Santa Barbara’s Feat Worth Repeating

The question was, could they do it again?

The answer, for the Santa Barbara and Newport Harbor girls’ water polo teams, was a resounding yes.

Each team repeated one of its biggest victories of the season Saturday, and Santa Barbara’s 7-6 overtime decision over Newport Harbor gave the Dons the championship of the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions at Santa Barbara High.

It reaffirmed the Dons’ 11-5 victory over Newport Harbor in the semifinals of the Newport Harbor/Corona Del Mar tournament on Dec. 27.

Meanwhile in the Santa Barbara tournament semifinals, Newport Harbor defeated Santa Ana Foothill, 9-5 -- the Sailors’ second victory in four days over the Southland’s top-ranked team.

To no one’s surprise, Saturday’s rematch between Santa Barbara and Newport Harbor was .close. “We could play them 100 times and we wouldn’t beat them 11-5 ever again,” Santa Barbara Coach Mark Walsh said.

Santa Barbara (13-2), ranked No. 2 in the Southland by The Times and No. 1 in Southern Section Division IV, rallied from a 4-2, first-quarter deficit. The victory wasn’t secured until junior Kami Craig scored with 45 seconds left in the first half of a six-minute overtime period.

Craig finished with five goals and was named tournament most valuable player.

Newport Harbor (12-2) played without Coach Bill Barnett, who left early Saturday to attend a U.S. Water Polo convention in St. Louis, and lost junior Ashling Taylor early in the second half when she was ejected after drawing her third foul.