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WALNUT — Newport Harbor’s boys water polo team finally got the chance Saturday night to show how it responds to a tight score in the final seconds of regulation.

JSerra forced the reaction from the Sailors deep in a riveting CIF-SS Open Division final at Mt. SAC. The undefeated Sailors, whose closest margin of victory stood at four goals, were challenged like never before.

They responded like champions.

Lucca Van Der Woude scored from 5 meters with 54 seconds left in the fourth period and Weston Hartel field blocked a power-play shot with 18 seconds remaining as Newport Harbor rallied to edge reigning champion JSerra 11-10 to move to 31-0.

The strike by the tightly-guarded Van Der Woude lifted Newport Harbor to its first lead since 1-0 and capped a rally from three-goal deficit at halftime and one-goal deficit with 2 1/2 minutes left in regulation.

“Our team really just came together,” said Newport Harbor goalie Luke Harris, who made three of his eight saves in the fourth quarter. “None us were nervous the whole time. We all stuck to our plan. We had each other’s backs. We trusted each other and we just made it happen.”

“It was awesome,” the senior added. “We can perform in any situation.”

Van Der Woude played a major role in the Sailors’ record 15th section title in the Open/Division 1 level. The senior, who transferred from Harvard-Westlake, netted three of his match-high four goals in the final period.

The 6-foot-4 defender tied the score 10-10 by redirecting a cross pass from Dash D’Ambrosia with a spectacular push with left hand, or off hand. He was tightly-marked on a drive to the far post.

“We’re happy we got JSerra’s best because no one wants a boring final,” Van Der Woude said. “We train really hard and we know that no team can go four quarters with us. If we keep pushing, we come together as a team, no team can stop us. It shows.”

Newport Harbor’s unity surfaced as it overcame a 10-9 deficit in the final 4:56 playing without standout attacker Connor Ohl. The junior fouled out just just before Connor Colman’s extra-man strike gave JSerra a 10-9 advantage with just under five minutes left.

On the JSerra’s final power play, it was Hartel — a senior who came off the bench — who tipped a shot from the point over the cage in yet another display of Newport Harbor’s depth.

“It’s great how we won the game by getting a 5-man stop,” said Newport Harbor coach Ross Sinclair, who led Newport Harbor to its third Open Division crown in the past four seasons. “They’re champions, and that’s what champions do. They find a way to win. I love these guys. I’m so proud of them.”

In the third consecutive Open final between the Orange County rivals, JSerra finished 3 for 6 on the power play while Newport Harbor went 4 for 9.

The Lions (26-4) led 8-5 at halftime behind three goals from center by junior Tyler Anderson and another post up from reserve Milan Sumich.

Newport Harbor’s center-defense tightened in the second half but goalie Jonas Ransford kept JSerra close with several tough blocks en route to seven saves.

Earlier this season, Newport Harbor beat JSerra by margins of 14-6 and 16-7 but Saturday was a different story for both teams.

“I was really proud of my guys,” JSerra coach Brett Ormsby said. “We had a challenging season. … If you (would have) asked me at Elite 8 (in early October), I would have been like, ‘Man, I hope we make this game. And if we make it, I hope we can make it respectable.’ Instead, I thought we out-played them.”

Newport Harbor ran out the final seconds after the field block Hartel. The Sailors, who have played the season on the road due to their pool being refurbished, then burst into a wild celebration.

“Anything is possible when these guys focus on buckling down and playing the right way,” Sinclair said.

D’Ambrosia and Kai Kaneko — both juniors — each had two goals for Newport Harbor. Colman and Taylor Bell each netted three goals for JSerra.

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