Sailors top CdM, 13-12

Back Bay rivals Newport and CdM engage in an epic playoff battle.It wasn’t Clay Jorth’s best night shooting the ball.

He contributed by setting up his Newport Harbor High teammates and doing his best to defend Corona del Mar powerhouse Jacob Murphy at two meters, but he was only 2 for 7 from the field.

That second goal, however -- with 1:07 left in the second overtime period -- was the clincher, as Newport Harbor escaped with a 13-12 overtime victory over rival Corona del Mar in the CIF Southern Section Division I semifinals Friday at William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center at Irvine High.

“This is my dream come true,” Jorth said. “Ever since I’ve known what a CIF title was, it’s been a dream to get to the championship game.”

Newport Harbor (25-5) will take on Long Beach Wilson -- which defeated Foothill in the other Division I semifinal -- in the title game on Tuesday night at Belmont Plaza Pool in Long Beach.

After a Corona del Mar shot sailed wide in the second overtime period, Newport quickly countered. Jorth glided in on the Sea Kings goal, pump-faked and scored what turned out to be the game-winner.

“I had a lot of room on the counterattack. I got my rhythm and got my fake going, and I put the ball where it needed to be,” Jorth said. “All the hard work we put into this season led up to that goal.”

Corona del Mar (17-14) led most of the game. Murphy was hard for the Sailors to handle at two meters and ended up with a team-high five goals. Money added four goals for the Sea Kings.

In a game that saw 65 shots, no team led by more than two.

CdM led 7-5 after a power play goal from the perimeter by senior Tyler Kent with 4:23 left in the third quarter. But as Sailors did six times during the game, they came back to tie it. Brett Auer -- who had a team-high five goals -- scored on a backhand from two meters on the power play, and lefty Telford Cottam found the back of the net on a six-on-five situation off a cross pass from Auer to knot the score at 7.

But CdM closed out the third period strong. Murphy hustled to a loose ball in front of the Newport net and batted it in, then grabbed the rebound off Mike Berry’s shot and scored to give the Sea Kings a 10-8 lead going into the fourth period.

“I have to hand it to Corona del Mar, they kept fighting,” Newport Harbor Coach Jason Lynch said. “They got a lot of second-chance goals that hurt us.”

Newport’s Parker Gregory and Cottam scored to tie the score at 10-10 with 2:14 left in regulation time. The Sailors’ third consecutive goal in the fourth period was courtesy of Jorth, who broke out of his scoreless slump.

Jorth spun around Ryan Hultman and scored on a counterattack to give Newport an 11-10 lead with 1:31 left in regulation.

After Jorth was called for an exclusion while guarding Murphy at two meters, CdM’s Money scored on the ensuing power play -- with 3.9 seconds remaining in regulation -- to send the game into overtime.

Murphy and Auer traded goals in the first overtime period, setting up Jorth’s heroics in the second overtime.

“Clay had a tough time shooting the ball today, but he scored when we really needed him to, didn’t he?” Lynch said.

Corona del Mar played without head coach Barry O’Dea on the pool deck. O’Dea received a red card in the quarterfinals and was serving a one-game suspension. Assistant coach Andy Coffman filled in.

The game could have gone either way, but it’s the No. 3-seed Sailors -- who had lost in the quarterfinals four straight years under Lynch -- who will go to the final and face No. 1-seed Long Beach Wilson.

“Words can’t describe it,” Lynch said. “We’ve been through a lot, so it’s pretty awesome.”

CIF Southern Section

Division I Playoffs

Semifinals

Newport Harbor 13,

Corona del Mar 12

Score by Quarters