’s Cameron An shows hands while defending Beckman’s AJ March without fouling.

Beckman’s Trevor Grubb maneuvers against Northwood’s Chris Pukszta for a better shooting position.

Beckman’s Eli Schwarz looks to pass the ball with Northwood’s Charlie Shobe pressing on defense Thursday.

Northwood is 16-6 overall and 7-2 in the PCL. The Timberwolves took a 3-2 lead in the first quarter and never trailed after that.

Junior Max Abravanel and senior Charlie Shobe led the Timberwolves offense with three goals each.

Junior Chris Pukszta and freshman Leo Giessmann each had one goal.

Senior Spencer Sellwood led the team with three assists, while Abravanel and sophomore Cameron An led the team defensively with four and three steals respectively. Senior Noah Pendleton had an impressive game with seven saves and two crucial assists.

“Since our league is dual-round, it’s always tough having to play Beckman twice,” Coach Kyle Kim-E said. “They’re a solid team and we knew that we had to make some adjustments on both offense and defense. Our preparation created an increase of goals on offense and a decrease of goals allowed in comparison to our last match-up with Beckman. I have to give credit to our guys for consistently working hard in each and every practice. You can see their improvements and adaptability in each game.

“We’re playing some of our best water polo right now and I’m excited to see how the rest of this season plays out.”