Boys Water Polo: Gintautas, Sandburg Place Fourth in State Tourney
Eagles use dramatic double-overtime victory over Naperville Central as springboard to fourth-place finish in IHSA state tourney.
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Balys Gintautas bailed out the Sandburg boys water polo team.
He scored with less than one second left in the second overtime of the Eagles’ 15-14 victory over Naperville Central in the IHSA state quarterfinals on Friday night.
Then on Saturday, he scored three more goals as Sandburg (29-7) went on to finish fourth in the state tourney at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire. The Eagles’ bid to splash their way to the state title was derailed in a 14-2 semifinal loss to Fenwick.
Later, Loyola topped Sandburg 9-5 in the third-place game.
Gintautas scored one goal against Fenwick and two more against Loyola. He finished with a team-high eight goals in three games for the Eagles. But he wasn't the only one of Sandburg’s heroes during an eventful two days of water polo.
Keeper Tony Rogina made 15 saves in Sandburg’s thrilling double-overtime victory over Naperville Central. He finished with 28 saves in three games. Matt Veldman scored six goals. Erik Niemeier, Brin Hopman and Anthony Bonnar each chipped in two goals. Stephen Zieler and Cody Corridino also scored for the Eagles.
