There’s no substitute for experience. No matter the sport, time and again it’s the battle-tested teams that thrive come playoff time.
And that’s why, when it comes to boys’ water polo, it’s looking more and more like this will be the season San Benito finally takes a quantum leap. First trip to CCS since 2002? That’s almost a foregone conclusion at this point.
These ‘Balers are playing for more. The Tri-County Athletic League championship? Sure. But how ’bout a win or two in CCS?
The ‘Balers have certainly taken their lumps, losing twice to Los Altos and once each to Bellarmine and Cupertino, and sport a solid-but-not-spectacular record of 11-4. But come playoff time, all those games against CCS-caliber opponents will prove invaluable.
With that in mind, applause goes out to San Benito for once again heading north in search of elite competition. The ‘Balers begin play in the South Valley Polo-Fest today, marking the third time this season the team has cast its lot into a tournament packed with seasoned powers.
The advantages of such tournaments are two-fold. The first and more obvious one is the invaluable experience the team gets by playing top-notch competition. As ‘Balers goalie Matt Thorpe said, “This is our chance to step out of our league, our chance to say we can beat some of the better teams. It’s our chance to really make a statement.”
The second and more obsolete way tough tournaments aid a team is in the complex power points system used to slot teams in the playoffs.
“It’s who you play in addition to whether you’re winning or losing,” ‘Baler boys coach Tom Agan said. “It’s the way the (CCS) system works.”
Agan refers to a weighted seeding process that gives teams more points for wins over ‘A’ division teams than ‘B’ division teams. Even losing to an ‘A’ division team helps the so-called power points. And playing an eventual league champion? Extra points even if you lose, but you hit the bonanza if you win.
Live Oak, the ‘Baler boys’ first-round opponent in Morgan Hill today, is fighting neck-and-neck with Leland for the Mt. Hamilton Division crown in the Blossom Valley Athletic League. San Benito has already beaten Leland, and a win over the Acorns today would virtually guarantee the bonus points that come with a win over a league champ.
And Bellarmine? The gold standard in the sport? Well, yes, San Benito lost to the Bells, but playing them to a draw at halftime in the Scott Roche Invitational did wonders for the ‘Balers’ confidence and gave them extra points for playing the primo game.
When the seeding committee sits down to hash out who falls where in the brackets, much of the placement comes down to power points. The more you have, the higher your seed. And the better your seed, well, you know how it goes.
“What it really comes down to is where you’re seeded,” Agan said. “If you go in No. 12 and play Bellarmine, you’ve got a tall order. (But) if we get in as an 8, 7 or 6, then you’re playing a game you can win.”
Win a playoff game? In boys’ water polo? That confidence is sure building fast.
